The programme, which airs on BBC1 on April 18, at 10.45am is about Handel’s Messiah, and Halifax Choral Society has performed the work annually for 206 consecutive years, giving it the longest history of continuous annual performance of this piece in the world.
Gareth visited the Choral Society as it last performed the well-loved piece in a concert at Halifax Minster last December; this coming Saturday, April 12 also at Halifax Minster, the Choral Society will be performing another favourite in the choral repertoire, J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion.
Handel’s Messiah is the nation’s favourite choral work. It has now been a consistent hit for 275 years, being performed all over the country, year in, year out, since it was put on as an Easter fundraiser at London’s Foundling Hospital in 1750.
Gareth has known, loved and sung Messiah since he was a boy, but the series will see him conducting a performance for the first time. By selecting eight new singers from hundreds of applicants and embarking on seven weeks of intense coaching, he hopes to put on a performance to remember, share his love of singing once again and create yet more fans for this choral classic.
The series builds to a glorious performance by the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales and four leading professional soloists at Cardiff’s Llandaff Cathedral.
Interwoven with the singing, the series sees Gareth dig deeper into the history of Messiah, its religious meaning and its place in British culture over many generations – hence his visit to hear the talented vocalists of Halifax Choral Society.
The Society’s Musical Director, Anthony Gray said: "It was wonderful to welcome Gareth to our rehearsal earlier this year, and to chat with him alongside some of our members about the performance history of this wonderful work in Halifax. I'm greatly looking forward to watching the performance from Llandaff Cathedral following everything Gareth observed while he was with us".
Like Gareth, Anthony has been singing Messiah since he was a boy. He recalls taking part in his first Messiah performance as a six-year-old chorister at Blackburn Cathedral, and many times, and in several countries since then.
He added: “The piece itself, although purportedly written by Handel in only 24 days, takes us on a huge and vivid journey from Isaiah’s prophecy through Jesus’s life and death. This feeling of journeying through a story is what makes Messiah so special to so many. It is a privilege and a joy to be part of Halifax Choral Society’s wonderful inheritance and connection with this piece.”