TV choirmaster Gareth: ‘The King’s passion for music can herald a new golden age’
CHOIRMASTER Gareth Malone is hoping King Charles coming to the throne will start a new golden age for classical music.
The star of award-winning TV show The Choir says His Majesty’s passion and confidence in British music will help restore it to its former glory after successive governments have neglected choral groups and orchestras.
The King commissioned a range of pieces for his Coronation last year, something Gareth said excited “all of classical music”.
The 48-year-old added: “There were some fantastic commissions. We know he is very serious about classical music – he learnt the cello as a young person – so I think he’s someone who understands the importance of it. So yes, let’s hope, well, like a second restoration.”
He fondly remembers performing for the then Prince of Wales with his first choir and the London Symphony Orchestra.
“Charles was there and he came and met all the kids before, and wished them luck, and asked them who they were,” he said.
“He was charm itself, just absolutely charming. And he’s clearly someone who loves music.”
The father-of-three, who has been teaching choirs on TV for 20 years, feels music has been undervalued in schools.
“Successive governments have under-invested in music education. It’s not the focus. It’s not the thing that schools are judged by. They are
judged by what their results are,” he said. “Music is one of those things that transcends all that.
“It’s the most amazing way of giving people self-confidence, teaching people how to learn, giving people an object lesson.”
Gareth, married to English teacher Becky, added: “If you’re not an academic type of person, it’s incredibly useful to give people a sense of self-worth that then affects all the other subjects that they learn.”
He will next be seen on Good Friday working with eight untrained singers as they are selected and start intensive rehearsals for Bach’s St John Passion on BBC One at 11.15am. The second part of Gareth Malone’s Easter Passion will see the choir perform in Cardiff, on BBC One on Easter Day at 11.30am.
This will be followed by a final concert performance of
Bach’s St John Passion, on BBC Two at 6pm, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the masterpiece by the German composer.
The choirmaster said: “It was challenging, definitely, for everyone involved.
“It’s one of those pieces that even if you are professional, and you’ve been doing it your whole life, it’s long and intense, and there’s new things you discover every time you perform it.
“I first fell in love with this work in my late teens and I have just been obsessed with Bach ever since.”
Gareth added: “He is just one of those composers who I find incredibly moving, somebody who suffered and who was a human being.
“It’s not just some mathematics exercise. It’s really human music to my ears and so it’s a big daunting challenge to do that with the BBC Singers and with the BBC National Orchestra ofwales.
“Plenty of people go and join a choir and they sing maybe some pop songs in four-part harmony, but there’s a challenge beyond that, that everyone can get behind and everyone would enjoy.”
Describing the show, he explained: “So yes, we had amateurs who had never sung choral music of that type before.
“It’s emotional in the sense that it’s a big deal to just get through, it’s a lot to learn.
“It’s a huge amount of music, it’s not easy to sing so obviously there are times when that’s more wearing and difficult.
“But then it’s just so beautiful and it’s a story that, whether you have faith or not, it’s just embedded in our culture and it’s moving.
“It’s a sad story, it’s a human story, so it’s one that everyone can connect with.”