A goodly number of visitors enjoyed a delightful evening's entertainment on Tuesday, when Tenby Male Choir and their guest artist, Robert Hodge, gave a concert at St. Johns Church, Tenby. About 120 or so people filled the body of the church and the gallery, where they were afforded a 'bird's eye view' of the choir and of Robert at the piano. The Rev. Nanette Lewis-Head welcomed the audience, introducing them to the choir, their MD and accompanist in a warm and complimentary fashion, promising the audience a thoroughly enjoyable evening. And this they certainly had. Beginning with this season's opening pieces, the choir sang with real enthusiasm and enjoyment, despite the 'closeness' of the evening and the warmth generated in the venue by the number of bodies gathered together. There is a real sense of intimacy in a concert at St. Johns, which adds to the interaction between the choir and its audience. The opening numbers were warmly applauded, and the choir are to be congratulated in making their repetoire sound 'fresh' each time it is sung. David Llewelyn and Paul Varallo were the choir second tenor soloists in the first 'break.' Their items were much enjoyed. The choir's guest artist was next, introduced by Christine, who recalled Robert's lengthy experience of performances in Tenby in the past, despite being still so young. Studying at Royal Holloway University London, now, Robert is presently home for the holidays, working and performing and gaining more experience. His first pieces were 'Nocturne number 4 in A' by John Field, an Irish composer and Brahms' 'Rhapsody number 2 in G minor.' The beautiful music of the first piece was soothing and uplifting, while the dramatic and exciting piece by Brahms demonstrated Robert's excellent technique. His playing held the audience in thrall, and was much applauded. When the choir returned, it was to sing 'Dashenka,' 'Pan fo'r nos yn hir,' 'The Finnish Forest' and 'With cat-like tread.' Four more disparate pieces would be hard to find for such a (relatively) small choir. But the selection enabled the MD to demonstrate the versatility of the choir. Eric Mullins, from the 'bottom bass' section, then took the limelight with two of his most popular items, and the audience quite cleanly loved them. When Robert returned, it was to play Listz's 'Sonetto 104.' Robert's highly developed sense of the dramatic lent itself to this very romantic and evocative piece. In introducing his final piece, 'The Elves' Caprice' by Hemery, Robert commented that the last time he had played it was at 4 am in a 24-hour marathon musical challenge to raise money for Cancer Research. He hoped he would be in a fitter state this time to play it well. A delightful piece, Robert played with huge vitality and aplomb. When he returns to university in the autumn, Robert will be conducting a concert given by the student symphony orchestra and choir. This is an area of performance he is very interested in. He has already been conducting the three counties youth orchestra in rehearsal. It was a joy to see and hear him perform once again in Tenby. For their final 'set,' the choir opened with 'Smoke gets in your eyes' and at the end, there was one of those lovely silent moments, as if the audience didn't want to break the spell by applauding too soon. Next came 'Shenandoah', which seems to improve every time it is sung, though there is little enough room for improvement, and 'American Trilogy.' The final number, to suit several visiting choristers whom Christine asked to join the choir in singing, was 'Morte Christe.' This number, too, was a thrilling rendition, despite its familiarity. The concert ended with the two National Anthems, and as the audience streamed out in the warm summer evening, one couldn't help feeling a warm glow about an evening well spent.
