Review: Manchester Camerata, Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus ****
ISN'T it wonderful when everything goes right? A choir on top form, an orchestra with the correct sense of style, soloists to match and no noise from the Memorial Hall to spoil the party as Elijah was spoilt in March.
As with Mendelssohn, this is a bi-centenary year for Haydn (his birth, Mendelssohn's death), but he would have felt completely at home at the City Hall despite the modern instruments, because the Manchester Camerata under Paul Brough have the sort of stylistic adaptability to enable them to play Stravinsky, ABC (the Sheffield band – remember them?) or Haydn's Creation with equal authenticity. The score is beautifully written for choir, and the Philharmonic Chorus responded with almost the stylistic panache of the orchestra, using small-scale detailed articulation or powerful blockbuster chords as required.
There have been performances of The Creation where the recitatives and arias have been overegged late romantic extravaganzas to be endured in between the choruses, but from the start that was obviously not going to be the case.
Every note from Julia Sporsn was accurately and beautifully placed; Andrew Rupp's contributions were pleasant if underpowered and Thomas Hobbs rivalled his teacher Ian Partridge for purity of tone.
How refreshing to look forward to the next aria.
Sheffield City Hall
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Weather for Yorkshire
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -5 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: 0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
