by Simon O'Hea | Oct 27, 2015 | News, Reviews
Rachmaninov’s All Night Vigil (Vespers) is one of the most exquisite sacred works for unaccompanied voices. Written a century ago against a backdrop of the First World War and Bolshevik revolution, the deep serenity of this piece comes from the traditional Orthodox...
by Simon O'Hea | Jul 13, 2015 | Reviews
The Renaissance Choir and conductor Peter Gambie, recently awarded ‘Best Classical Music Act’ by Portsmouth News, justified this accolade in Saturday’s concert at The Church of the Holy Spirit. Purity of sound and an excellent blend of voices were to the fore in an...
by Simon O'Hea | Mar 31, 2015 | Reviews
St Peter’s Church suits this choir, both in scale and ambience, and their concert, under the precise direction of Peter Gambie, was something of a triumph. The main item was reserved for later, but the earlier part of the concert had its own jewels. There was an...
by Simon O'Hea | Oct 30, 2014 | Reviews
Review of our “Into the Light” concert at St Peter’s Church, Petersfield on 25 October 2014: “Karen – a treasure among pianists” This was the Emsworth-based Renaissance Choir’s concert but the individual star was that treasure among pianists,...
by Simon O'Hea | Jul 25, 2014 | Reviews
At the concert at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Southsea, on 19 July 2014 Scottish composer James MacMillan was adroit in tailoring the trumpet part in his 2010 setting of In Splendoribus Sanctorum, allowing trumpeter Fraser Tannock to create a deliberate and potent...
by Simon O'Hea | Apr 15, 2014 | Reviews
Peter Gambie, conductor of the Emsworth-based Renaissance Choir, invariably produces interesting and appealing programmes – and this one was positively captivating. The main item, Messa di Gloria, was written as a graduation exercise by the teenage Puccini and has...