Let Christmas begin
Newbury Weekly News, 8th December 2005

Newbury and District Cancer Care Trust and Macmillan Cancer Relief Concert, at St Nicolas’ Church, on Saturday, December 3
READINGS AND MUSIC
Review: PATRICK COGSWELL

WHILE we have only had to ignore the onset of Christmas since about September, Susannah Whittaker, Eric Tipton, and a dedicated group of organisers have been spending the best part of the whole year in planning their fourth join concert on behalf of Newbury Cancer Care Charities. The result was a packed St Nicolas’, in which more than 580 people crowded together to celebrate what must now be regarded as the start of Christmas proper in Newbury.

This is a truly local event, with the theme of mixing the traditional with the new. After the introduction from Lord Hurd of Westwell, carols alternated with readings from modern sources given by John Madejski, Garry Richardson, (BBC sports presenter) and Lady Eliza Mays-Smith, all with their strong roots in the area. Joining forces was Pam Ayres, fresh from her sell-out performance at The Corn Exchange, who vastly entertained with the doll story familiar to readers of Winifred Foley’s A Child in The Forest.

The second was from Lucinda Dalton (oboe), supported by Anthony Ingham on piano adding a sinuous and dramatic rendering of Poulenc. Holding the whole concert together was a parish choir from St Thomas-on-the-Bourne Farnham, under its musical director Jonathan Lane. A bold stroke, considering the presence of many other local contenders. The Farnham choir did not stray from the seasonal, but their timing and dynamics gave the well-known a very enjoyable and surprising freshness. The bold stroke paid off well.

Matthew Cooke took command of the St Nic’s organ. He played us in with some appealing re-arrangements of traditional Christmas music, and played us out triumphantly with a Vierne symphony. The Bishop of Reading, the Rt Rev Steven Cottrell, brought the service to a close with his imposing reading from St Matthew.

Charities cannot operate without well-known personalities and the organisers are particularly grateful to the Lord Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire, Philip Wroughton, for his support and counsel. His presence, along with the others in the distinguished guest-list, meant that the money raised was truly significant. This concert, with generous support from many Newbury businesses, expects to bring in more than £14,000.

So, let Christmas begin, and a date for your new diaries is the fifth concert, already in planning, for Saturday, December 2, 2006.