‘The Messiah’ by G.F. Handel. Uppermill Civic Hall, Saturday 21st December – A Review.
Author: Helen Ryan-Atkin
Saddleworth Male Voice Choir with Ladies’ Chorus
Soloists: April Grime (Soprano), Emma Stannard (Alto), John Pierce (Tenor). Thomas Hopkinson (Bass).
Conductor: Dorian Kelly, with The Pennine Orchestra and Andrew Rostron (Leader)
This is a Saddleworth Christmas institution, being a firm date in the calendar for many locals and visitors alike, and who would say that Christmas only really begins once they have seen the Messiah performed at the Civic Hall in Uppermill. Doors are open in plenty of time for the audience to have a pre-performance Christmas tipple, catch up with old friends, and share expectations of the evening ahead.
Once the soloists and conductor had been applauded onto the stage, the evening began with a rousing rendition of the old carol, Christians Awake. The audience then took their seats and waited with anticipation. Tenor John Pierce began with the beautiful recitative, ‘Comfort ye, my people’, where his connection with the audience invited us in to the familiar, yet always-beguiling story enfolding before us. The moment that the choir first rose to sing ‘And the glory of the lord shall be revealed’, was a spine-tingling moment, with the promise of other delights to come.
There followed the rich tones of bass soloist Thomas Hopkinson, who gave a mesmerising tale of the scriptures, followed by alto Emma Stannard, whose gorgeous warm timbre brought the telling of the glad tidings to our gathering, in a way which conveyed the sense of joy and excitement. Soprano April Grime seemed visibly enchanted to be bringing us such joyous news, with her aria, ‘He shall speak peace’ sheer beauty. This conviction of all singers, both soloists and the choristers, that they had an important message to bring – one which would gladden our hearts, was what kept the audience enthralled and captivated: we wanted to be part of the telling.
Firm conducting from Dorian Kelly ensured we were in safe hands throughout, drawing a lively sound from the chorus (‘For unto us a child is born’ was superb), and passionate performances from each of the soloists. There was strong accompaniment from the orchestra, with particularly fine performances from Peter Collier on the harpsichord, Angela Costello, principal cellist, and David Chapman, solo trumpeter. As well as a strong string contingent, the wind section also deserve special mention, whose melodies gave a special lyricism to some of the more solemn passages.
Looking around the room, it was clear that we had all had a delightful evening, one which we would be keen to recreate each year. ‘I’ve been coming here for 25 years, and I still love it!’ were the words of Saddleworth resident, Tim Edge, and he surely spoke for many of us there that night.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
If you would like to share an interesting story, achievement, photo or something you just want to happily shout about please send it in an email to hello@saddleworthlife.com We'd ❤ to hear from you!!
