Two of Weymouth’s popular amateur musical societies came together for an exhilarating programme of classic carols and Christmas music, which delighted an audience escaping from both the cold and football! Starting with ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’, the programme never failed to impress. After four traditional carols sung by the choir with outstanding skill and energy, Dorset Sinfonia offered us ‘The Bells of Christmas’. With the clever weaving of carols and festive songs, this medley sparkled from beginning to end.
Two of my favourite carols of the evening were ‘Personent Hodie’ with a magnificent entry by the tenors and basses in their verse, and ‘Star Carol’ with the perfect balance of full chorus and gentle orchestral accompaniment. Following another three wonderful choral renditions of carols, the Sinfonia played Delius’s enchanting ‘Winter Night – Sleigh Ride’, the first of the evening’s magical musical sleigh ride tours.
‘A Musicological Journey Through the 12 Days of Christmas’ thoroughly entranced the audience and had us guessing as to what composer’s style introduced each of the 12 days. Then a second sleigh ride with composer Leroy Anderson; his masterpiece sums up Christmas wholeheartedly.
It was delightful to see the choir and instrumentalists thoroughly enjoying their performance, many of them wearing Christmas hats, and all sections sounding outstanding. Congratulations to both Helen Brind and David Ansell for such professional conducting and a very special mention for Louise Dukes, who as always, played with empathy and dexterity.
In the past few years, Weymouth Choral Society has built up a loyal following, with standing room only for their Christmas concerts. This is something our local choral society truly deserves.
Angela Elliott
