Review of Ely Choral Society’s performance of Haydn’s Creation in Ely Cathedral on 28th March 2026

Ely Choral Society’s performance of Haydn’s Creation in Ely Cathedral was a most glorious, uplifting experience. Under the expert baton of Andrew Parnell, choir, orchestra, and soloists combined to reflect perfectly the magnificence of God’s creation. The audience remained transfixed as the choir members fully involved themselves in the music and its message.

The soloists: Charlotte Kennedy (soprano), Harry Jacques (tenor) and Redmond Sanders (bass) all had fine voices, colouring the musical texture with moving expression, ranging from the gentleness of a cooing dove and the joyful bliss of love to the drama of affrighted hell’s spirits, an enflamed sky, or the face of the deep.

The choir enhanced the messages with their mesmerising and glorious sound. A large choir such as this is the only way to effectively reflect the wonder of God’s creation and this choir managed it superbly. The creation of the world was a slow process and the choir helped enhance the gradual realisation of the amazing wonder of God’s work. The parts sang as one, balancing well, building up the complexity and drama of the episodes as they revelled in the counterpoint that mirrored the power and glory of our wonderful world.

Under the keen leadership of Helen Medlock, the Medlock Sinfonia did more than support the singers, they worked as an integral part of delivering the messages. They often predicted the mood of the following recitative, aria, or chorus. The backbone of the orchestra was, as expected, the string section, with sophisticated orchestration for the time adding colour to the episodes by the other sections of the orchestra, for example, the flutes’ contribution to the soprano’s aria “On mighty pens.”

This was a most awe-inspiring, thrilling, and uplifting experience that left one going out of the cathedral at the end of the performance with the glorious sounds still stirring our thoughts and an endurable sense of adoration and hope lingering for some time afterwards.

For more information about how to join the choir or about forthcoming concerts contact www.elychoralsociety.org.

Rosemary Westwell Ely Standard