Back in the eighties the SNO mounted a series of Prom concerts at the end of the main season. To have a festival-standard event of this kind in the middle was quite unusual.
Alexander Gibson produced a glorious performance from his chorus and orchestra. The real surprise was not just to hear the amazing soprano Jessye Norman singing an alto part - she had already sung Bach and Verdi at the last two Festivals - but the quality of the sound she produced throughout. Her opening bassoon-like phrases seemed disembodied yet ethereal in a quite surprising way. Joan Rodgers was a new name, and immediately became a soprano to watch.
An altogether exciting event.
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