Messiah on Good Friday
Royal Albert Hall
Performers
Royal Choral Society
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Richard Cooke conductor
Mhairi Lawson soprano
Madeleine Shaw mezzo-soprano
Jamie MacDougall tenor
Božidar Smiljanić bass
Richard Pearce organ
For the 2019 performance of Great Britain’s favourite choral masterpiece, the choir was accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra alongside quartet of superb soloists, all conducted by the choir’s Music Director, Richard Cooke.
It is thought that the Royal Choral Society, the choir that was formed for the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, has sung Handel’s magnificent Messiah more than any other choir – estimated as around 280 times.