‘Super sensitive choral singing’
ANOTHER year, but not just another Messiah! The Huddersfield Choral Society, accompanied by The Royal Northern Sinfonia, gave a fresh performance of this masterpiece conducted by their own musical director Gregory Batsleer.
A privilege for Greg to conduct the Messiah, as traditionally this role would have been taken by a professional conductor associated with the Choral.
From the opening vibrant Christians Awake, accompanied by an orchestra on its feet, I felt that this was going to be a Huddersfield Messiah with a difference, not least because of the visual impact of seeing no soloists front of stage. Event: By:
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These phenomenal singers, Mary Bevan (soprano), Catriona Morison (mezzo-soprano), Andrew Staples (tenor) and Ashley Riches (bass) walked out from the sides of the stage to perform, and brought a theatrical touch to proceedings. Riches approached his arias with a certain dramatic swagger; The trumpet Shall Sound was exceptional.
Staples sang Every Valley at the rate of knots and eased through racy runs. Morison brought dignity to the occasion with her bell-like tone, light at the top and mellow lower down. He Was Despised was truly memorable.
And the choir? The singers breathed new life into the music under the direction of Batsleer.
This choral expert par excellence was in full control. He knew this piece inside out and boldly made some sweeping interpretative changes with the musicians responding every step of the way.
Out was the expected big ‘choral’ sound in many of the numbers, even in The Hallelujah Chorus. Similarly, the endings of For Unto Us a Child is Born and Lift Up Your Head were subdued and not the traditional roaring finishes.
Instead we were treated to some super sensitive choral singing which allowed each repeated phrase to be shaped as in the frequent layered textures of choruses such as And He Shall Purify and He Trusted in God, the latter sung in unexpected hushed tones and with faultless diction.
Each voice part was exposed with nowhere to hide and no margin for error. And there was none.
This impeccable accuracy was exemplified in a stylish His Yoke is Easy, again with a reserved final few bars.
And reserved and refined was the breath-taking start of Since By Man, which was proved to be exceptionally stunning, shaped by massive dynamic contrasts.
Greg. The King of the crescendo! He held the volume back time and time again until the moment came to unleashed the Choral’s power. We heard this tremendous effect at the end of the both the Hallelujah and Amen choruses.
Maybe not to everyone’s taste were the slow bars in Glory to God and the down tempo interpretation of And With His Stripes.
However, on reflection this was an outstanding performance of a piece that runs through the blood of The Huddersfield Choral Society.
Greg took risks and in doing so brought shades of the past into sharp focus.
A spontaneous standing ovation said it all! Bravo!