Reviews
A scene from our concert at Buxton Opera House on 4 October 2009. A review is here.
Charity Concert in aid of the Haiti Appeal
St John's Church, Buxton, 27 January 2010
Hosted by Colin Sykes of BBC North West, a spectacular musical evening was organised at St John’s Church, Buxton, to raise funds in aid of the Haiti Earthquake Appeal. This concert was put together in just one week by Dennis Kay, enthusiastic musical director of Tideswell Male Voice Choir. With tremendous support from many members and non-members, the idea was to provide free admission to the concert, but to make a collection at the end of the evening.
Tideswell Male Voice Choir (‘The Boys’) began steadily with three pieces, the final one being a superb rendition of Rhythm Of Life.
Then it was the turn of 17 year old Phil Rigley who, having been coached for only 6 months, produced a fine version of Somewhere. More to come from Phil in the future! Next to perform were Four To The Bar (accompanied by Colin Sykes) who gave us a selection of Beatles songs, one of which – Follow The Sun – was a particularly lovely arrangement.
Nicholas Bennett, the highly acclaimed baritone, performed a superb solo. We would not have heard a pin drop; such was the audience’s anticipation of this fine singer. Mary Cobbold gave us Toccata from Suite Gothique on the organ. I am certain that I saw the pipes vibrate from the passion channelling through Mary’s fingers. This led to ‘The Boys’ (Boys indeed!) completing the first half; tears for The Lord Is My Shepherd and goose bumps for the rousing Let There Be Light. I am sure conductor Dennis Kay’s feet left the ground when driving ‘The Boys’ through this number. What a finish!
To commence the second half, Mary Cobbold powered her way though Sortie by Lefebure-Wely, leading the way into a selection of Elvis songs by Four To The Bar; Glynis Wells fighting her way though a cold to sing splendidly. Nicholas Bennett was then back again to deserving tremendous applause.
Twen’y Quid (two tenners – two tenors!) gave a vocal duet of Love Changes Everything to the delight of their colleagues (‘The Boys’).
For me, the coming together of all performers in a heart-rending and magnificent vocal rendition of a Les Miserables medley was the highlight of the evening. Soloists Glynis Wells, Nicholas Bennett, Alan Wells and Jeanette Sykes were joined by Dennis Kay for enchanting performances of high quality. Here was the moment when ‘The Boys’ really came into power, singing with emotion, singing with vigour, and singing into the hearts of the audience. This musical certainly does pierce its way into your very soul.
Let us not forget the fine musician Christopher Ellis for his magnificent introductions and musical skills on the piano. His ability to lift everyone is special indeed.
After the appeal, an encore of Les Miserables’ Do You Hear The People Sing by ‘The Boys’ raised the roof and raised people from their seats towards a standing ovation. This time Dennis Kay almost leapt up to the chandelier with excitement!
Well done all!
Thank you to everyone who gave up their time to produce such a splendid evening, in aid of this appeal.
Ray Whiteley
Celebration Concert at Bakewell Methodist Church
24 October 2009—A Night to Remember
Performing to a full house the choir presented a programme of music which had been selected by past members and family members of those men who once sang with the choir, who sadly are no longer with us.
The evening was a resounding success, bringing back many fond memories of loved ones, and of the music itself.
Under the leadership of Eileen Rigg, T.M.V.C.’s deputy conductor, the choir opened the programme with Rhythm of Life, and following a short introduction and welcome from Musical Director Dennis Kay they followed on with the beautiful Howard Goodall arrangement of The Lord Is My Shepherd, also conducted by Eileen.
God’s Choir, Let There Be Light, Let It Be Me, Softly, As I Leave You, were just a selection of pieces requested and which were included in this excellent programme. The choir performed them all to a very high standard and the quality of their presentation lived up to the high expectations for which this choir has now become renowned. There were some magical moments, particularly in the beautifully controlled soft singing and the equally magical accompaniments, so beautifully played by the choir’s Principal Accompanist, Christopher Ellis.
The programme included two solo items from Christopher, who continues to delight and excite audiences with his sheer brilliance at the piano. His talents have definitely brought a new dimension to T.M.V.C.’s concert programme.
The idea behind the concert was to remember and pay tribute to past members and celebrate their service and commitment. I believe it was achieved with great success, and I am certain this will be repeated.
[Thanks to an anonymous reviewer – Ed]
Annual Concert at Buxton Opera House, 2009
We have a review of this concert by Gay Bolton of Derbyshire Times here. This is a PDF file; clicking the link should download the file to your computer. Grateful thanks go to Gay and the DT for permission to publish the review here.
The 2009 Buxton Fringe Festival
(This review is reproduced from the Fringe's Web site by kind permission of the organisers.)
Tuesday 14 July
I'll start with a confession: this would not usually have been my first choice concert. But having heard them performing on the Prom on Fringe Sunday, I was happy to step in as a last minute reviewer.
And I was not disappointed. The first half was a little low key for my liking with the choir showing great control in their collective singing in a range of music from sacred – God's Choir and The Lord Is My Shepherd – to pop including Westlife's You Raise Me Up and Bette Midler's The Rose, ending with Any Dream Will Do from Joseph.
The second half saw the choir step up a gear as they swung into two Frank Sinatra numbers, New York, New York and My Way, before moving on to American Trilogy. All of which gave them the chance to really open up to good effect.
The choir closed the concert – fittingly on Bastille Day – with a medley from Les Miserables, including a sensitive solo from Maurice Hargreaves in Bring Him Home.
However, a special mention must be given to 18-year-old bass baritone Tyler Cooper, for two wonderful solos: Empty Chairs and Empty Tables, and, Stars. It was no surprise to learn that he is due to go to the Royal Northern College of Music next year – but on a long lead, back to Tideswell!
Another 'find' for the choir is accompanist Christopher Ellis who stunned the audience with his performances of the first of four ballades by Chopin and a scintillating rendition of Earl Wild's transcription of the Introduction and Summertime from Gershwin's Fantasy on Porgy and Bess. Both played from memory.
He is appearing on the Fringe again on Wednesday 22 July with baritone Nicholas Bennett in A Way With Words, an evening of great poetry in song.
Throughout the concert, from the quietest numbers to the loudest, the choir's control and power was evident – personally, I would have liked to have heard a little more variety, and a bit more of the power they so obviously possess.
In my experience, choral directors and conductors have a bit of a reputation for being dragons. Dennis Kay is not one of them, he is generous and nurturing and this clearly brings out the best in the choir. He is happy to share the limelight with soloists, musicians and his very able deputy conductor Eileen Rigg, with a nice line in patter as he introduced every item.
Most importantly he is very willing to promote young talent such as Tyler and Christopher, and drummer Daniel Hopkins (16). As he rightly says these are the future of Tideswell Male Voice Choir, it is good to know that they are already working with Hope Valley College to attract more young men to singing.
Although not strictly part of the Fringe, the choir can be heard again, this time on their home turf in their Annual Concert in Tideswell Parish Church on Saturday 25 July.
Caitlin Bisknell
The 2008 Buxton Fringe Festival
As a recent convert to early choral music one can often find me listening to the 'Tallis Scholars' or 'Kings College Choir', so the thought of being dragged out by Mrs Flett to listen to a dusty old bunch of duffers singing songs from the shows filled me with dread. In fact I had planned on feigning some dreadful acute illness which rendered me couch bound for the evening.
Notwithstanding any of this kind of tomfoolery, I often find that these things are not half as bad as you think they are going to be once you have torn yourself from the womb-like comfort of the armchair and put your shoes on, besides which, Mrs Flett reminded me of our old insurance salesman Nigel Willis who sings with the TMVC. Well that was it then – 'he's almost family' I muttered under my breath pulling on my trainers.
On our arrival the boys had just launched into their first number. I remember thinking "well this could have been worse" and the rest of the programme just got better and better as I became less and less cynical. The Musical Director the jovial Dennis Kay was into audience participation in a big way and he soon had the audience joining in and augmenting the glorious sound that was the TMVC. (shhh don't tell everyone but, what was worst of all the buggers almost made me shed a tear or two...Almost I said!
So as well as enjoying an excellent musical evening with a genuinely nice bunch of blokes I learned a valuable lesson in my ignorance and arrogance, that any song however modest, sung with enthusiasm, passion and sheer joy will sound any bit as good as any Agnus dei or a Spem in Alium. Highly recommended.
Mark Flett
The 2007 Buxton Fringe Festival
It is an incontrovertible fact that music is good for the soul. After witnessing the Tideswell Male Voice Choir's concert in St. John's Church with its excellent acoustics, it is evident that singing must also be good for the heart, lungs and memory. Where else would one find a group of three dozen upright men including at least one octogenarian standing for a couple of hours "bustin' their hearts with melody"? The audience was treated to perennial favourites – The Rose, When the Saints Go Marching In, American Trilogy – and an offering from the more recent "Les Miserables", "Bring Him Home" with its sensitive tenor solo.
Musical Director Dennis Kay took an unusual approach to the evening's delights by demonstrating to his appreciative listeners how a Tuesday evening's rehearsal with the Choir might go, even to the extent of inviting their participation in Jerusalem (yes, that one) and a lesson in diction with Let there be peace on earth. It is easy to see how the Choir came to be awarded the silver trophy in the Male Voice Section of the 2003 Malta International Choir Festival. The rich baritone support for the soul-stirring harmonies in Jerusalem (no, not that one, but W. Walker's air from Dennis Kay's Salvation Army background with his twin brother) was glorious.
This reviewer's delight knew no bounds when the concert finished with the arrangement by internationally well-known Gwyn Arch OBE of the stirring African Trilogy, sung so sensitively that one young lady in the front row was reduced to tears. Much credit must also be given to Llinos Hodgson on the piano who has so skilfully accompanied the Choir for 23 years. She confessed that she had never before played under a large umbrella as occurred when some of the Choir gave a taster last Sunday outside the Pavilion.
It was perhaps unfortunate that with such a rich choice of events in the Festival and the Fringe concurrently, the opera audience across the road could not also applaud this most professional Choir under their charismatic Musical Director. The Choir's Gala Concert with Aled Jones at the Buxton Opera House on September 1st is almost sold out, but they give numerous performances in the surrounding area. Make a point of hearing them.
Juliet Widdowson
Updated 2 February 2010