Songs of the season

Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
A MIX of the traditional and the new formed the basis of this year’s Christmas Carol Concert from the Halle Orchestra and its three choirs.


Conductor Timothy Redmond and presenter Petroc Trelawny combined forces with almost 300 voices, the hall’s organ, and the orchestra for a Christmas extravaganza to get the festive juices flowing.

The popularity of the annual carol concert is such that it runs over five performances, the first on Saturday afternoon.

The Children’s Choir, the Youth Choir and the Halle Choir all gave wonderful performances which were difficult to choose between. That said, “Hallelujah Chorus” from “Messiah” set the spine tingling, superbly sung by the adult and the youth choirs. Another highlight was composer Tomaso Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor for strings and organ, which gave organist Chris Stokes and orchestra leader Lyn Fletcher the chance to show off their exceptional talents. The piece brought a twist to the festive programme, which offered much more than Christmas carols.

But the audience did get the chance to rise to their feet and join in some favourites, including “Once in Royal David’s City” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful” as well as some less well known carols, such as “Unto us is Born a Son” and “Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending.”

The Children’s Choir did a great job of the classic modern tune “Walking In The Air”, and there were many more numbers from both musicians and singers.

If you’re going tomorrow or on Wednesday, take a set of bells to jangle along to “Sleigh Ride” — and you won;t feel out of place in a Santa hat, either.