AMCHOR - the beating heart of the British choral tradition.

Amchor (Amersham Choral Society) celebrates its centenary in 2028. I had not heard them before, but my wife’s cousin Kate is now a member, so we made sure a visit to her coincided with a concert. Thus it was we found ourselves in the delightful surroundings of St Mary’s Church in the picture post card perfect village of Old Amersham to listen to a programme of music by Handel, Mozart and Schubert.

It was gratifying to see a packed church, a very healthy choir of 70+, and a small (and as it turned out, excellent) professional orchestra, Echor Music.

The concert began with Schubert’s ‘Mass in G’. Written when he was only 18, this work is a model of concentrated, understated genius. William Blake wrote about experiencing ‘eternity in an hour’, but here, in less than half that time, we were presented with the mystery and joy of God’s mercy, in music that establishes celebration and contemplation in a series of short but sublime eucharistic movements. All concerned were certainly up to the task. Amchor provided singing both full-blooded and delicate as Schubert dictates, and left us in no doubt that we were experiencing a musical creation of ineffable genius. Echor Music’s contribution was immaculate, and the three soloists (from London’s Guildhall School of Music) helped to make this a sublime account which was far more than just the the sum of its excellent parts.

Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik was a model of restrained, sweet elegance. What might have been a cliché emerged as fresh as paint. Congratulations again to Echor Music and conductor Nick Austin for a moment ‘at the still point’ that helped take away, at least for a short while,  the weight of earthly preoccupations.

The concert concluded with Handel’s ‘Dixit Dominus’, a setting of Psalm 110. This astonishing piece, perhaps the most avant garde Handel ever wrote, was given a blazing performance, with choir and orchestra (special shout out to the double bass player) making a truly joyful noise unto the Lord. Even when vocal resources were stretched to the limit we could agree with Gerard Manley Hopkins and say:

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

    It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

I should point out that I am an agnostic, but one temporarily pulled back to faith when experiencing such wholehearted performances as these. The ladies and gentlemen of Amchor sing for the love of it, and make financial, social and personal sacrifices to prove that love.  Like thousands of choral societies all over Britain they come together to reaffirm the importance of performing works like these. Echor Music are a superb ensemble, who do vital work in the Chilterns and elsewhere, and the five young soloists made their mark, but this was ultimately a triumph for Amchor and their inspirational conductor Nick Austin. Mr Austin gave us his heart and soul during this concert and I hope all involved realised how lucky they are to have him. I hear Bach’s ‘B Minor Mass’ is next up. My wife and I can’t wait. Cousin Kate, you’ll certainly be seeing us again…