More and more churches are using Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival as a window for their work. For years many have rented out their halls but they are now participating fully as venues in their own right. In this - the first of a series of concerts - the programme stayed close to the Anglo-Catholic tradition. It is a small church but the rich colours of the open chancel and lady chapel coupled with the smell of the incense of the morning’s Mass give an opulent feel.Philip Sawyer, the Church organist, gave a very informative introduction to the concert which opened with a fine performance of a Bach Prelude. However, the centrepiece of the concert was Miroir de Peine by Hendrik Andriessen. He was a Dutch Roman Catholic of the last century and this piece is a setting of Henri Gheon’s poems on the agony of Mary over the Passion. This is highly charged music, performed by Rachel Cowan who delivered with a voice that filled the chancel with ease. It had previously been performed as part of the Good Friday devotions in the Church and was well suited to both the surroundings and the performers. While the theology might not be to everyone’s taste, the emotion conveyed was strong and impressive. Unfortunately, the words were too often lost in the acoustic which became a particular issue in the quieter sections.The highlight of the programme was Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor, a piece which illustrates Bach at the pinnacle of his organ writing and at his most diabolical. The Fugue was outstanding, particularly in the section where the voice goes to the pedals. The momentum never faltered while the light and playful tones pervaded the whole piece. To close and, in an attempt to lighten the somewhat sombre mood of the Miroir de Peine, there were two Andriessen settings of words from Thomas à Kempis ‘Imitatio Christi’. The Latin here was more audible than the French of the previous work that Rachel Cowan had sung. This gave scope for her to demonstrate the true strength of her voice and the emotional style of the composer.The strength of churches is that they often have strong musical traditions and, when they play to them, the outcome can be very successful. This concert used the strengths of this church to provide a pleasurable afternoon in an appropriate context.
