Welcome to Taunton Choral Society
Our autumn 2018 concerts will be
Candlelit Advent Concert
6.30pm Sunday 18 November 2018, St John’s Church, Taunton
Handel’s Messiah
7.30pm Saturday 1 December 2018, St Mary Magdalene Church, Taunton
Watch the website for further details
Tickets will be available from Taunton Visitor Centre – 01823 340470
and bookable from Ticketsource – click on the ‘Book Now’ link below
Come and join us!
The Society welcomes everyone who loves to sing. The Members’ Information leaflet explains what is involved in being a member of TCS and should answer most of your questions and there is further information on our Questions page.
If you would like to talk to someone before you join, please contact us by telephone or email and we will be happy to have a chat. You are also welcome to attend some rehearsals before you decide to join. You can complete your written application when you arrive or alternatively you can download, complete and email the Membership Contact Details form in advance.
Rehearsals for our autumn concerts start on Tuesday 11 September 2018, 7.30pm, at the Temple Methodist Church hall, Taunton, so why not come along?
We look forward to meeting you!
Remarkable energy on a hot evening
Taunton Choral Society’s summer concert was a triumph of commitment from this enterprising group. The concert featured ‘Scenes from the Bavarian Highlands’ by Elgar, and Brahms’s ‘German Requiem’. These two works provided great contrast, the Elgar being a series of predominantly light-hearted holiday reminiscences - with the composer setting to music poems written by his wife, Alice. The Brahms however is a life and death work with massive implications.
The conductor Ed Goater’s careful consideration of the music was reflected in the expressive presentation of the singers. Elegant poise and varied vocal colour were the keynotes in the Elgar pieces, finishing appropriately with ‘The Marksmen’ evoking soldiers marching through the mountains, just as troops from 40 Commando had marched through Taunton earlier in the day.
The Brahms was given a remarkable performance. The choir rose to the challenge of singing in German to provide a majestic performance of real intensity. This was enhanced by the clarity and dexterity of the piano playing – providing a focussed accompaniment much clearer, if not so grandiose, as the orchestral version. Occasionally we missed the brass in the big moments such as the terrifying ‘steam-roller’ build-up in ‘all flesh is as grass’. But generally the impressive co-ordination and dexterity of pianists Lydia Scadding and Aaron Burrows supported the singers admirably. Soloists Honey Rouhani and James Schouten communicated powerfully with a relatively small amount of material. There were some wonderful endings – leaving the audience with the delicious aftertaste of a vintage port. The appreciative silence before the prolonged applause at the end of the concert was thus a moment to savour.
Miles Quick
