Handel's Messiah overpowered by massed forces at the Proms

Messiah at the BBC Proms Choral Day

Helen Charlston

John Butt conducts Messiah

By Nick Boston, 10 September 2024

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“when Mozart got out of the way and left things to strings alone... Charlston shone”

Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 7 September 2024

Handel, Messiah (arr. Mozart, sung in English)

Nardus Williams, Soprano

Helen Charlston, Mezzo-soprano

Benjamin Hulett, Tenor

Ashley Riches, Bass

The Fourth Choir

Jason Max Ferdinand Singers

LYC Chamber Choir

Bath Minerva Choir

Philharmonia Chorus

Voices of the River's Edge

Academy of St Martin in the Fields

John Butt, Conductor

Joshua Bell and the ASMF thrill in Schumann and Brahms

Mark Valencia, 20th January

At Cadogan Hall, Bell’s account of Robert Schumann’s Spring Symphony is as sunny an interpretation as you’re likely to hear.

****1

A snowbound evening with Joshua Bell: comfort and unease in Hamburg

Mengguang Huang, 8th January

Amid snowbound Hamburg, Joshua Bell leads the Academy of St Martin in the Fields with warmth and lyricism, though Brahms’ concerto reveals limits, while Schumann’s symphony fully blossoms.

***11

Highly individual Mozart from Buniatishvili

Nick Boston, 9th December

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields give exciting performances at the Barbican, with idiosyncratic Mozart from Buniatishvili.

***11

Depth and delivery: Joshua Bell and the ASMF in San Francisco

Lois Silverstein, 7th April

On a tour of the United States, Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields perform Mendelssohn, Schumann and Vince Mendoza in Davies Symphony Hall.

*****

Mozart and Beethoven from the ASMF and Bell in Sydney mini-residency

Zoltán Szabó, 8th October

Sydney revels in Joshua Bell's masterful violin playing and leadership of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on their Australian tour.

****1

Polished Bell leads ASMF down under

David Larkin, 7th October

Joshua Bell directs the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in lively, well-crafted performances of Prokofiev and Mendelssohn in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

****1

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Nick Boston

Nick has an MA in Music, specialising in performance and repertoire. His particular passions are choral music, chamber music and opera, with a particular interest in early music. He sings in a number of choirs in the south east of England, plays the piano and occasionally dusts off the violin. He writes about music here.

Handel's Messiah overpowered by massed forces to close the Proms Choral Day