Reviews of our performance of Mendelssohn's - Elijah
Presented by the combined choirs of Birkenhead Choral Society, Formby Choral Society, and boys from Merchant Taylors' School

Sunday 26th March 2006, Philharmonic Hall, Hope Street, Liverpool

'What a challenge - daunting.
What organisation - amazing.
What a sound - exhilarating.
What a performance - breathtaking.
Merseyside rejoice - the "Year of Culture" has already started!'
Derek and Barbara, Formby

'I write to congratulate you on last night's splendid performance of Elijah;
what a magnificent experience it was. My wife and I have been regular
concert-goers at the Phil for more than fifty years, and rarely in all those
years have we come away feeling so moved as we did last night .... We shall
long remember this special occasion, and I am sure it will remain in the
minds of the boys for the rest of their lives ... '
Donald, Blundellsands

• Liverpool Philharmonia, conductor David Holroyd
• Soprano: Harriet Williams
• Tenor: Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts
• Baritone: David Kempster
• Birkenhead Choral Society, Formby Choral Society, boys from Merchant Taylors' School.

It was a real pleasure to be at this concert. The Hall was filled to capacity and the same could be said of the stage! Three choirs, orchestra and soloists, all of whom had worked so hard over the last few months, pulled off a superb performance of Elgar’s choral masterpiece, under the expert leadership of David Holroyd. It left many in the hall very moved at the end, with the dulcet tones of Soprano Harriet Williams still ringing in one’s ears ... “Farewell! Farewell!”. Her rich, warm voice was comparable with that of Dame Janet Baker, in her role as soloist in ‘The Music Makers’ (LPO under Sir Adrian Boult, 1967).