In her excellent programme notes to last night’s performance by Dunelm Consort and Players, co-president Iona Bastin writes that since its Dublin premiere in 1742, ‘there has not been a single year where Messiah has not been performed somewhere in the world.’ And Hallelujah to that, I say. My regular readers will know that I never get tired of Messiah (forget the argument about whether it should be performed at Christmas or Easter, any time of year is good for me), but I do sometimes worry about repeating myself when writing reviews! However, last night, I needn’t have worried because last night’s invigorating Dunelm performance with guest conductor Gianluca Marcianò completely refreshed my love for Handel’s masterpiece.

The fast section of the overture set up expectations for the rest of the evening: a lovely, dancing pulse, with Adam Chillingworth driving everything forward from the harpsichord. Sometimes very fast performances of baroque music can get a bit too hectic but although Marcianò kept everything very brisk, it was also so light and lilting that it never strayed over the boundary into exhausting hyperactivity.

The chorus of eighteen coped effortlessly with the demands these speeds placed on them; the runs and fast passages were neat and smooth and the fast pace allowed for some glorious shaping over the long phrases. ‘And he shall purify’ was particularly enjoyable and ‘He trusted in God’ (one of my favourite choruses) had plenty of dramatic punch. There were moments when the orchestra struggled a little to keep up but it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the performance. Particular praise goes to bassoonist Olivia McClintock who kept drawing my ear to her characterful playing in Handel’s funky bass lines.

In their last performance two years ago, the Dunelm Consort shared the solos across the ensemble. This time was even more impressive, with every single singer in the chorus taking a solo, plus alto Iona Bastin stepping out from the viola section for ‘But who may abide’. Also noteworthy was Tom Parker who doubled up singing bass and playing second trumpet. I enjoyed seeing the mixture of established and new voices and seeing how some of the soloists from that performance two years ago have progressed.

The standout was Fabian TIndale Geere for ‘Thus saith the Lord’ – full of colour and technically assured and I enjoyed Evie Tunnicliffe’s gentle sincerity in ‘I know that my redeemer liveth’, which flowed beautifully. Of the voices that were new to me, I was particularly impressed by Leo Khan’s opening recitative ‘Comfort ye’, with nice shaping and real attention to the text and by Sophie Harbridge’s rich tone in ‘Thou art gone up on high’. The solos were lightly ornamented and it seemed to me that there was an unusual consistency in the degree and style of ornamentation, which added to the sense of this being a truly collaborative effort.

In a chorus full of soloists, there’s always the danger of individuals sticking out, but the eighteen singers were well-blended and expertly balanced across the four vocal parts. The quieter and more exposed choral passages were absolutely poised – ‘Since by man came death’ was pretty much perfect and I loved the tension and passion in ‘Behold the Lamb of God’ and ‘Surely’.

This was a well-pruned performance and although there were probably people who were lamenting the loss of their own favourite bits, it worked for me, mainly because ‘Their sound is gone out’ stayed in: this often-overlooked chorus has a quiet beauty, especially the way it rang out in this performance. I also enjoyed the sudden spaciousness of ‘Glory to God’, which was more effective than the over-excited treatment it sometimes gets. ‘Hallelujah’ was full bodied, egged on by the trumpets and timpani going full tilt and some cheeky flourishes from the harpsichord, and it definitely re-energised the chorus for the home strait, as they had been flagging slightly during part two.

Samuel Davie and trumpet soloist Bronwen Roberts set us up gloriously for the conclusion, with just a short recit separating ‘The trumpet shall sound’ and the final chorus. All fatigue was now banished; ‘Worthy is the Lamb’ gave me goosebumps but the very best singing and playing of the evening was undoubtedly the final Amen which was so sincere and war that it brought tears to my eyes.

I make no apologies for being the first to my feet for ‘Hallelujah’, although I was briefly worried about whether anyone was going to follow me (and my son was definitely giving me the ‘you’re so embarrassing’ glare). At the end though, no-one had any doubts about leaping to their feet to give the Dunelm Consort and Players a standing ovation.