Elijah raises the roof
Posted by sop2 on 19/11/2009
…confident and exhilarating performance…
The chorus ‘Be not afraid’ certainly characterised the confident and exhilarating performance of Mendelssohn’s ‘Elijah’ given by the Shrewsbury Choral Society with soloists and orchestra in Shrewsbury Abbey on Saturday evening. The dramatic part of Elijah was richly sung with great authority and sensitivity by John Cunningham. The contralto Claire Bartram and the tenor Mikael Onelius both distinguished themselves and we were captivated by the soaring singing of the soprano Gemma Busfield who effortlessly filled this huge building.
The Choral Society is an organization of which Shrewsbury should be justly proud. It gave us knuckle-ride performances in the ‘Baal’ sections as well as moments of great beauty at other times. All the disciplinary matters of clear diction, careful intonation and tidy ensemble were in place. Mention must also be made of the pure singing of soloists within the chorus. The full orchestral part is no mean feat and the orchestra led by Anne Tupling played with great capability and energy, although their enthusiasm could have given way to a more accompanimental role in one or two of the softer passages.
Martin Schellenberg has a wonderful conception of Mendelssohn’s music and his able and clear conducting brought about an evening of over two hours music which held the attention of a capacity audience from beginning to end. [Michael Davey]
