| Main Performers | Anna Williams,
Marian McKenzie,
Ben Davies,
Watkin Mills - vocals,
H L Balfour - organ |
| Performance Notes | Review from The Times (4 January 1897):
'In these days when a record holder is a personage of considerable importance, it is perhaps but right to note the fact that at the performances on Friday of 'Elijah' at the Queen's Hall in the afternoon, and of 'The Messiah' at the Albert Hall in the evening, the principal tenor solo music was sung by Mr Ben Davies, who thus brought off a 'coup' which must be very nearly if not unique; and to his infinite credit it may be said that not only was he in very fine voice, but that the arduous task seemed hardly to affect him.....At the Albert Hall the customary enormous audience assembled to hear 'The Messiah', in which the soloists (other than Mr Davies, already mentioned) were Miss Anna Williams, Mme Marian McKenzie, and Mr. Watkin Mills, all of whom did what was required of them to the full, and the chorus-singing left little, if anything, to be desired. More than once during the performance the orchestra and soloists were not quite of one mind, and Dr Bridge has other notions of some of the 'tempi' than those held by his predecessor. But the former certainly contrives to obtain expression by means of slight alterations of the usual concert-room 'tempi', as well rhythmic and dynamic effects which have usually been regarded as impossible of notice in a space so large as the Albert Hall.' |