Handel - Messiah - Peterborough Cathedral - The Saraband Consort

18 December 2015, 19:30

I played first trumpet in Handel’s Messiah in Peterborough Cathedral on Friday 18th of December 2015. The performance was one of the most enjoyable of the whole season on account of the glorious acoustic and due to the high standard of the combined forces of the Peterborough Cathedral Choir, Youth Choir and Festival Chorus. The soloists were all excellent: Soprano - Robyn Allegra Parton, Alto - Owen Willetts, Tenor - Simon Wall and Bass - Nicholas Morris, with whom I played the famous aria ‘The Trumpet Shall Sound’.

Peterborough Cathedral’s brilliant Director of Music, Steven Grahl, led the combined choirs and the orchestra (The Saraband Consort) with great aplomb. He has a professional and calm manner and he treated all of the musicians with a great amount of respect, which put everybody at ease. He is clearly a very talented teacher and musician - the aspiring students of the choirs have an excellent role-model.

The concert was very well-attended, and the Cathedral was looking wonderful in the Christmas decor, both from inside and from the market square outside.

Russell Gilmour

writing on music, photography, engraving, travel and life as a freelance professional musician.