Lancaster Singers


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		Denis & Meg McCaldin


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Michael Nunn's review of the 'All-Haydn' Concert
St Peter's Cathedral Saturday 6th June '09

For their final Lancaster concert under the direction of director Professor Denis McCaldin, it was entirely proper to go for an all-Haydn programme, in this the 200th anniversary year of the composer's death. And what a varied treat it was. Supported by the small, 'period' forces of the Northern Chamber Orchestra, the evening opened with the short Te Deum in C, written for the Empress Marie Theresa of Austria in the 1790s.

Then followed a little-known but enchanting rarity, The Storm, a 'madrigal' composed during one of Haydn's visiits to London in 1792. This is a brief but dramatic piece where Baroque word-pai nting meets early Romanticism. It was confidently sung, even in the 'calm'bits, in its original English version.

The first half concluded with a rousing performance of Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E flat, the composer's last and arguably greatest concerto. Soloist John Miller, who lives in Lancaster and teaches at the Royal Northern College of Music, played the solo part on an 'organised trumpet' with keys instead of valves, which was invented in the 1770s by a Viennese friend of Haydn. The clarity of the sound was simply thrilling. The rapid and fiendishly difficult passage-work came across perfectly clearly above the beautifully-phrased and fully-scored orchestral accompaniment.

After the short interval, the Singers rejoined the orchestra for the extensive Nelson Mass of 1798, which is said to commemorate the recent defeat of Napoleon, who was trying to over-run Europe, by the British Admiral of its title. The Mass, like Bach's Passions and Mozart's Requiem, is almost operatic in style and dramatic effect. And the Singers with the Orchestra, with the addition of the five admirable soloists, delivered a passionate and sensitive performance which at times moved towards the sublime.

It was a splendid tribute to the energy and fine musicianship of Denis McCaldin, whose long association with the Lancaster Singers has delighted audiences in many venues in and around Lancaster over many years. He has also performed similarly long sterling service to students and scholarship alike as Professor of Music at Lancaster University.
We wish him and his wife Meg well in their retirement.
Michael Nunn


	A Tribute to our Music Director - Prof. Denis McCaldin Professor McCaldin has worked with many great musicians and is well known throughout the musical world, not only in the UK but internationally. Denis' work in building the Lancaster International Subscription Series of concerts at the University here is well known. His career as a conductor has included work overseas as well as with some of the great orchestras in the UK. He is also an author, editor and a frequent broadcaster both for radio and television. As Director of the Haydn Society of Great Britain, he has championed the work of Joseph Haydn and is recognised as the country's foremost authority on this composer. He has worked tirelessly making recordings, organising conferences, updating journals and arranging or leading performances to promote interest in Haydn and his works. There is no doubt that under Denis' tutelage the Lancaster Singers have developed into a more mature and self-confident choir. But he values and understands the particular needs of amateur singers. Hence, whilst pressing for standards of high performance he recognises that members have professional and family commitments which need to be met in order to release the energy and commitment to choral performance. 'Take a few minutes to chat to your neighbour' he will say, after a fairly gruelling opening term to a practice. And the half-time break is always on time and never shortened. He wins the hearts of his team! A personal testimony from one who has worked for Denis and sung with the Singers for many years reads....... 'I have grown to love his wise, kind, funny and clever quips; his integrity is beyond reproach and he has an uncanny knack of knowing what to do in so many different circumstances. He understands people. He has taught, advised, cared for and empowered hundreds of students, who remember him with gratitude. It may be appropriate to mention and, oddly perhaps, that he began his career studying chemistry, before he and Meg 'reshuffled' their lives and he embarked on his first love, music, and which culminated in his appointment as the first Professor of Performance Studies in the UK. His retirement in 2001 seems something of a token gesture. He has been almost as busy during these last eight years as during his full-time employment.' Denis and Meg - you will be greatly missed by us and the whole music fraternity in the area. You leave with our warmest affection and good wishes for the future.

	About the Lancaster Singers Over more than 30 years Lancaster Singers has grown to a 70 - strong mixed voice chamber choir. What unites us all is a love of music and performance and the pursuit of musical excellence. We have all had a short informal audition and although some musical literacy is expected, we believe the variety of our musical backgrounds adds to the diversity and flexibility of the group. Our repertoire has included most of the great choral master-pieces. We perform as an a cappella group through to large scale works with orchestra and we normally give five or six concerts a year which are held in a variety of venues ranging from large concert halls, where we perform with professional orchestras and soloists, to tiny village churches. If you are interested in joining us there are limited vacancies for new members. Usually we meet during 'singing-terms' in the Jack Hylton Room behind the Great Hall of Lancaster University on Tuesdays at 19.30 and finish at 21.30. Some useful information about the general terms of membership are given on the 'news' page of this web-site Please contact Chris Haughton, Chair, at Inversanda, Rosslyn Ave, Preesall, Poulton le Fylde, Lancashire, FY6 0HE Tel: 01253 811360 E-mail: *chris.haughton@tiscali.co.uk*