JOYFUL HOPE
CONTEMPOS INTRODUCTION TO THE YULETIDE CHEER!
The 9th of December saw a rendition of Christmas Music being performed at the Russian Cultural Centre by the immensely talented “Contempo”, the past pupils’ Choir of St. Bridget's Convent. It was truly a wonderful evening as the beautiful voices of the performers as well as the cosy ambience of the cultural centre paired up with the unforgettable melodies of those Christmas classics certainly brought joy to the hearts of everyone who came to watch and put us in the mood for the Yuletide season.
The songs which consisted of a repertoire of Gospel, Jazz and Pop kicked off with a traditional Carol “In Dulci Jubilo”. This was followed by two more Gospel songs after which they spiced things up with a performance of “Swing Down Angels” which got the audience moving in their seats and clapping along. An A-capella version of “Carol of the Bells” was the mesmerising carol that followed. The range of ability of the singers was incredible as their voices synced together in perfect harmony, leaving the audience completely engrossed in their delivery. “Sing Noel” was also a lovely carol which uplifted the mood further as Contempo then proceeded to hand the stage over to the Old Joes Choir.
Featuring the award-winning Old Joes Choir as a guest performance added more colour and a lively twist to the evening. Their powerful voices resonated through the hall as they sang 3 beautiful carols, “Away in a manger”, “Saviour's day” and “It came upon a midnight clear”.
Their well balanced range of voices was mesmerising and they held the audience with their deep soothing melodies. I particularly loved their rendition of Saviour's Day which was accompanied by the piano, sound box and a guitar. The blend of instruments and voices was remarkable and the Joes truly outdid themselves in this performance.
Contempo took over once again to capture the essence and mix up the ambience with a soothing version of one of the most acclaimed carols of all time “Silent Night”. Switching things up again they pulled the tempo up a notch by singing “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” followed by “Have yourselves a merry little Christmas”. An A-capella version of “Go tell it on the mountains” was soon to follow and Contempo showed once again how marvellous their intonation and rhythm truly is.
The final leg of the night was an all inclusive audience sing along which included the much loved classics “It's the most wonderful time of the year”,”santa Claus is Coming to Town”, “Winter Wonderland” and “Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer”. It was a trip down memory lane for the members of the audience as they clapped along to the tunes and happily sang along to these age old Christmas melodies.
The pianist Nuran Gomez did a commendable performance throughout the show and added more life and pulse to the Choir. His talent was amplified through his performance that evening as his fingers danced across the Keyboard with expert precision. It was under the guidance and direction of the talented conductor Harin Amirthanathan that Contempo was able to take their singing to another level and he clearly portrayed his prowess as a Chorale Director.
The singing was fantastic, such a high level of intonation, articulation and rhythm and a perfect mix of repertoire. It was all in all a wonderful evening of great Christmas music!
In general the well balanced voices and choir sections were impressive, and although certain voices stood out at certain times the sopranos were certainly united as one voice, soft and flexible. The singing was fantastic, such a high level of intonation, articulation and rhythm and a perfect mix of repertoire. It was all in all a wonderful evening of great Christmas music!