Saturday 12 July 2025
Exeter Cathedral
What a creative, imaginative, logistically challenging and experiential programme! A New Creation featured many well-loved movements from Haydn’s oratorio The Creation, composed in 1797/8. There were some impassioned performances from those involved. Highlights were Outrageous storms, Bleating flocks, The worm (Bass, Niall Anderson), the sublime On mighty pens (Soprano, Penelope Appleyard) and the beautiful In splendour bright (Tenor, Michael Graham). The trio On thee each living soul awaits was a wonderful chance to hear these fine soloists combine. Exeter Festival Chorus was joined in some of the choruses by a massed choir of children from five local primary schools and Devon Youth Choir, and it was such a joyful experience to hear and see adults and children performing together in such a fine masterpiece.
A New Creation invited us all to reflect on the beauty of the natural world and consider the impact of current climate and environmental issues. Carefully chosen spoken narration, beautifully delivered by Ros Williams and Ian Pierce, provided thought-provoking and stark warnings of the fragility of the earth, from proverbs to lectures to quotes from specialists, including Sir David Attenborough.
Exeter Festival Chorus also treated us to Our Fragile Land (Liz Dilnot Johnson, 2021) and The Hills (John Ireland, 1953). The first demonstrated evocative, sensitive singing in words based on Psalm 8, and the latter was an exquisite rendition of the required dynamic contrast: from careful, subtle, quiet moments to powerfully loud singing. This a cappella performance was, for me, a highlight of the evening. An additional ‘well done!’ to the chorus for learning this one entirely from memory.
Bringing the element of the ‘new’ to the programme, Haydn’s Representation of Chaos was preceded by the massed children’s choir performing their own version of ‘chaos’, a piece full of energy and awakening. It was a delight to see the joy on the children’s faces as they participated in such an amazing performance. This is, undoubtedly, an experience that will stay with them and their parents for a long, long time. They all did themselves, their families and schools very proud. Involving several generations in this exciting and ambitious project only added power to the vital messages being highlighted. Huge credit should be given to their teachers and those staff from Devon Music Education Hub who have worked with them in preparation for this event, without whom experiences and opportunities such as this would not happen. The children sang several pieces, highlights being Our Beautiful World (Tom Kirkham & Matthew Crossey, massed choir) and the stunning A Gaelic Blessing (John Rutter, Devon Youth Choir). Many congratulations to all the children involved and their conductors, Anthony Chamberlain and Hannah Stephenson.
Another ‘new’ bonus was the instrumental accompaniment provided by students from Devon Youth Chamber Orchestra and their tutors. This was a remarkable achievement for those young musicians, who performed brilliantly; what better way of learning than working alongside their trusted, professional tutors? Their rendition of Seventeen Come Sunday (from English Folk Song Suite, Vaughan Williams, conducted by Sam Massey) was fantastic. Full of life and brilliantly articulated playing. Sam Massey composed a special fanfare for this occasion which involved antiphonal brass, some at the West End and others in the Organ Gallery – a spectacular opening piece of music for the concert.
A New Creation was an ambitious project with a powerful message. Andrea Brown (Musical Director) and Charlie Lane (Artistic Planner) should be hugely congratulated on the excellent execution of this logistical challenge, ably assisted by Lewis Gibbs (Devon Music Education Hub) – your hard work, inspiration and style came to fruition beautifully. The message itself was clear and close to the heart of many, not least the benefitting charity of the evening, the Eden Project. Thank you to you all for bringing this concert to Exeter Cathedral, combining a historical and stunning venue, talented children and adults – the old and the new – and a crucial message. As we were reminded, from a Native American proverb, “Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children. The land is sacred.”
A truly intergenerational performance. A superb treat for a magical summer’s evening.
Paul Stock