This concert from Cadenza (an amateur choir founded in 1992) at Greyfriars Kirk proved to be a beautiful evening of accomplished music from both the choir and orchestra. In the calm and balanced space of the kirk it was in the Little Organ Mass by Haydn that the orchestra and choir really started flexing their musical muscles. The choir managed to fill the entire space with accurate harmonies but still allowed the soloists to soar majestically over the top. Wilma Macdonald stole the first half with a softly and remarkably poised recitation of the Benedictus.
The second half of the concert comprised only of Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore. I must confess to never having heard the piece before and I was blown away by the skill and dexterity of the choir handling such important texts. Performing Mozart or the works of other famous composers can be a double edged sword. On the one hand the music is indeed likely to be of an incredibly high quality, on the other, with such famous music, there is extra pressure to sing and play it perfectly. The quality that Cadenza demonstrated in their singing meant that the audience never felt short-changed and the they demonstrated their appreciation with several minutes’ worth of applause. Sterling stuff.
