THE Western Church has always been strong on Lent, weak on
Easter. A feeling of lethargy, or, in the case of the clergy,
exhaustion, seems to take over at the end of Easter Day.
There was no hint of that in the Jazz Café in Camden on the
following evening, Easter Monday. A packed venue listened to an
electrifying performance of The Resurrection, a
gospel-music account of the days after the crucifixion, by the Soul
Sanctuary Gospel Choir and guest soloists.
The piece was a compilation of new compositions and old
favourites transformed almost beyond recognition. The Emmaus pair
(Kathy Wilkinson Mcleish and Sophie Harriot) busked over the top of
the old spiritual "Were You There?" in an arrangement by one of the
choir's directors, Alison Beck. A little later, there was an upbeat
rescue of "Amazing Grace" ("so amazing, so amazing, yeah, yeah,
yeah . . .").
Perhaps the most moving number was "Make Me Over", a duet
between Tracey Campbell, who played Jesus, and Yolanda Antonio as
St Peter, which began as a heartfelt confession and ended with a
triumphant affirmation of Christ's transforming power. It would
have been an altar call, had it been that kind of event.
The soloists were in the spotlight, but their performances were
underpinned by the 20-strong choir, who combined discipline and
exuberance in equal measure, as did the band.
The Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir takes part in a gospel
eucharist at St James's, Piccadilly, on the second Sunday of every
month, at 6 p.m., and in a gospel mass at the Immaculate
Conception, Farm Street, London W1, on the last Sunday of the
month, at 6.15 p.m. Congregational participation is
encouraged.
A shortened (and sanitised) version of The
Resurrection, called Easter Glory, was on Radio 2 on
Easter Day, and can be heard on BBC iPlayer for another three
weeks.
www.soulsanctuarygospel.com