The human voice is a beautiful and versatile instrument that many of us fail to make full use of.
Sounds of Summer demonstrated how a range of musical styles can be performed with just voice. The Chorus of Opera North performed a varied programme, including several songs where they were joined by Bradford’s Bantams of the Opera. This was an evening of skill and joy.
This year, Opera North will be highlighting all the elements that contribute to their immersive performances. The Distilled sessions later this year will feature different instruments but Sounds of Summer was all about voice; not the lead sopranos or tenors who sometimes take to the stage when opera is performed without narrative, but the wonder of the chorus, where voices work together to form a creative whole.
The varied programme spanned from sixteenth century madrigals to songs penned by Billy Joel and Randy Newman. Early on, we were reminded that 2025 is Bradford Year of Culture when the chorus performed two pieces by Delius, both of which were short on words but strong on melody, using the voice as musical instrument.
A revelation to me were three songs composed by Amy Beach (1867-1944) based upon Shakespearian texts. Fittingly, these were performed by the female chorus singers. Beach was the first female to pen large scale art music and had over 300 compositions published.
Opera and classical music are male dominated genres, and it was refreshing to learn about this successful composer. Opera North will be opening their Autumn season with The Secret of the Black Spider by Judith Weir, performed by Opera North Youth Chorus and Youth Orchestra. This will be the first time that an opera written by a woman has been performed on the main stage.
The male members of the chorus chose to showcase Benjamin Britten’s The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard. This was another piece with a fascinating story. It was written in 1943 to be performed by British servicemen held in the Oflag VIIB at Eichstätt prisoner of war camp in Bavaria. The score was smuggled in one page at a time on microfiche. The rich tones became even more moving once we knew the story behind them.
Many of the audience were waiting for the moment when the Bantams of the Opera would join the stage. Over the last six months, the singers and their friends and families have learnt to appreciate and enjoy opera. Bradford City football fans, aged from 19 to 90, have gone from singing on the terraces to becoming an opera choir. Supported by BBC Radio Leeds, they have already performed with Lesley Garret, sung to the King and on August 1st they will perform with Aled Jones as part of Yorkshire Calling, the first concert to be held at the newly-refurbished Bradford Live venue.
Whilst the earlier performance was skilful and enjoyable, there was a sense of anticipation as Anthony Kraus passed the baton to choral lead James Sills. A sense of joy infused the auditorium as soon as the Bantams started singing. It was a pleasure to see the multicultural, multi-generational group hold their own with the professional singers. Enthusiasm and enjoyment lit up their faces and we were all swept along with their passion for singing.
The first song, of course, had to be from Phantom of the Opera and we were treated to a rendition of The Music Of The Night. There was more formal opera in the guise of the Anvil Chorus from Verdi’s Il Trovatore. My favourite performance of the night was Only You, written by Vince Clarke. Originally performed by Yazoo, the a cappella version performed by the Flying Pickets in 1983 was the first voice-only record to reach number one. The performers in the Howard Assembly Room were clearly channelling that success in their spirited performance.
The baton was passed back to Anthony Kraus for one last song from the Opera North Chorus, not on the published programme. The recent passing of Brian Wilson gave a wistful note to the final song to be introduced, but the Beach Boys’ I Get Around was the perfect joyful ending for a show called Sounds of Summer.
Main image: The Chorus of Opera North perform at the From Couch to Chorus finale. Photo credit Tom Arber.
See what more Howard Assembly Room has to offer this summer:
