REVIEW: Oldham Choral Society present An Evening With Donald Maxwell - The Town Hall, Chadderton, Oldham.

Oldham Choral Society’s parton, Jeffrey Lawton, sadly passed last year and a memorial service paying tribute will take place on Sunday in Middleton. Facilitating the event will be acclaimed opera singer, Scot, Donald Maxwell, and in celebration of his life, Maxwell kindly held a concert for the Society, joined by soprano Eleanor Hull and accompanied by pianist and society conductor Nigel Williamson

Lawton started his career playing the lead tenor in Patience for the Long Street Gilbert And Sullivan Society as a 19-year-old - a role he was delighted to reprise, at Middleton Arena, when he retired back in 2014 - and progressed to principal tenor with the Welsh National Opera Company and performed with Opera North, Scottish Opera and The Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Similarly Maxwell has matched such a career of credits, something he takes the audience through throughout the evening, with humorous anecdotes from his bank of many memories. With pieces including ‘Sing A Song Of Sixpence’, Gilbert and Sullivan (HMS Pinafore, Pirates of Penzance, etc.), adapted and incorporating sing-a-longs, the evening was highly entertaining and set within the opulent Chadderton Town Hall. With a career as a teacher, time in amateur opera and presence at such festivals as that in Buxton and Wales and performances with the English National Opera and Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Maxwell celebrates his heritage of Scotland and pokes fun at this through song and stories, with ditties about love and a love of scotch whisky, glens and food (particularly Rowntrees confectionery).

Guest soloist Eleanor Hull hails from Manchester and has trained at the Royal Northern College Of Music. Her voice and its tone is beautiful and her characterisation - much like Donald’s - is a joy to watch and very entertaining. Her talent is shown through the songs she chose to perform, including two by Kurt Weill: ‘The Saga of Jenny’ written for the 1941 Broadway musical 'Lady In The Dark', with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and ‘Lost In The Stars’ with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. She also dueted with Donald for ‘It’s Never Too Late To Fall In Love’. From 'The Boyfriend'.

With a finale of Flanders and Swann’s ‘The Hippopotamus Song (Mud Mud Glorious Mud)’, which finished an enjoyable night of entertainment and presentation from both performers and I look forward to attending further offerings of Oldham Choral, like their recital of Verdi’s Requiem at RNCM on Sunday 28th April.

Reviewer - John Kristof
on - 15/3/19