Stars earn their stripes in American celebration

Halle Promenade Concert Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, by Marina Berry

SATURDAY was Independence Day in America, and Manchester’s Halle orchestra and choir celebrated in a big way under the magical leadership of conductor James Burton.

More than 260 musicians and singers filled the Bridgewater Hall with music which gave a glimpse into the life of the American president from the mid-1800s, Abraham Lincoln.

In a concert celebrating his birth 200 years ago, lyrics and readings transported us back to an America when Lincoln fought against and abolished slavery.

The concert kicked-off in fine style with Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” introducing a breathtaking evening which disappeared under a whirl of activity.

There were pieces dedicated solely to the orchestra, others purely for the two choirs, and some which brought them together. The youth choir gave a delightful rendition of the hymn “At the River” and the adult choir was joined by soloists, soprano Sarah Fox and bass singer Robert Winslade Anderson for “Go Down, Moses” from “A Child of Our Time”.

He had a wonderfully rich, deeply-timbered voice, which I would have liked to have heard a little more of — likewise that of Sarah — without them having to compete with the orchestra.

The choir gave a wonderful performance of the beautiful “We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace” which was quickly followed by the orchestra playing Dvorak’s symphony No 9 — indelibly printed on the nation’s mind courtesy of the Hovis adverts.

Thoroughly enjoyable were a collection of civil war songs, which included “The Battle Cry of Freedom” and “The Bonnie Blue Flag”.

The energy and enthusiasm of Burton was amazing to watch. He was the lynchpin of an incredible evening. The concert was his last as the Halle’s choral director, under whose seven-year direction the choir has flourished. It was with a tinge of sadness, and an obvious passion for the choir, that he conducted the farewell show.