Young Thomas Nicholson got us underway with some confident musings on a child’s eye view of Christmas.
Up came the lights, and the Band and Timbrelists joined to present a sparkling panorama of sound and movement to Bizet’s Farandole.
A delightful innovation this year was each leader’s introduction of his or her group to the audience by means of an informal chat to them on the multimedia screen. The Singing Company were the first group on and they gave spirited renditions of Hello Little King and Hosanna Rock, which the audience thoroughly warmed to.
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Then it was the Primary’s turn with their usual heart-melting presentation of the traditional Christmas story. The shepherds discarded their sheep this year to the fringes of the stage - a ‘foot and mouth precaution' perhaps?
Susanna Hart, our principal guest soloist, has a wonderfully rich voice and she used it to great effect in all her solo presentations. Away in a Manger was presented to a mixture of well known melodies.
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After a Congregational carol it was time to present this year’s extravaganza - A Christmas Landscape. Billed as a musical and visual glimpse of favourite seasonal traditions, a make-believe family traversed the stage to meet The Ice Queen, Snowman, Father Christmas (who really got stuck up the chimney) and an inebriated Rudolph. Thank you Graham Lamplough for this imaginative item.
And so the programme unfolded with the Young People’s Band and Songsters each giving us new music to enjoy. The band piece A Christmas Celebration was composed by Paul Sharman and the music for the songster piece Eternal Oasis was composed by Wes Kendrick.
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Major Victor Kennedy had earlier been introduced to the audience for the first time. He coped very well with the difficult task of linkman. A vocal trio and the upbeat Three Kings Swing by the band together with Monty Pythonesque multimedia support were all well received. Somehow the acoustics failed to truly reflect the clarity of Anna Lamplough's sketch The Key of David, but it is presented below with a clarity not heard on the day.
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The final hymn, Who is He? might not have been known to everyone, but the soloist, Songsters and Band, and the multimedia combined well to produce a very moving item.
Following the benediction, the audience were sent home in cheerful mood as the Band played them out with bright and happy Christmas music.
Thanks go to all who made this event once again so memorable.
The freewill offerings amounted to £5,500. This was directed to the homeless in Birmingham whose subsequent well-attended candlelit dinner is featured elsewhere on the website.
A J CROWHURST
If you have any problems listening to the audio, please visit the 'Hear our Music' page. Here you will find instructions and a link to contact us for further information.