A SECULAR REQUIEM

WEST BRITON REVIEW (abridged)
Judith Whitehouse, West Briton

THREE SPIRES SINGERS & ORCHESTRA
TRURO CATHEDRAL 23 MARCH 2013
PASCOE STRAUSS AND VERDI

An unseasonably cold evening, but a warm buzz of excitement as the Cathedral filled up for Three Spires' World Premiere of Russell Pascoe's A Secular Requiem, coupled with two works which, as Dean Roger Bush ominously warned in his introductory remarks, had been their respective composers' last. Verdi's Te Deum, like his much longer Requiem, has more than a hint of the opera house, so the lurch from restrained plainsong introduction into brassy fanfares and red-blooded eight part chorus wasn't too much of a surprise, the choir directed by Christopher Gray making the most of the dramatic and dynamic contrasts. A fine tribute to Verdi in the 200th anniversary of his birth.

For Russell Pascoe's eagerly awaited work, there was the added bonus of programme essays by him and Professor Anthony Pinching, who assembled the libretto not to mention a practical Seminar in January which gave a valuable introduction and context to this unique concept. From the first thoughtful sounds of Donne's "No Man Is An Island" contrasted with the searing language of Wilfred Owen, it was clear that this was not just a string of obvious death poems set in obvious ways. Noted soloist Catherine Wyn-Rogers and Stephen Roberts duetted vigorously in a powerful almost canonic Hardy setting and made splendid solo contributions. If I single out "Cats and Cakes" with its rumbustious brass and meowing strings, it's because Catherine Wyn-Rogers' personification of a spirit's domestic anxieties delighted the audience.

In Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle" the chorus coped magnificently with Pascoe's demonic whirlwind writing – Chris Gray's meticulous preparation and direction to the fore here – and I suspect some choirs are already looking at the irresistibly melodic Stevenson and Thomas Moore. In the final section, a Whitman setting drawing together the musical motifs which permeate the work, leading to Anthony Pinching's own Seasons, an affirmative mood is established leading to a massive climax with a whole canteen of percussion – it could have been a cliché but it worked for me, and for the huge audience, who rose to their feet in one of the most prolonged and noisy ovations in the Cathedral for some time. Russell Pascoe's Requiem is undoubtedly a work of stature, worthy of repeat performances, and all who were involved in this Premiere deserve massive congratulations and thanks for a truly magnificent and moving occasion.