Review: Hallé Orchestra, Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Sheffield City Hall
"Hear ye, Israel," they sang in the second half, and we began hearing it.
It was almost audible through the earthquake, wind and fire, and certainly the still, small voice had competition, so when Elijah, in the shape of the excellent baritone Roderick Williams sang "It is Enough", we all agreed: the noise from the disco in the ballroom below needed dealing with. More respect is needed for Mendelssohn in this his bicentenary, more respect is due to Elijah, a masterpiece of choral writing and certainly this performance did not deserve the blatant disrespect it was shown.
The Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, directed, coaxed, perhaps even inspired by the conductor Nicholas Kraemer excelled themselves in the accuracy, power and expression of their singing. The drama was heightened by some wonderful exchanges between the line-up of soloists: Janice Watson (soprano) and Susan Bickley (mezzo) in their duet; Roderick Williams and Andrew Kennedy (tenor) as Elijah and King Ahab.
Well might the Chorus sing "And then shall your light break forth" at the end. They had overcome the prophets of Baal and the loudspeakers below triumphantly.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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