| |
|
         
|
Thirtieth Anniversary Messiah from Scratch
There was a real air of excitement as the concert started. Our four young soloists (Claire Groom, Jennifer Johnston, Edward Lyon and James Harrison) rose splendidly to the occasion, and Sir David Willcocks was on excellent form. After the interval—which had to be extended to accommodate so many people—Hugh Edmeades, Chairman of Christie's South Kensington took his place on the podium to conduct the 'Hallelujah Chorus auction'. He racked the bidding up to a staggering £4,500, and the winner, Mr A. Stok from the Netherlands, took such a long time to make his way on to the stage, that many of us thought he'd succumbed to stage-fright and taken a taxi to the airport instead! Eventually he emerged into the limelight and, after brief instruction from Sir David, launched the really big chorus into a second rendition of Hallelujah! culminating in tumultuous applause.
|
Printer page
If you were among the 5,000+ people who came to the thirtieth birthday of 'Messiah from Scratch'® in November 2004, you won't need to be told what a wonderful party it was. The Royal Albert Hall was full to capacity: turn to the left and you were met by a sea of soprano blue; to the right a sea of alto red; and so many tenors and basses in the middle that we had to squeeze extra seats on to an already extended stage. At close to 4,000 singers, this was the largest trbc chorus we have ever fielded. 
At the end of the final chorus there were surprises in store. Following the usual curtain calls, and a birthday speech from trbc founder Don Monro, Sir David Willcocks (a month short of his own 85th birthday) was presented with an enormous candle-lit birthday cake. This was the cue for Don Monro to take up the baton and conduct the chorus in yet a third performance of the music of the Hallelujah Chorus, with 'Happy Birthday' substituted for the usual text. As the singing ended, clouds of confetti dropped from the roof amid cheering from chorus and audience, and the evening ended with the singing of 'Auld Lang Syne'.
The British Heart Foundation team were out in force with their collecting buckets and merchandise, and the audience, in generous mood, contributed to record takings for them of £19,830. Eventually the Hall emptied, with some 300 making their way to the Champagne Reception where there was a chance to meet, talk, drink and eat yet more cake. We probably won’t have a chance to celebrate again in such style for some time, but this was certainly a night to remember!