The Fulltone Orchestra Christmas Concert 2024 | Review

If you, like me, have never seen Emmet Cahill perform in London before, that will be because the acclaimed Irish tenor made his UK debut at The Fulltone Orchestra Christmas Concert. Much of his career to date, he told the audience, has been spent performing in North America – and, indeed, his website (at the time of writing) shows upcoming dates in, amongst other places, Colorado and California, as well as a concert during St Patrick’s weekend at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He’s been touring for fourteen years and counting, so we’ll see how long the title of ‘Ireland’s most exciting young tenor’ will hold. Joining him at the front of the stage was Camilla Kerslake, a Classical Brit nominated soprano who has sung with English National Opera and toured with Andrea Bocelli and Il Divo.

Their banter, individually and collectively, was, as Goldilocks might have said if she had been in the house, just right – enough to raise smiles and laughter, and enough to get to know them, but never anywhere near the point at which the audience started to wish they would talk less and sing more. The pair were excellent choices to perform an incredibly eclectic range of live music – ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Gianni Schicchi one minute, ‘Think of Me’ from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera the next. The Fulltone Orchestra, ably conducted by Anthony Brown, must have really (and gloriously) wound up the snobs and purists by throwing in ‘A Million Dreams’ from the motion picture The Greatest Showman just before the interval.

The first half majored on music from films – I don’t think I’ve ever heard ‘Somewhere in My Memory’ from Home Alone in a Christmas concert before. This, and songs like ‘Pure Imagination’ from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, may seem at face value to be curious choices, but watching movies is what a lot of people, yours truly included, do at some point during the festive season. It is far more likely that people will see a film than darken the door of a church, though for those who are favourable, or at least indifferent, towards more traditional Christmas music, the 1847 carol ‘O Holy Night’ was preceded in the second half by the 1818 carol ‘Silent Night’, and followed by ‘Carol of the Bells’ (1919).

Popular opinion is divided on ‘Mary, Did You Know’, sung beautifully as it was by Emmet Cahill – some say the song is misogynistic, effectively asking the Blessed Virgin the same question over and over again (and if it’s not misogynistic, then it is at least boring and repetitive), and the answer, not made explicit in the song, is ‘Yes’ every time, because as the Christmas story would have it, the angel Gabriel appeared to her in a vision and told her everything. Anyway, this was the first time I’ve come across ‘Happy Christmas (War is Over)’ performed by a full choir and orchestra, and the line, “War is over / If you want it” was especially spine-tingling at a time of so much conflict and strife.

This was, in some ways, an unusual choice of venue, even if I was grateful to be somewhat removed from the heart of the West End on the last Saturday night before Christmas. It still functions as a church on Sundays, and so no alcohol can be taken into the ‘Great Hall’ (though not every church has this rule, as I once discovered whilst enjoying post-service bottomless prosecco at the ‘installation’ of a new vicar elsewhere). Still, this was a Christmas concert as Christmas concerts should be – a broad mix of contemporary and classical pieces, delivered with enthusiasm and energy. Profits from the concert were to be donated to Mind, the mental health charity. ‘Tis the season, so the production can have an extra star just for that.

Review by Chris Omaweng

Conductor and Musical Director: Anthony Brown
Director: Jemma Brown
Soloists: Emmet Cahill and Camilla Kerslake
Narration (voiceover) by Stephen Fry

Sopranos: Jemma Brown, Teresa Isaacson, Nina Thomas, Mari Webster, Naomi Ibbetson
Altos: Dani Fuke, Tina Duffin, Tina Jones, Emma Bullett, Francesca Roach
Tenors: Edward Kerr, Steve Welford
Basses: Julian Clementson, Charles Hunt, Edward Beazley, Richard Sandilands

Violin 1: Katy Smith, Rachael Purdie, Heather Storer, Matt Dennison, Christian Key, Natasha Ludlow
Violin 2: Chico Chakravorty, Rebekah Shaw, Rob Lacey, John Starling
Viola: Mark Aitchison, Danielle Bennett, Catriona Taylor
Cello: Dorottya Etheridge, Nigel McNestrie, Robin Squirrell, Naomi Sheppard
Double Bass: Graeme Hollingdale, Simon Amis
Flute: Danielle Rogan, Kate Walsh
Oboe: Lee Clarke-Butler, Portia Broomfield
Clarinet: Vicki Watson, Anna Robinson
Bassoon: Georgina Taylor
French Horn: Alan Evans, Jason Hoult, Charlotte Mann, Armen Boldy
Trumpet: Jason Sellers, John Bilby, Tristan Boldy
Trombone: Tom Absolom, Edward Kerr, Paul Austin
Harp: Rebecca McGrath
Piano: Alex Norton
Percussion: Daniel Laura, Graham Dare, Tom Hodgson

THE FULLTONE ORCHESTRA CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Central Hall Westminster
21 December 2024