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Copland, Saint Saëns, Maxwell Davies and Orff: Claire Seaton (soprano), Paul Hopwood (tenor), Koji Terada (baritone), Boys of St Albans Cathedral Choir, EC4 Music Orchestra & Choir, Tim Crosley, Barbican Hall, London, 7.4.2009 (J-PJ) 

Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Saint Saëns: Danse Macabre
Maxwell Davies: An Orkney Wedding, With Sunrise
Orff: Carmina Burana


EC4 Music Orchestra and Choir is an amateur outfit, formed of musicians who normally spend their days working in offices in and around the EC4 postal district of the City of London. Their performance (in aid of The Prince’s Trust) of an eclectic range of works in the Barbican Hall was their fourth at the venue since 2003, and it is a reflection of the their high standards of playing that the concert can be judged against the same criteria used for professional orchestras and choirs.

The programme opened with Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man – a brave choice, because its fame and popularity can lay performances open to unforgiving scrutiny, and because its difficult brass writing can defeat even seasoned professionals. Fortunately, the EC4 orchestra easily passed this first hurdle. The brass section played particularly well in the tuttis, and they received strong support from the rest of the orchestra, particularly the percussion, which played well throughout the concert.

Saint-Saëns’s Danse Macabre gave solo violinist Claire Ashby (also doubling as the orchestra’s leader) a showcase for some very fine playing. She clearly relished the jerky rhythms and off-key tonalities of the solo part, although she was let down by a rather timid and hesitant orchestra. The harp strokes of midnight were lost in a rushed opening, and the players generally seemed too concerned to ‘get it right’ rather than enjoy the devilish fun that lies at the heart of this piece.

The orchestra was on much better form with Maxwell Davies’s An Orkney Wedding, With Sunrise. It was as if the opportunity to apparently misplay notes gave them the freedom to openly enjoy the wayward rhythms, and whisky-soaked melodies. Vocal burps and yawns from the strings, brass and woodwind were expertly realised, and the final arrival of Pipe Major Jim Banks in full regalia down the Barbican Hall steps brought the work to a triumphant conclusion.

The second half of the concert was taken up with Orff’s Carmina Burana. This is another work that can be difficult to pull off successfully; its massive popular appeal can sometimes de-sensitise listeners to its underlying complexity, and performances often rely on exploiting its brasher moments and vocal acrobatics to win audience approval. EC4 Music opted for a middle way, showcasing the work’s rhythmic intensity, but also revealing some of the subtleties of its harmonies and construction. The choir performed well throughout, supported by the excellent boys of the St Albans Cathedral Choir, their diction was clear and precise, and the singing reflected each mood perfectly. Also impressive were the three soloists: baritone Koji Terada, with his warm, silky tone; the finely expressive Paul Hopwood, who replaced an ill Daniel Joy; and soprano Claire Seaton, who sustained a bright, clear sound. The dramatic impetus and sequential flow of the movements was somewhat disrupted by the practice of waiting for the soloists to walk to and from centre stage for each of their solos. And again in some of the orchestral passages the players seemed held back and hesitant. There was also some unevenness in standards of playing. This may have been down to nerves, or to a lack of full control by conductor Tim Crosley over the huge forces under his baton. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable concert, and a testament to the high level of amateur music making in London.

John-Pierre Joyce


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