Messiah
All Saints' Church, Northallerton Both
the website for the North Yorkshire Chorus and the notice board outside
the church defiantly announced that this concert would go ahead despite
the weather. This
was welcome news to those who braved the icy conditions - and fog on
the way home - but, as happened at a concert two years ago, almost half
the choir could not make it from their homes in the Dales and elsewhere. Despite
this, and a rather chilly church, the 40-odd members of the choir who
did make it, plus the Mowbray Orchestra, four soloists and conductor,
Greg Smith, gave a remarkably good performance. A
bright, buoyant overture was the perfect start, cheering one
immediately despite the cold and, in spite of reduced numbers, the
choir generally sounded in good voice and well-balanced in the opening
chorus And the glory of the Lord. The
soloists, all with local connections and at early stages in their
careers, were well-balanced, with particularly memorable performances
from soprano Penelope Appleyard on Rejoice greatly and I know that my Redeemer liveth, her cousin Lucy Appleyard (contralto) on a touching He shall feed his flock, and tenor Campbell Russell in his several arias in Part II. Perhaps most impressive was Hartlepool baritone Dominic Barberi, whose deep, full voice was particularly striking on Thus saith the Lord, a beautifully resonant The people that walked in darkness and a strong The trumpet shall sound. The choir seemed even better after the interval, with a confident performance of Behold the Lord and a delicate introduction to He was despised. All we like sheep contained some finely controlled shading, Their sound is gone out was suitably lusty, and the thrilling finale Worthy is the Lamb that was slain made one wonder what it would have been like with their full complement. The
foundation for all this was the sterling performance by the Mowbray
Orchestra, in both fine ensemble work and solos, all effectively
conducted by Greg Smith. The next concert, featuring Puccini's Messa di Gloria and Rossini's Stabat Mater, is at St Mary's Church, Thirsk, on May 22. Peter Bevan
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