An evening of majesty and magic

Review

The Messiah Palmerston North Choral Society, Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Saturday, December 2. Reviewed by Stephen Fisher

The Messiah is always a popular seasonal choice with audiences and Saturday’s presentation by the choral society proved to be no exception.

The evening was characterised by many moments of great majesty and magic as the choir, the orchestra and each of the four soloists were given a chance to shine.

The beautifully captivating opening tenor work by John Beaglehole set the tone across the evening, and he was joined by David Morriss (bass) whose rendition of The People That Walked in the Darkness was gloriously resonant.

Soprano Janey Mackenzie shone in I Know That My Redeemer Liveth and all were superbly matched by contralto Ellen Barrett, whose He Shall Feed his Flock was just exquisite.

This superb solo lineup was superbly supported by the choir, who rose to the occasion throughout the evening, singing with pleasing tone, confidence and a sense of occasion.

The chamber orchestra, led by Allan Rae, provided a gently supportive role throughout the evening and even with the trumpets in top form for such numbers as the Hallelujah Chorus, they remained in perfect balance under the eye of conductor Alison Stewart.