Eclectic French programme makes for a sublimely reflective evening.

St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney
July 10, 2015

Brett Weymark’s latest programme for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs takes twin nods from the upcoming Bastille Day celebrations and the centenary of the Australian sacrifice on the fields of France to offer a reflective survey of French choral music of the last hundred years or so – and it’s a tantalising mix of the old and the unfamiliar.

Fauré’s Requiem is the bums-on-seats hook, but for the more adventurous there is music by the underplayed Maurice Duruflé, the underrated Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur, and a burst of organ music by the mighty Louis Vierne. Add to that a new setting by organist/composer Calvin Bowman of an Apollinaire poem and you have enough Gallic spice to rouse the most jaded palate.

The sheer bulk of St. Mary’s Cathedral can be a blessing and a curse. Its generous resonance lends an extra dollop of spirituality to sacred music such as this, yet controlling that sound, ensuring blend and keeping pitch within a wash of sound is a very devil. It was a credit to the Symphony Chorus and their ambitious, inspirational musical director that they came through with mostly flying...