By Isle of Wight Observer
By Claire Sharples
An evening of Baroque music from the early 17th Century, performed by Ryde Chorus, alongside guest instrumental musicians and four vocal soloists, took place at All Saints’ Church, Ryde, last weekend.
Musical director, Jurgita Leistrumaite, had arranged the programme in an unusual but effective order.
The performance started with each of the soloists singing an aria, accompanied on the piano by James Longford. After this, James moved to the church organ to give a masterly rendition of JS Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in B minor.
It was then time for the chorus of 25 voices to perform Bach’s Motet ‘O Jesu Christ, Meins Lebens Licht’, singing the German words with an immediate feel for the style and emotion of the music. This was followed by probably the most well-known piece of the programme, ‘And the Glory of the Lord’, from Handel’s Messiah.
After the interval, the choir was joined by violins, violas, a double bass, and a chamber organ to perform Monteverdi’s ‘Beatus Vir’, followed by two pieces by German composer, Buxtehude – ‘Allelulia’ and ‘Magnificat’. The final movement of the evening, for the chorus and the soloists, was Vivaldi’s ‘Credo in G’.
Judged by the response of the audience, the choir, soloists and musicians, enabled by Jurgita, gave an inspiring performance.
Ryde Chorus is seeking to increase the size of the choir in each voice. For more information and news of future concerts refer to their Facebook page.