I could have performed in Clifton Cathedral on a number of occasions – for example, if I’d joined the Bath Festival Chorus – but have never actually done so. The Cathedral doesn’t host many concerts, and I believe that Bristol Choral Society’s Messiah<\/i> was the first performance of the piece there this millennium. (I am, as always, happy to be corrected if I get my facts wrong.)<\/p>\n
It is a building uncompromisingly of its time – not for nothing did it win a Concrete Society Award in 1974 – and a large choir has to make room for the altar, so there is a very large distance between the front and the back. Also a ‘naughty step’ for the second row to sit on, rather than chairs. I did not find the resonant acoustic misleading, but it probably helped that I was in the front row.<\/p>\n
We had a gratifyingly capacity audience on what was a very busy night for choral concerts in Bristol, and after another performance of Messiah<\/i> nearby three days earlier. I enjoyed returning to the work after two years, but don’t regret not having sung it last year (about every three years is right for me, I think). Our performance got a five-star review in the Bristol Post<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I could have performed in Clifton Cathedral on a number of occasions – for example, if I’d joined the Bath Festival Chorus – but have never actually done so. The Cathedral doesn’t host many concerts, and I believe that Bristol … Continue reading