Quaynotes concert

Last Friday, the Quaynotes mixed choir, under the leadership of Mr. Glyn Evans, performed as part of the Tsunami Appeal concert at Tabernacle Chapel, Narberth. The choir opened the concert with their rendition of Mozart's Ave Verum, followed by Morte Christe and The Lord is my Shepherd. The rest of the half consisted of solo items by baritone Eirian Davies, the Mezin Quartet and renowned tenor soloist, Mr. John Mitchenson. The choir commenced the second half of the concert with a selection of music from the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, followed by offerings which included items from choir soloists, Mr. Colin Clarke and Mrs. Val Evans. The Rev. Anthony Gregory offered special thanks to accompanist Mrs. Sharon Lusher, before the choir, soloists and congregation joined together to end the evening with the National Anthem.

CONCERT REVIEW

It was a mixed musical bag on offer at last weeks Tsunami Appeal Concert in the Narberth Tabernacle. Despite the immensely popular John Mitchinson suffering from a cold, which seems to be affecting almost every other person in the county, his experience and superb technique amply compensated in his two Samson arias of Handel and later with the Kashmiri songs and Una Furtiva L'Agrima from L'Elisir D'Amore from Donizetti. How fortunate Pembrokeshire is to have 'Mitch' in local residence! Colin Clarke, in a departure from his usual repertoire, was in splendid voice for The Vagabond from Vaughan Williams 'Songs of Travel'. He ought now to tackle the whole cycle. Val Evans was at her finest - displaying such aching poignancy - with Sondheim's 'Send in the Clowns' apart from her obvious singing ability, she is such a good actress. The Quaynotes - sadly in a state of some imbalance due to the lack of male voices - assayed pieces from Mozart to Jerry Bock, once again under the precise baton of Glyn Evans, presenting an awesome figure of rotundity and solidity to his responsive charges. Eirian Davies, baritone, and a protégé of John Mitchinson, gave us more than an inkling of the riches that are to come with his effortless delivery of songs by Meirion Williams, Stradella and Mendelssohn. He is a mere 23, of heroic stature, very personable and delightfully unassuming, It is surely only a matter of time before Welsh National Opera beckons. James Walker, viola player with the admirable Mezin Quartet, stepped out from his usual desk, and performed John William's theme from the film Schindler's List (most apposite) and Monti's Czardas, which roused the audience to loudest applause of the evening. The highly placed pulpit in the Tabernacle to which the soloists ascended to do their stuff, worried me a little. I can imagine it being much to the liking of earlier occupants of this eminence looking down on a trembling congregation threatening them in thunderous tones with hell and damnation. For my part, in the context of the evening, I would have liked these splendid soloists down a level and in more immediate contact. John Mitchinson closed the programme with a glowing account of 'The Old House' by Frederic O'Conner. The whole concert once again immaculately accompanied by that treasure of the keyboard, Sharron Lusher. Wonderful. The total of £2,270 was raised for the Tsunami Appeal.

GEORGE WARING