Nicola Lisle looks forward to a real musical treat at a choral concert

Four of the best composers in the world,” is how Duncan Saunderson sums up the programme for Summertown Choral Society’s forthcoming concert. And with Handel, Mozart, Verdi and Schubert featuring in the line-up, few would argue with that.

Handel’s epic oratorio Israel in Egypt, composed in 1738 and premiered in London a year later, is often neglected in favour of the overwhelmingly popular Messiah, but here audiences can get a taste of this magnificent work with the performance of four of its most notable choruses and an aria.

“Israel in Egypt must be one of Handel’s finest choral pieces ever written,” says Duncan, who has been the society’s conductor since 1996. “It’s not performed much these days because of the huge forces involved.

“The theme of the four choruses we’re doing is the plague upon the Egyptians because of what they did to the Israelites in Egypt. Then there’s an extraordinary aria about frogs by a countertenor.”

On a smaller scale but no less glorious is Mozart’s Krönungsmesse, or Coronation Mass, which will be performed in its entirety.

Duncan says: “This is a very short masterpiece with several pure Mozart strokes of genius, notably the beautiful soprano solo, the Agnus Dei, and the opening Kyrie, which was used in Werner Herzog’s film Fata Morgana.”

Another short mass, also being performed in its entirety, is Schubert’s lovely Mass in G, written when the composer was 18 and, Duncan feels, shows “flashes of the genius that we know was to come”.

One of Verdi’s most popular opera choruses, Va pensiero – better known as the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves – is paired with a lesser-known Verdi piece, the Chorus of Scottish Refugees from Macbeth.

“I think everyone knows the Va pensiero from Nabucco!” chuckles Duncan. “The Chorus of the Scottish Refugees would convert anybody to Verdi, I think. Personally I’ve never been a huge Verdi fan, but I’ve been converted by this chorus. It’s a lament brought out by the Scottish people for what became of their country at the hands of a tyrant king, and it’s just amazing.”

Soloists for the concert include prize-winning soprano Louise Wayman, countertenor Alex Pullinger, tenor Ben Durrant and regular bass soloist Tom Edwards.

They will be accompanied by pianist Julian Littlewood and The Summertown Players.

A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music, Duncan has been a lay clerk in New College Choir since 1990, initially as a countertenor but now as a bass, singing for 23 years under the direction of Professor Edward Higginbottom. He also has his own vocal quartet, Liedertafel, which was founded in 2003, and teaches singing in London and Oxford.

Summertown Choral Society, he says, provides a nice contrast with his other work.

“It’s a slightly different repertoire than I’m used to. We can sing some of the larger-scale works and because it’s a large choir and we get very good audiences we get a reasonable budget so we can put on quite big productions.

“Also there’s such a wide variety of people in the choir, so it’s great fun as well.”

Where & When
Summer Concert
St Andrews’ Church, Linton Road, Oxford
June 6, 8pm. Tickets: ticketsoxford.co.uk or summertownchoral.org.uk