Wigton Choral Society

A Review of the Christmas concert on 15th December 2012 from The Cumberland News of Friday 21st December 2012.

ENTHUSIASM FOR THOUGHTFUL EVENING OF BALANCE AND CLARITY

Wigton has much to commend it. A fact obvious from a well planned programme in the town's elegant galleried church.
Wigton Choral Society and the Cumbria Camerata were under their well know musical director Ian Wright. Add four delightful soloists and the musical scene was set.
In Bach's Christmas Oratorio three of the six cantatas were programmed, the fact that the various recitatives and chorales show the piece as mainly liturgical in essence the soloists proved it an audience absorbing concert piece.
David Duglas - tenor, Paul im Thurn - bass, Charlotte Jackson - soprano and Sarah Wallcook - alto, made full use of St Mary's fine acoustics with clear delivery.
Odd blips of intonation in the Camerata were soon evened out and tempo was assured with Ian Wright's clear conducting. The reitative duets, were particularly noticable for their balance and clarity.
Seasoned reviewers sometimes have nail-biting moments where the piccolo trumpet is used in smaller ensembles. Pitched an octave above the flute it can sometimes sound a little strident. It was well intoned by a very fine player. JSB would have been pleased. So was the conductor, Ian Wright, who brought him to his feet for acknowledgement.
Two carols for the audience, Bob Chilcott's arrangement of Gruber's Silent Night and O little town of Bethlehem, as well as Carl Rutti's A Patre Unigenitus brought this thoughtful evening to a close.

Arthur C Williams