There’s a first time for everyone! In previous years, I have witnessed the long snaking queues outside St Paul’s Cathedral during the week before Christmas. On Saturday afternoon, I joined that queue half an hour before the 2pm concert, as suggested with the ticket information. There were already hundreds of people waiting patiently, with the organisers providing all the necessary information. Once the doors opened at 1.30pm the streamlined process enabled the very orderly and efficient seating of the capacity audience. There was ample time to read the comprehensive program notes prepared by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic’s Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, Andrew Wailes, and to talk to the concertgoers around me, who were eagerly anticipating what they called “the beginning of Christmas”.
With incredible efficiency, the choir of well over 130 adult singers from Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir, Melbourne University Choral Society and Box Hill Chorale (some singers listed in multiple choirs) took their places on the enormous choir risers. In front of them were situated the grand piano, the Rochester Virtual Organ console, and the RMP Orchestral Players – a large contingent of brass and percussion, and a handful of wind and strings.
I have attended and participated and sometimes organised many large events in St Paul’s Cathedral, and this was certainly the most proficiently managed that I have seen. Performances on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon and evening were at capacity, and all had large waiting lists. With so many people returning every year, there is an expectation of the usual content: rousing brass and percussion, some Australian content, a vocal soloist, some hymns for the audience to join in (with thrilling descants), some seasonal readings, bagpipes and a boys’ choir.
Following a brass and percussion fanfare flourish, The National Boys Choir of Australia, conducted by their Artistic Director, Andrew Bainbridge, sang the first unison verse of Once in Royal David’s City from the Cathedral entrance, a nod to the traditional beginning of many Lessons and Carols services, most notably the famous Carols from King’s College, Cambridge, where a solo chorister sings the first verse unaccompanied. As they processed down the aisle to take their place in front of the combined adults’ choir their festive red cassocks and the poinsettia flowers worn by the men of the adult choir really set the scene.
Audience participated enthusiastically in the verses of six of carols, delighting in the change of harmonies in some of the final verses, the brass and percussion textures thickening and dynamics swelling as the tempo slowed and the descants soared.
While this was a concert, and not a religious service, it focused entirely on telling the Christmas story and highlighting the spirit of Christmas in words and in music. Bible readings and thoughtful Christmas reflections were presented simply and beautifully by Julie Houghton and Roland Rocchiccioli, while the final reading from St John’s Gospel (also the traditional final reading from religious carols services, and read by the most senior person at the occasion) was read by Andrew Wailes, who left his conducting podium to ascend to the pulpit. The reflections were accompanied quietly by some excellent piano playing from Peter de Jager – some William James Christmas Carols, and Schubert’s Impromptu No. 3)
Soprano soloist Jesse Linke sang from the pulpit too, allowing her to be seen more clearly among the cast of hundreds. She was heard too with amplification into the speakers along the sides of the cathedral. She sang the Christmas favourites The Holy City, “O Holy Night” and the Bach/Gounod setting of “Ave Maria”. She also sang the very beautiful anonymous Welsh Lullaby “Suo Gån” in an arrangement for strings and piano by Larry Clark. The Welsh lullaby provided a lovely segue from Max Reger’s famous “Mariä Wiegenlied”, which the Boys’ Choir had just sung.
These lovely young singers also sang the gentle “Carol of the Rose” by Randall Thompson, and John Rutter’s “Tomorrow Shall be my Dancing Day”. Their best singing came here, with a clear solo voice opening from the pulpit, and some lovely part singing with excellent rhythmic clarity emphasising the dance-like feel of the piece.
As a first-time attendee at this Christmas concert, I was surprised by the entry of the bagpipers and drummers from the back of the Cathedral. Other more seasoned concertgoers were ready though with their phone cameras, to catch the procession down the aisle as they played “Ding Dong Merrily on High”, complete with the theatre of twirling drumsticks. The pipes and drums played “Amazing Grace” and “The Little Drummer Boy” before they recessed to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. Their appearance was clearly something the crowd had been eagerly anticipating.
The other items in this substantial concert belonged to the adult choirs and their instrumental accompanists. Perhaps the highlight came at the end of Part One, with “Merry Christmas”, originally written in about 1954 as part of Willam G. James’ Third set of Five Australian Christmas Carols. This new orchestral arrangement by young Victorian-based New Zealand-born composer, Hamish Anders, featured some very evocative orchestration and some exciting choral singing. This was followed by a new arrangement of “Angels We Have Heard on High” by American composer Joan Pinkston. The particularly effective brass bass lines underpinned the choral singing and brought Part One to a very satisfying conclusion.
“Lulla Lully Lullay” by British Composer Peter Stopford was my second half choral highlight. His version of the sixteenth century “Coventry Carol” was unaccompanied, and allowed choral technique to be on show. Excellent dynamic range and a lovely soprano tone in the descant allowed for the drama of this macabre Massacre of the Innocents to be felt.
“Silent Night” followed, and gave us another opportunity to hear more than big brassy work. A long sustained opening on strings, piano and tuned percussion heralded a restrained and simple choral opening. Dan Forrest’s arrangement is popular, and I certainly enjoyed the first part. Somehow it built to epic proportions, which the musicians could certainly handle, but for my own preference, I would keep the simplicity of this beautiful carol.
Concluding the concert was the famous Widor Toccata, played with great flair by Andrew Bainbridge on the Cathedral’s T. C. Lewis organ.
This annual concert of Carols in the Cathedral has a clearly appealing formula and a devoted following, allowing thousands of Melburnians the opportunity to celebrate the season!
Photo supplied.
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Margaret Arnold reviewed “Carols in the Cathedral 2024” presented by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic at St Paul’s Cathedral on December 21, 2024.
