Young performers add to the good cheer at Dursley Tabernacle (From Gazette Series)

Review: Cotswold Chorus and Junior DODS at Christmas concert

9:38am Monday 12th December 2011 in What's On By Donald Hollins

THERE was a healthy attendance at this concert, perhaps helped by the fact that the Junior DODS choir was also performing. It was good to hear the young performing alongside the middle aged. There were thirty singers in the Cotswold Chorus of whom only eight were men which led to a certain lack of balance although the men did their best to compensate. The Chorus opened with In Dulci Jubilo based on an arrangement by the great JS Bach which I felt was taken too slowly and showed a few uncertainties but with Past Three o'clock the choir got into its stride and sang more confidently. Whence is that Goodly Fragrance Flowing is a French carol that was pleasantly sung and Tomorrow shall be my Dancing Day found the singers at their best with those strong rhythms, the staccato notes and not forgetting James Corbett's striking piano accompaniment. He was a tower of strength throughout.

After the interval ,Gaudete from Piae Cantiones was sung with suitable gusto as was Deck the Hall; but Here We Come a Wassailing was rather too slow and had an uncertain start. Later, full of confidence with voices lubricated by the fruit punch at the interval ,the choir was singing much more confidently and ended with Ding Dong Merrily on High and the Sussex Carol. The Junior DODS singers contributed two groups to the concert beginning with a selection that included Bridge Over Troubled Water and Moon River . Sorry to say I felt these were over-arranged and would have benefitted by being sung with less adornments. However, the Junior DODS' second group included a beautifully sung solo by soprano Kiera Todd entitled Some Children See Him which was one of the real highlights of the evening. White Christmas was well sung and enabled this young choir to end on a high.

This enjoyable concert was interspersed with well known carols which the enthusiastic audience sang with gusto. Conductors David Furnival and Julia Prince clearly contributed a lot to the success of this joint Christmas concert. Perhaps at some future date the two choirs could sing together? How about it?