The concert lasted about 90 minutes and was continuous without interval. The only thing to change was the ensemble appearing on the stage. First was the Halle Youth Orchestra; a group of talented teenagers and aspiring musicians, which have regular classes and performances under the directorship of Ellie Slorach. I remember watching Slorach at The Martin Harris Centre in the University of Manchester as a student / trainee conductor, and this was the first time I had seen her since then, and wow, how she has matured! The orchestra played two pieces this evening. The first was the well-known "Fingal's Cave", or should I say The Hebridean Overture by Felix Mendelssohn. A beautifully scored and evocative piece of early Romantic / late Classical concert music, which was excellently intrepreted by Slorach, and the orchestra sounded wonderful. It was impossible to tell that they were teenagers at the start of their musical journeys. The second piece was the much more flamboyant and difficult Sea Interludes by Benjamin Britten, and here a much more mature approach to the work was required as the scoring is dense in places and the harmonics are not easy. Slorach offered a very good interpretation, but I felt that the first movements were in general taken a little too slow with hardly any variation between them. It was only in the final movement, which depicts a storm, did the orchestra seem to have a new lease of life and her work on volume balance and instrumental balance overall, but in this section particularly, was excellent.
Following on from this, and after a brief sessation whilst we waited paitiently for the stage to be completely cleared, the first of the three choirs took the platform. This was The Childfren's Choir, and is a very large group of youngsters aged 8 - 12 taken from all across the region. I have seen The Children's Choir perform a few times before, and have always been extremely impressed not only by their standard but by their discipline and originality. This evening did not disappoint at all. They performed 4 movements from a song cycle / Musical theatre-piece called 'Yanomamo'. The pieces tell of one of the Amazon's oldest-known tribes, The Yanomami, and their relationship with nature and place, and is a very timely reminder, or maybe even wake-up call, for us all to understand the delicate balance mankind shares with the rest of nature around him, and how we are destroying this balance to not just our own but the entire planet's detriment. The work is composed by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon, and the choir were absolutely brilliant. Working without conductor, and with several short solos throughout, they moved, danced, acted and sang their way through these songs with just piano accompaniment. Their diction excellent, their harmonies lovely, their creativity and togetherness excellent, and their discipline total. A sheer delight!
After this and the Halle Youth Training Choir took the platform. The Youth Training Choir is for those aged 13 - 15 who want to develop their voices and skills more, and so this choir is a constructive and enabling environment for them to do just that without any pressure. This evening saw them perform three songs again just with solo piano accompaniment. Trained and conducted by Stuart Overington, the choir excelled with pieces diverse and recondite. 'Ain't No Windin' In The Road' (Gilpin) was a gospel-esque and uplifting start to the three, whilst the hauntingly prayer-like 'Ani Ma'Amin' saw the choir in a more contemplative light singing softly and sweetly; and they finished with 'Take Flight' (Steven Milloy), which had some nice dynamic changes and harmony singing. Overall their diction was very good and these teenagers showed considerable promise this evening.
Finally, it was the turn of The Halle Youth Choir. A much larger youth ensemble open to 13 - 19 year olds who already are able to read music to a good standard with some experience of singing in public. Again trained and conducted by Stuart Overington, the choir chose four contrasting songs which best showcased their talents. I have seen the Youth Choir perform on several occasions previously, but this is the first I have ever seen them attempt movement / choreography in their repertoire. Full marks.... it worked and worked superbly, especially in the final piece, a real showstopper! The four songs were sung sweetly and fully, a cappella (save for a few hand-bells, rain sticks and hand-clicking in the opening piece), and their diction was crystal clear throughout. The created a beautiful soundscape, whether that was with close harmonies, unison, or a solo pitted against an accompaniment, and the work that had gone in to realising these four pieces must have been immense. A choir that simply goes from strength to strength and knows no bounds! The first piece had me gobsmacked (La Lluvia), but the finale, (Hentaken Jiwa) just took it to another level completely!
I wasn't sure (coronavirus scare) whether or not I ought to attend this concert, and judging by the empty auditorium seats, some others thought so too; however I am extremely glad I did go, I wouldn't have wanted to have missed this concert for the world! Bravissimi tutti!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 15/3/20
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