Stephen Cleobury’s Prom with the Choir of King’s College Cambridge and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment closed with Fauré’s Requiem, and hearing it in the aftermath of the attacks in Nice was to be reminded of its quiet sadness and also the consolatory quality that makes it so special.
The King’s Choir, of which Cleobury has been director since 1982, have long been associated with the work, preserving the original ecclesiastical performance tradition, in contrast to the grander approach favoured by others. They sang with calm dignity, delivering a beautifully sustained treble line and a wonderful hovering quality from tenors and altos. Cleobury pressed gently through it, while the OAE’s lean sound conferred a note of deep austerity. Roderick Williams was the reflective baritone soloist, while treble Thomas Hopkins sang the Pie Jesu with fervour. It was deeply touching.
The rest of the evening didn’t always scale the same heights. Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine was exquisitely done, and the performance of his Pavane that preceded it was admirably cool. But Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, which dominated the first half, was on the detached side, its sense of impending military threat occasionally lacking intensity. However, the choral singing here was again superbly fervent. The quartet of soloists – including Williams – was led by Lucy Crowe, who opened the evening with Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate, which was sung with tremendous elan and radiant tone.
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The Proms run until 10 September.
