There was a certain symmetry to this Christmas Oratorio season; we had the same trumpet section for this performance as we did for my first one of the 2023 season in Mayfield in November: myself, Will Russell and Imogen Whitehead. Will reminded me of a Bach Magnificat that he and I did in Hampstead Parish Church in 2011 (before I began this blog); I was still at college then and I was involved in a baroque orchestra project there. The college moved the time of their rehearsal half an hour later and insisted that I stayed until the end, even though I had a (pro) rehearsal in Hampstead at 3pm. I left South Kensington at 2:31pm, and pedalled like Mark Cavendish to get to Hampstead Parish Church for a 3pm rehearsal. I cycled down Hampstead Church Row at 2:58pm, and was completely out of breath after scaling the hills of Hampstead. I jumped off and made it to the front of the church with my trumpet in my hand as the last tuning note stopped. The conductor waved the 'three four' into the first movement of the Magnificat, and I played the first trumpet part while still exceptionally out of breath. I took a breath between every quaver in the opening few bars! I still don’t know how I got through that, and it’s quite amazing to think about just how long ago that now was!

It was great to catch up London-based colleagues after the Christmas break, and to play this wonderful music again—it’s only been 16 days since the previous Christmas Oratorio with Vox Luminis in Bruges. Of course there will probably be a while before the next Christmas Oratorio in 2024, but there are lots of other things in the pipeline this year: January alone will feature performances in Valletta, Malta and the beginning of a Mozart opera residency in Paris, so there is a lot to look forward to!