Good Vibrations! Fresh, feisty and fun - Vox Populi delivers again
The day after composer Harvey Brough decided to arrange a selection of Beach Boys songs for his Vox Populi choir, Brian Wilson – the lauded architect of the genre-defining Beach Boys sound – died. “Of course it was just coincidence” muses Brough, “but I suddenly felt a weight of responsibility that wasn’t there before. This had better be good.”
And the result, as offered by the Vox Populi Community Choir (VP to its members) last Friday in Holy Trinity Church certainly was. The 150+ audience was treated to some classics such as God Only Knows and Wouldn’t It Be Nice, together with some lesser known, but beautiful Wilson compositions, which when considered in the light of his challenges with depression, are particularly poignant.
Brough’s arrangements, mostly in 4-part but sometimes extending to 8-part harmony, capture perfectly the spirit of the more boisterous numbers like I Just Got My Pay while also providing a rich and moving harmonic journey for the more personal and reflective songs like In My Room. Overall the programme delivered a perfect balance of light and shade.
Guest performers included tenor soloist Lea Cornthwaite, whose impressive falsetto range was fully employed for many of the more complex numbers, Richard Norton who provided piano accompaniment with both assurance and sensitivity, and The Leamington Singers, the Radford Semele based choir who, now also under Brough’s direction, voiced a number of the melodic elements.
The VP choir themselves once again showed their flexibility, enthusiasm and musicality. Only formed at the turn of the year, this community group now has three very different 20th century music concerts under its belt which is testament to the members’ commitment and also to Brough’s contribution both as director and arranger.
For that is the essence of the Vox Populi magic. The man stood on the lectern is also the man who has lovingly crafted the arrangements that the choir is singing, and in some cases, premiering. There is an end-to-end connection with the music that only comes when the composer, conductor and choir all share the space together.
It’s rare to hear original arrangements of such diverse modern music as this choir has performed, especially outside of London; and this repertoire has already become a defining feature that sets Vox Populi apart from the many other choirs that our area is blessed with.
Their next collaboration, The Bells of Paradise on 20th December will be a concert for the festive season, again featuring original Brough arrangements and compositions
In preparation, rehearsals start on 6th November and as usual, the first two Thursday evenings are open to all-comers who fancy becoming part of this growing ensemble. No experience is required. Pre-register here or just get along to Kingsley School Hall for a 7.30pm start.