Handel's Messiah Review

What:            Handel's Messiah; The Orpheus Choir Of Wellington, Vector Wellington Orchestra conducted by Michael Fulcher
Where:          Wellington Town HallWhen:            April 28
Reviewer:     John Button

It might seem odd to have a performance of Messiah at the end of April, but it didn't deter a sizable number of the faithful.

And they would have had little to complain about, for this was a very polished performance. Indeed, it was a salutary reminder of just how much standards, across the board, have improved in recent years.

The choir, numbering a little fewer than 100 singers, delivered all the punch needed in the dramatic choruses, and plenty of clarity and finesse elsewhere. The soloists were a well-balanced quartert, and the orchestra of thirty or so players was highly articulate and polished.

I suppose Handel aficionados, aware of the modern way with this iconic work, might have wished for a more theatrical treatment, and they might have had a small point. Conductor Fulcher certainly opted for fairly safe tempos, and on occasions, particularly in Part 1, a little more varation, a little more light and shade, would have been welcome.

Parts 2 and 3 were more dynamic, with a brilliantly buoyant and incisive Hallelujah Chorus, a wonderfully heroic The Trumpet Shall Sound from veteran Grant Dickson with marvellous trumpet playing from Mathew Stenbo, and a lovely, uncomplicated I Know That My Redeemer Liveth from Lisette Wesseling.

All the soloists had their moments, with tenor Benjamin Makisi, an occasional intonation problem apart, suitably ringing in Every Valley. Counter-tenor Robert Cross was always highly polished, if not quite suited to the large Town Hall.

The immaculate continuo playing of Douglas Mews, on harpsichord and chamber organ, summed up the whole performance's overall polish. With just a little more drama it would have been absolutely stunning.