Concert Review – Evening Herald (Plymouth) – Wednesday August 9, 2000

Sax and Psalms at the church

PSALMS, SONGS & SAXES

ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH

YOU can't have too much of a good thing, or so they say.  Well, Psalms, Songs & Saxes presented by the Somerset Chamber Choir together with Saxploitation certainly proved just the very opposite!

For this was simply an ongoing feast of music, of great variety and style, and with something for just about everyone's taste.  Saxploitation are four highly talented young saxophonists who play with quite astonishing precision, despite the often quite extreme rhythmic complexity of the music, and they really enjoy every minute of it! They were equally at home in the intricacies of Graham Fitkin's Stub, completely caught the style in Alasdair Nicolson's vibrant arrangements of 42nd Street Stomp, and provided some totally effective, yet fresh contemporary obbligati in some of the vocal pieces.

CONDUCTOR, Graham Caldbeck produced fine and precise singing from his choir with wide-ranging dynamics, good projection and excellent intonation.  With particularly strong support from an excellent bass section, and a clear and resonant tenor line, the overall balance was impressive, and the singers were as accomplished in unaccompanied work as when accompanied at the organ.  Here they were also very fortunate in having the services of Richard Pearce, whose playing was sympathetic throughout, and especially so in his performance of a Bach Chorale Prelude.

Gershwin's 'Love Walked In' brought all the resources together in a jazz finale, to conclude what had been a highly enjoyable evening, and one with such a welcome mix of fun, together with moments of the utmost poignancy and emotion.

PHILIP R BUTTALL