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Press Release 16th December 2000 ... MESSIAH! Heard it before with massed choirs? Come and hear a different sound for one of the last performances for the Millennium year, which will be held at Heathfield Community College, at 7:30 pm. The first performance of this work took place in a theatre in Dublin and was intended for the limited number of singers and musicians who could be accommodated in such an intimate setting. Messiah now comes in all shapes and sizes from the Royal Albert Hall to a Village Hall. This Messiah will be rather special - more like the early performances. With local professional musicians and soloists it will allow the audience a rare opportunity to experience the immediacy and intimacy of the work as Handel intended. Soloists in the performance include Dawn Taylor and John Allpress who have sung both as soloists and choir members in numerous highly acclaimed concerts. The Heathfield Choral Society will be accompanied by the Lyric Chamber Orchestra and conducted by Brian Newman, its Musical Director who last conducted this work in a memorable Good Friday performance in Eastbourne. This is a big season for the Choral Society with a performance of the Mozart Requiem in May 2001 and concerts in Lewes and Eastbourne, by invitation, in the early part of 2001. Press Review REVIEW OF THE CHRISTMAS 2000 CONCERT Ernest Newman once expressed the view that Handel '...will always be the public's musician, one of the greatest and most enjoyable of composers...' Heathfield's Choral Society and accomplished soloists backed by the Lyric Chamber Orchestra, with continuo by Gavin Stevens, demonstrated this view in their December concert 'Messiah for the Millennium', as did the enthusiasm of their audience. From the first chord of the Sinfonia, Brian Newman, the Society's musical director, established a tempo which contrived to be festive yet grave, in keeping with the narrative of the great work. His control gave the Choir breathing space, and they responded with good tone, clean entrances and excellent diction. The music never ran out of control, as sometimes happens, nor was it allowed to sag. The orchestra, led by Jenny Moore gave euphonious support to both soloists and Choir. The close of the first alto aria (Katy Bingham-Best) was one glowing instance while the tenor (Rupert Jennings) coped admirably with the demanding upper register of the tessitura. As for the other two soloists, the Society is fortunate to be able to call on soprano Dawn Taylor and baritone John Allpress who can hold their own in any company. Overall, both pastoral and dramatic aspects of the composer's 23 days' creative miracle were met by the final pages of Peter Davison (solo trumpet). In the end, as was fitting, the evening belonged to Handel. Stephen Croft. A photo of this event is available here: |
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