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ON THIS MONTH: CLASSICAL MUSIC<br />
Photo by Ash Mills<br />
Haydn’s Creation<br />
A special anniversary concert<br />
The Esterházy Chamber Choir, named after<br />
Austrian composer Joseph Haydn’s patron Prince<br />
Nikolaus Esterházy, was formed in <strong>Lewes</strong> a<br />
quarter of a century ago. It’s highly fitting, then,<br />
that the choir have chosen Haydn’s Creation to<br />
perform, at <strong>Lewes</strong> Town Hall, to celebrate their<br />
own beginnings.<br />
Amateur choirs need to raise money to put on<br />
concerts, in order to pay for the orchestra, any<br />
solo singers that are needed, and the venue hire.<br />
Putting on Haydn’s 1798 masterpiece isn’t a venture<br />
that allows for the cutting of many corners.<br />
The oratorio is a depiction of the creation of the<br />
world as described in the Book of Genesis, including<br />
a musical representation of a lion, a tiger, insects<br />
and a serpent. The choir, 30-40-members strong,<br />
will be joined by a similar-sized orchestra: it<br />
promises to be quite a spectacle.<br />
“We needed to hire three professional soloists, and<br />
we wanted a high quality orchestra, so we hired<br />
the world-renowned London Mozart Players,”<br />
says Matthew Spencer, a first bass who has been<br />
singing with the choir for twenty years. None<br />
of this came cheap, of course. “So we devised a<br />
novel way of raising money, which we dubbed the<br />
Carol-athon.”<br />
There exists a tome affectionately called ‘The<br />
Green Book’ which contains many traditional carols<br />
– over 50 of them – “half of which you rarely<br />
hear sung any more”. The choir raised over £1,700<br />
by singing every note of every carol – in one marathon<br />
session of three hours – in December. “It was<br />
hugely enjoyable,” he says, “but I don’t think we’ll<br />
do it every year.”<br />
The choir has had an injection of fresh blood:<br />
there are three recently joined members who<br />
weren’t yet born when it started up… and its recently<br />
appointed musical director, Richard Dawson<br />
(above, bottom row), is at the beginning of what<br />
looks like a stellar career. Richard, just 26, is the<br />
Deputy Director of Music at Brighton College and<br />
Director of Music at St Paul’s Church, Brighton.<br />
The choir has delighted audiences with many<br />
memorable concerts over the years, under a number<br />
of different directors. When pressed to mention<br />
one concert in particular, Matthew recalls the<br />
choir’s 15th anniversary celebration, at St John sub<br />
Castro, a performance of Bach’s St John Passion,<br />
conducted by guest director Nigel Perrin, a big<br />
star in the choral music scene and formerly of The<br />
King’s Singers. “A member of the choir generously<br />
sponsored that concert instead of throwing a party<br />
for a significant birthday of their own that year,”<br />
he says.<br />
The future sounds healthy, and we can expect<br />
much more from the choir, which performs four<br />
concerts every year: an a capella performance,<br />
a couple of concerts generally accompanied by<br />
piano or organ, and a “flagship” show with a hired<br />
orchestra. This is a flagship performance deluxe,<br />
an apt way of celebrating the choir’s birthday. “A<br />
party’s just a party,” concludes Matthew. “But a<br />
great concert will be remembered for ever.”<br />
Alex Leith<br />
Haydn The Creation, 7pm, 25th <strong>March</strong>, Town Hall.<br />
esterhazychoir.org<br />
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