Review: Handel’s Messiah by Consonance led by Tom Anderson
By Alison Harvey
The inaugural concert by the new choral collective Consonance at Victoria Concert Hall on Sunday 23rd of April was a joyous and uplifting performance of Handel’s Messiah. Messiah, being the most - performed choral work in the canon, was potentially an ambitious selection, but Consonance delivered, and the audience left feeling pleasantly revived. The first ever performance of Messiah in 1742 was at Easter, and it seems especially appropriate for Consonance to perform this somewhat over-exposed work at the right time of year and avoid the overcrowded Christmas period.
The charming preconcert announcements encouraging the audience to avoid coughing (unless in G Major) set the tone for a relaxed professional performance. The Chamber Orchestra played energetically and enthusiastically throughout, and special mention should be made of trumpeter David Marley (The Trumpet Shall Sound in Part III) as his bravura trumpet solo was handled with precision and flair. As accompanists to the soloists and singers the musicians were always appropriately balanced and complementary.
Click to enlarge
