The undertaking of György Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna by any choir is no mean feat. With complex rhythms, dense, clashing chords, and using the extremes of vocal range, it is no wonder that this piece is so rarely performed. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to see it in the programme for Schola Cantorum of Oxford’s most recent concert in Keble College Chapel.
The chapel’s incredibly resonant acoustic posed a challenge for the 30-strong choir, making it difficult to convey the subtleties and intricacies of Ligeti’s music. However, the performance had impressive clarity, and the high, sustained soprano vocal lines were executed conï¬dently – the audience were left in stunned silence before their extended applause.
The rest of the program was characterised by alternations between Renaissance music and more recent works. This cleverly outlined their similarities whilst emphasising the more modernist features of pieces such as Michael Tippett’s Plebs Angelica, which featured some stunning tenor moments from Will Anderson and Oliver Kelham.
Lassus’ Aurora Lucis Rutilat was a strong opening to the concert, with the choir handling the delicacies of music effectively, without being too overpowering as a result of the doubling of parts.
The middle of the concert explored themes of tragedy and hardship. James MacMillan’s A Child’s Prayer, composed as a tribute to the victims of the 1996 Dunblane School Massacre, provided a striking moment of poinancy and stillness at the heart of the concert, while Weelkes’ When David Heard, and Howells’ Take Him, Earth, For Cherishing were directed expressively by Ed Whitehead, Schola’s conducting scholar.
Following the Ligeti, the concert closed with Martin’s Mass for Double Choir, another incredibly difï¬cult work. The performance demonstrated Schola Cantorum’s technical accomplishment as well as that of their conductor, James Burton. It was the perfect conclusion to an enjoyable and professional concert.
