Popular Messiah concert highlights the importance of classical music!

Our Cathedral Choir term concluded last week with a performance of Handel’s Messiah alongside a superb array of former Portsmouth singers – Solomon, Ed and James singing the alto, tenor and bass solos lines.

Our skilful baroque orchestra was led by Julia, a founder member of Red Priest, the iconic instrumental ensemble which pioneers delivery of early music to new audiences with imagination and colour.

Our Soprano solos came from amongst our own choristers. Sky, Daniel, Clara and Noah delighted us with expert and confident renditions of solo arias sung with poise, professionalism and panache. It is one thing as a cathedral chorister to sing in the relative comfort of the ranks of the choir and protective embrace of the choirstalls, but quite another to stand in front of a large audience, having to hold a tricky solo line against a set of unusual instruments rather than the organ, but our youngsters seemed to take it in their stride.

Out of the 65 Cathedral Choir on the stage, 55 were under the age of 19 – what a wonderful opportunity for so many young people to experience one of the most iconic choral works ever written and to experience with orchestral instruments as Handel intended with the characteristic incisive string sound, the crisp ‘natural’ trumpets, edgy woodwind, and distinctive drums. These young people will hold this music in the fabric of their psyche for the rest of their lives.  

We thank our generous sponsor who enabled the performance to take place; and by dint of a packed house, that a good few thousand in ticket revenue will help us to finance daily music-making in this place.

And, as the Dean pointed out in his welcome, with the news that the decision to close The BBC Singers seems to have been suspended we need to do all we can to share the good news of live classical music, to continually seek to widen our audiences and to deepen our offer to as many as possible to be part of the musical life of Portsmouth Cathedral.  We have received messages of appreciation since Saturday, with many saying how spiritually uplifting it was to experience an intimate performance of Messiah, especially at this stage in Lent.

You can hear our performance of the Halleluyah Chorus here. Portsmouth Cathedral Choir | Facebook