It’s Easter Saturday, and we’re off to the Salvation Army’s Citadel in Kettering to see the 7pm performance of Handel’s Messiah.
Composed in 1741, there had also been a TV programme on recently featuring Gareth Malone coaching eight amateur singers to take on this monumental piece. Yes, it’s definitely Easter, and the TV programme reminded us both of what a memorable piece of music this is! 😉.
Tickets for tonight were a very reasonable tenner each, and maybe not surprisingly, the Citadel was packed!
Yes, it was easily a sell-out, with 240 tickets taken. A sixty-plus strong Kettering Community Choir (drawn from 21 individual choirs), plus a very talented thirteen-piece Orchestra, together with four soloists were all perfectly co-ordinated with musical direction by Richard Phillips. As an added treat, our good friends and neighbours, David and Valerie were part of the Choir! The soloists: Gemma Hinchliffe (soprano), Sue Blyth (alto), Andy Ward (tenor) and Mark Norwood (bass) all excelled and together created a big and beautiful sound! The acoustics of the Citadel also helped to make this, in every way, an unforgettable performance.
The music took me back, instantly, some 50+ years to 1973 when I sang this as a member of the school choir performing at the iconic Fairfield Halls in Croydon. More recently, the last time we saw this was back in 2018 in Durham – it has clearly become a firm favourite for us two over the years!
The performance tonight covered around 80% of the complete Messiah suite. ‘Baton up’ was just before 7pm, and there he final applause came at just before 9.20pm. I was slightly surprised at how many of the tunes I knew. I read that everyone knows at least ONE track from this, Handel’s most popular piece (probably the Hallelujah Chorus!), but we chalked up at least half a dozen! Fans or what!!!! 🤔
Sadly, for the guy next to me, his enjoyment of the evening was somewhat ruined! Apparently by ME! 😲
My gentle (and assumed QUIET) humming and occasional sing-alongs didn’t impress him – obviously I wasn’t quiet enough – where towards the end of the evening he expressed his displeasure in no uncertain terms by giving me a severe talking-to! 🙁. Even my apology (twice!) didn’t ease the situation, and so I guess I’m off his Easter Card list! 😲. Note to self: If you want to sing in public, Steve – even quietly – join a choir! 💡
All-in-all then (apart from the obvious), this had been a great evening! A really polished performance with everyone playing their part with enthusiasm and professionalism.
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!
I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!
Comments