The Messiah – Eltham Parish Church, 22nd November 2008

This being just about the closest building to my front door, I was, of course, late: well, nearly.  I got there with five minutes to spare, and it was a sell-out.  So although I bought my ticket a month ago, I only just squeezed in, in a seat with restricted sight lines.  It's quite a big church , is St John's, so it was quite pleasing to see so many turn out on a cold night to support the local hospice: and also to enjoy Handel.

Leaving it so late, I hardly got to sit down before they were off and running.  Fortunately, I got a programme (a very grand, beautifully-coloured A4 brochure) so I was able to follow the cast and running order.

The St John's Festival Choir and Sinfonietta are probably amateur, and certainly scratch, so it is pleasing that they did well.  It was a good and enjoyable performance.  They were underpinned by professional soloists, some of whom were also local (part, I understand, of a growing local Australian mafia). 

One of the basses complained to me afterwards that the soloists got to sing all the best bits.  I had to remind him that the choir got to sing the Halleluiah, which is actually the best bit.

And the vicar got to do his bit, orchestrating the applause afterwards.

 

Then it was a quick sprint to the boozer: both because it was a cold night, and because this is the sort of event which attracts lots of the kind of people who like to come into my boozer.  And my boozer likes to exude an air of calm by not having too many staff behind the bar.  And some of these people like to order several varieties of coffee (yes! In a Pub! Coffee!) which takes at least four times as long to prepare and costs half as much as beer.  It shouldn't ought to be allowed.  But it is, so I got to the bar before them.  We can be pretty confident they're not going to order two.

I got an invite to a party to meet some of the choir, but just as I was about to toddle off, some of the cronies appeared.  In no time at all, it was closing time.  And I had a considerable amount of alcohol concealed about my person.  So I decided I ought just to go home.  Perhaps age does bring some wisdom!