COME AND SING ELIJAH

COME AND SING ELIJAH

at Chelmsford Cathedral

25.02.12

Mendelssohn's great biblical oratorio has always been a favourite with choirs and their audiences since its Birmingham première.

So it was a happy, if ambitious, choice for Chelmsford Cathedral's Choral Foundation – a performance from scratch with just a few hours' rehearsal.

Not the whole epic, of course, but sixty-five minutes of choruses and solos, mainly from the first part. An informal event, with a choir who turned out for the sheer joy of singing.

Well over a hundred singers turned up, and they made an impressive sound, conducted by Peter Nardone. The men, though fewer in number, particularly effective from the sides of the nave. A powerful opening chorus, the soaring lines of "Yet Doth the Lord", and an enthusiastic response to the exhortation "Call Him Louder": this Baal sequence also tested the stamina of accompanist Iain Farrington playing a demanding piano reduction.

The four soloists were treble Cameron Rosie, soprano Ruth Gomme, tenor Mark McCloskey [a superb "If With All Your Hearts"] and bass Simon Warne, bringing power and gravitas to the huge role of the prophet himself.

The next Choral Foundation event, supporting the work of the Cathedral's excellent music department, will be Crown Imperial on May 26, featuring music from the Queen's Coronation sixty years ago.