The Canticle of Joy was organised by Madras Musical Association (MMA) in association with Poona Musicale, a renowned 80-member-strong choir, and the Chennai String Ensemble at Museum Theatre, Egmore, Chennai.
The first half of the evening was dominated primarily by Poona Musicale’s female singers, who were clad in their trademark blue saris.
Along with the men, they belted strong notes in unison and were accompanied by violins, cellos and double bass.
The choir was led by conductor Daniel Manoharan.
When his 19-year-old daughter, Jasmine Irani took over from him and conducted a number of peppy tracks that ushered in the Christmas spirit. Some of the younger members of the audience were impressed. Perhaps one of the most memorable performances was a medley titled Born in Bethlehem that had one singing along to familiar tunes like ‘Go tell it on the Mountain’ and ‘Long Time Ago in Bethlehem’.
One of the high points of the evening was when Korean soloist, Young Joo from Poona Musicale, took stage to sing the Italian composition Nella Fantasia.
And then there was the Chennai String Ensemble playing a lively instrumental piece — Mozart’s Divertimento in D, conducted by MMA’s Augustine Paul, to pick up the pace and cast a different spell.
For the finale, the Poona Musicale and MMA, accompanied by the Chennai String Ensemble, came together for a rendition of Handel’s popularly sung, Hallelujah chorus.
|