Friday 15 December 2023

Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday)

Carols at the House; Sydney Opera House; 15th December 2023

As the audience kept pouring in to the Concert Hall, we soon realised it was a full house, only to notice all the boxes surrounding the stage were packed to the aisles with choristers. 600 hundred in all. And any moment now they will all stand and the force of their massed voices will joyously overwhelm us. That is exactly how it happened.

Carols in the House was a fun inclusive night that brought the Christmas spirit to our hearts, minds and voices, and yes we were asked to sing along, which one and all did with real gusto and joy – made more so by the projection of voice when standing, threatening to raise the roof. For the next carol we were less encouraged to stand because the unified voice of a packed house aimed at the singers and players on the stage was surprisingly and shockingly overwhelming – albeit beautifully I’m sure. This wasn’t a serious classical concert, so casual in fact some weren’t too shy to talk over the music, but that did not detract from the camaraderie that built throughout the warm summer evening.

So who were these 600? The regular professionals, the Symphony Chorus and the young adult (18-30) Choir VOX made up the core that performed the more demanding baroque and classical works. But the bulk of the massed choir was the Sydney Philharmonia Christmas Choir who were enthusiastic and skilled volunteers who love to sing. We were informed they had been rehearsing their parts since October in order to shine for these three performances in December. That’s dedication. And we can’t forget the engine room of the night, the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra who shone in their own right with some delightful orchestral interludes.

The program was a beautifully curated mix of Classical, Baroque, contemporary and well-loved Christmas carols (that’s where we came in). There were two recent Australian works including a new commission by Elena Kats-Chernin and even an aria from Puccini’s La Boheme performed brilliantly by the night’s soprano, Julie Lea Goodwin.

And the music was cleverly leavened with some Christmas poetry masterfully delivered by one of the finest voices in the business, John Bell. Our compère for the evening was ABC Classic’s Vanessa Hughes who kept the pace up and the tone light.

But full credit to conductor, Elizabeth Scott for pulling all these forces together and directing them into a shimmering, and at times powerful body of musicians. As she describes in the interview below, each group rehearsed separately and only came together two days before show time. A titanic effort and feat worthy of an army Major General.

If you walked out of the concert hall into the balmy night air with the lights of the harbour twinkling in the distance, and you still didn’t feel the Christmas spirit, then you are a hard-hearted grinch. The smiles and the animated chatter as we filed down the stairs said it all. Happy Christmas 2023!!!