It was worth waiting until 9 p.m. before starting as the evening gathered around the cathedral, the candles grew in power inside it and the sound of the eight gathered singers filled the space with their glorious sound.
The light creates various effects on the interior, not least the angle of the last light casting colours from the stained glass in the north window onto the stone around it. It was beautiful but you had to be quick to catch it because five minutes later it was gone.
In the introduction we were told that the idea for this new venture came from a group watching You Tube and finding the Hawaiian Falsetto Festival (with which I'm sure we are all familiar), and James Bowman, the doyen of English countertenors, agreed to join seven of his juniors in this programme, developed by Jason Stanbridge-Howard.
The opening piece was the first of those from the Missa de Angelis, in which the singers were positioned in different parts on the cathedral and none at first were actually on stage. It is hardly a new device but it is always a good one. As ever the acoustics of Portsmouth Cathedral were
awful to hear anyone speaking but great for the soaring voices. James Bowman remains in fine form but this was as much a showcase for the coming generation of aspirant Scholls, Jarousskys and Cencics and, without wanting to show particular favour to any among a fine set of voices or deride any of them, I think it might be Paul du Plessis-Smith and Jason that have the most potential on this showing.
The programme was an hour of varied ensemble and solo singing, with duets, pieces in several parts and, of course all eight together, the finale being a fine new arrangement of the Tallis Canon by June Clark who was there to take a bow. But although we had Purcell, Palestrina and, most notably the Missa de Angelis, there was also the drawing room piece Shenandoah and the novelty of The Slow Train by Flanders and Swann but it was all fit to exploit the high ceiling and give these great voices the opportunity to demonstrate their full nuance and power.
Reviewing a concert like this is something of a fool's errand as if words can describe how a diamond shines or ever hope to communicate a starry night but one thing to reflect upon in coming away was the difference between the spacious arrangement of the Mass with the closer harmonies and more intricate arrangement of pieces like the Palestrina in which by all means the top line is the bright, celestial focus of attention but there is much to be enjoyed in the intricacies and interweaving in the other lines, too.
I left happily with the Tallis echoing in my memory, walking to the bus stop past the open upstairs window of some university accommodation where they were having a good time to the tremendous sound of Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops belting out I Can't Help Myself and music is indeed a wide church. There wasn't going to be a bus for quite some time and so I walked home through the cooling streets of a Portsmouth summer evening and was only approached by one drunk. Wednesday nights aren't what they used to be round here.
It was a shame to see that the Andrew Motion event had to be cancelled and one hopes that nothing is amiss but, otherwise, hurray for the Portsmouth Festivities programme providing such choice performances. It is going to be a very difficult choice, come the winter time, for me to nominate which was the best event I attended this year. The Southern Countertenors ft. James Bowman is another for my ever expanding short list.
