Ailsa's Blog: Ralph
At about sixteen, I first heard Messiah at St. George's Hall in Bradford, not far from the renowned Huddersfield Choral. I thought it was awful! Not at all like the pop music of the time (fifties). However, I somehow maintained contact with the work since many of the Old Testament sayings are reflected in fiction.
I do remember the first performance of the Big Chorus in the Albert Hall was a news item on the radio in 1971 and I thought then what a unique event.
I enjoyed singing Christmas carols in the car wending our way to family Christmases in Durham although for several years I actually put the family off while I was enjoying it more. However, my wife finally accepted that under special circumstances I might be able to sing!
When I joined the Seaford Choral Society I found singing the right notes impossible but after ten weeks it suddenly became feasible (this hasn't changed!) I found a Come And Sing event at the church in Hellingly where I sang Messiah with extreme trepidation, assuaged by a colleague turning up out of the blue. I have now been to more Come And Sing events around Sussex and eventually I was really happy to take part in the 50th Messiah performance in the Albert Hall with 2,500 other singers. As you can imagine, I'm really enjoying rehearsals for our performance in March at St. Leonard's.
