Bungay Choral Society
REVIEW
BUNGAY CHORAL SOCIETY 121st ANNIVERSARY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
A Christmas Celebration
Bungay Choral Society
Holy Trinity Church,
Bungay.
The festive lights are up in the town; the star is on top of St Mary’s Church and now the choral society has presented its traditional concert of carols and music- the Christmas build-up is officially under way in Bungay.
The church was packed for this popular event, led by the choir under the direction of Harvey Rathbone, and featuring the choirs from Ditchingham Primary School and the Old School Henstead.
And there was plenty of opportunity for the audience to join in the carol singing.
There was some beautiful singing of less well known carols and Christmas songs from the choir, including a Maiden Most Gentle, A Virgin Most Pure, Candelight Carol, Quelle Est Cette Odeur Agreeable, The Nativity Carol, the Shepherd’s Pipe Carol, Myne Liking and Star in the South. Alto Rosemary Greenhaigh sang O Little Road to Bethlehem. And they opened the second half with an excerpt from Bach’s “ The Christmas Oratorio” Come now with Gladness and Welcome the Morrow, which was warmly appreciated.
The children ‘s choirs sang Little Bull (huachotorito) with audience participation, To Bethlehem and Away in a Manger.
The singing was accompanied by the organist Tim Patient, rehearsal accompanist for the Norwich Philharmonic Choir and President of the Norfolk Organists Association, who also played two solos- Line Dance from Dance Suite by Noel Rawsthome, and Postlude on Mendelssohn, by David Wilcox, and variety in an enjoyable evening was provided by two readings, one a humorous look at the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas by Robin Farrar, and the other a reading from Dylan Thomas’s Christmas Writings by Martin Canter.
TR
NEXT CONCERT VENUE: St Mary's Church, Bungay. DATE: Saturday, May 8th, 7.30 PM.
Photographs below show the Choral Society in rehearsal
