Cardiff Polyphonic Choir
Ardwyn Singers
Llandaff Cathedral Choral Society
Sinfonie Orchestra Schöneberg
Soprano: Rosie Powell
Mezzo Soprano: Angharad Lyddon
Tenor: Robert Lewis
Baritone: Oskar McCarthy
Soprano (Youth): Alison Ling:
Conductor: Raphael Haeger
This collaborative project between three leading Cardiff choirs and a German orchestra was 12 months in the making and saw a choir of 160 and an orchestra of 80 perform in the superb acoustic of the BBC Hoddinot Hall, Wales Millennium Centre.
While each choir rehearsed independently in the build-up, intensive joint rehearsals with the orchestra in the week or so beforehand resulted in a truly memorable performance and standing ovation from a packed hall.
Conductor Raphael Haeger did an excellent job in marshalling such large forces, especially given the vast space that they occupied in the Hoddinot and that the choir was geographically split into two different levels. Members of the Polyphonic sang the semi-chorus parts. The four young soloists also performed beautifully, with Oskar McCarthy superb in the roll of Elijah. It was an evening not to be forgotten by all those lucky enough to be present.