Review of Christmas Concert - 10 Dec 2010
Dated: 14/12/2010
Patricia Rogers writes on her blog.
The Huddersfield choral society is 175 years old so it should be no surprise to anybody that by now it knows exactly what it is doing. It is very proud of its traditions, as a part of a long West Riding tradition of music making which is largely centred around brass bands and choral singing. This tradition is still very strong in the area, even if it isn’t quite as all embracing as it used to be. The choral is a great choir, and that is obvious even at times like this, when they are simply having fun and providing a Christmas present for their home town; a concert filled with carols and Christmas light music, along with their junior choir, young voices, and the Hepworth band. They sing confidently, able to make a fine crescendo and a quiet pianissimo without any loss of control or clarity, and they are rightly proud of what they can do. When the audience was given the chance to join in it was also clear that the choral are not the only people in the Huddersfield area who can sing. You could never blow the heavy, ornate Victorian roof off a packed Huddersfield town hall but there were hundreds of us and we made a mighty sound and had a darn good try. It was all huge fun. Many of the favourite pieces which get trotted out at this kind of concert were there, Widor, John Rutter, two fabulous sleigh rides (the midnight one by Prokofiev and my favourite Leroy Anderson one which it is impossible to sit still through) as well as a mixture of both familiar and less familiar carols and Christmas songs. The way that the simple tune of Who Is He In Yonder Stall built to a dignified and thrilling climax was very moving and at the end of the first half finale, Sing, when the choir and the band were at full power you could feel the whole hall reverberating as the vibrations came up from the floor through your body. Anyone who thinks that they don’t like brass band music probably just needs to hear it done properly by a band like the Hepworth band. They are able to keep up a cracking tempo and play with both delicacy and power and they well deserved the adjective mighty which Brian Kay the charming and experienced compere attached to them. The junior choir and young voices were absolutely charming and extremely well drilled and clearly enjoyed their moments in the spotlight. The arrangement that they sang of Away in a Manger, to a tune that was new to me, was particularly beautiful.
This was a great way to start Christmas. No wonder it’s quite hard to get a ticket.
Thanks Patricia - we're glad you could make it.