The People's Passion music, specially commissioned for Radio 4 from poet Michael Symmons Roberts and composer Sasha Johnson Manning.
Around 50 assorted singers assembled in Southwell Methodist Church on April 7th to sing The People's Passion. Some of them had had some rehearsal but it was open to all.
After a brief warm up I got straight in with the Agnus Dei, the simplest movement because it starts with a unison section and it is vocally undemanding. The choir, because it was now a choir, responded well and I was able to enforce some musical ideas that could be transferred to the other movements.
We then tackled the more lively and wordy Gloria. The choir were willing to keep the energy in the rhythm from the word go with only one or two of the pitches going astray. They were also able to put in the dynamic contrast in the middle. I thought that the Sanctus might prove to be the most difficult with the three part ladies holy, holy but there were enough solid readers present to lead it. I did the unison main section first to establish the tempo and tonality, the harder bit then came more easily. Time for break to refresh and get to know the person sat in the next seat.
I wanted the meditative heart of the performance to be a unaccompanied, improvised Were you there when they crucified my Lord. To get everyone back together I just started singing and everyone joined in - very encouraging. Time then to tackle the Easter Anthem. Some of the visiting singers knew this quite well and it is a good tune! Most of the notation was, therefore, pretty accurate. All that needed doing was tidy up some of the ensemble and sing through the few bars of unusual harmony a few times, by which time the tenor soloist had arrived for a run through.
Time for a quick run through of the remaining hymns then a break to turn all the chairs round and create a performance formation. My original thought had been to be creative and have a different standing order for each number but there were too many singers and not much room. The most complicated version of the score involved a cello, two recorders, a trumpet and chimes. We had everything except the trumpet thanks to the good offices of some friends. With performance places established we then ran through the programme in order ready for the audience to populate the balcony of the traditional Methodist church. Sarah Julian, from Radio Nottingham, arrived before the run through recorded some of it and interviewed some of the participants.
An encouraging audience of about 50 came to hear our efforts. It went very well with a lot of good, musical singing and a genuine sense of worship. The Newstead Abbey Singers, a choir that I conduct, were the core of the singers and they performed four pieces during the worship. They rose to the occasion with some very musical singing and offset the immediacy of the main group. Mike Gregory sang a beautiful Love bade welcome in the middle; Mark Hacking, Nick Milburn, Elizabeth Johnson and Gwen Bragg played the instrumental parts and Jeremy Jepson played the organ.
The People's Passion - a meditation for Holy Saturday
Programme:
Hymn: Ride on ride on in majesty
Gloria
Hymn: There is green hill
Newstead Abbey Singers:
God so loved the world from Crucifixion by John Stainer
Drop, drop slow tears by Terry Holt
Sanctus
Mike Gregory:
Love bade me welcome by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Hymn: Where you there
The Easter Anthem
Hymn: When I survey
Angus Dei
Newstead Abbey Singers:
Ave verum by William Byrd
This joyful Eastertide arr. Charles Wood
Hymn: Thine be the glory
A retiring collection was made to defray expenses.
