Messiah, Birmingham Bach Choir, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre - review

But it was not always so. Despite having a successful premiere at Dublin's New Music Hall in Fishamble Street in 1742 playing to packed houses and getting rave reviews, its reception in London the following year was somewhat muted.

The theatre in Covent Garden was chosen as the venue, but since most 'respectable' Londoners thought the area was a hive of gambling dens frequented by thieves, cut-throats and prostitutes there was little desire to go there. There were also rumblings that a sacred work like Messiah should not be performed in such a notorious venue, and that it was improper to use actors to sing the solos.

The work was repeated several times up to 1745 and then Handel put it aside for four years. It was only when it was decided to give a charity performance of the work in a church setting to help the newly established Foundling Hospital, and when it was given an enormous boost by getting the royal seal of approval from King George II, that public opinion began to change. The custom of the audience standing for the Hallelujah Chorus dates from this time and is part of the reasons why the work remains a perennial favourite with performers and audiences alike.

So while it was a welcome addition to the Grand Theatre's programme I'm not convinced that we heard the work at its best.

The soloists were at the front of the stage, the orchestra placed behind them and then the serried ranks of choristers. The arrangement worked well for the fine quartet of soloists and the Grand's acoustics certainly benefitted them. Soprano Carrie-Ann Williams, mezzo Hannah Poulsom and tenor Hiroshi Amako delivered their texts with crystal clear diction, but it was bass Nicholas Mogg who impressed most, not only with the clarity of his voice but also some very powerful performances of the arias Why do the nations so furiously rage and The trumpet shall sound.

Conductor Paul Spicer used his orchestral forces wisely, providing a nicely balanced and supportive accompaniment.

However, the singers at the rear of the stage had no help at all from the acoustics. Their big choral items, especially the Hallelujah Chorus and Worthy is the Lamb, disappeared somewhere into the Grand's fly-tower and from the stalls they seemed disappointingly under-powered. This is undoubtedly a very accomplished group of singers, providing a rounded tone and secure-lines, but there also appeared to be a shortage of altos on the night which also affected the choral balance slightly.

In the right setting this might have been a substantial contribution to Wolverhampton's cultural scene, though I have to add that even giving away free tickets didn't produce a large enough audience to fill the stalls area of the Grand.

By Jerald Smith