CRIT. of the CONCERT on DEC 10, 2011, by CALLUM MAcLEOD

Handel was a driven man. No sooner had he finished what was to become his most famous and enduring work, Messiah, than he began another monumental retelling in music of a story from the bible, Samson. This is a story we think we all know but there is much more to the drama than the Sunday School story of the cutting of his hair by his wife Delilah, its regrowth and his subsequent pushing over of the pillars of the temple, causing its and his own destruction. So much so, in fact, that Handel's oratorio of the same name, performed recently by the large St Andrews Chorus, soloists and orchestra in the Younger Hall, St Andrews, filled a whole evening by itself.

The opening chorus was somewhat unnerving, perhaps, as it seemed we were in for a rather old-fashioned heavy Victorian choral society style of performance, but the choir soon regained a lightness and clarity, revealing a thorough and considered preparation by conductor Michael Downes. A considerable degree of dramatic story-telling was achieved in their performance, even more so by the four soloists, each with considerable and different characters to convey, some with multiple roles to play: costume changes, exits and entrances, movement on the stage and interaction between the characters of an almost operatic nature were entirely appropriate and added much to the flow of the story and its music.

Soprano Emma Harper shone most in the only part of the oratorio which has really entered the enduring canon of Handel's work, "Let the bright seraphim", accompanied by trumpets placed effectively in the balconies on either side of the stage. Jane Pettegree had much to do as one of the main protagonists but tonight it was the men who really made the greatest impression - Ed Lyon, bringing a wealth of international experience to the stage and sharing it in a strong and memorable performance, and our "own" Ben McAteer, now working as a professional singer on an ever-greater stage and, as usual, thrilling the audience with his fabulous combination of power and lyricism.

The orchestra was the Heisenberg Ensemble in its Baroque manifestation, with harpsichord and organ continuo, sounding very much at ease and playing with style, control and sensitivity.

At three hours of intense music, the length of the work does present challenges for performers and audience alike. Handel liked to slip in an organ concerto or two to break up the main work but that would probably finish most of us off completely. Does 6.30 to 9.30 seem more manageable than 7.30 - 10.30? Perhaps. Having two intervals allowed us to stretch our legs a little. Perhaps - again a Baroque practice - a much earlier start with a long interval for the audience to enjoy a meal between acts?

But perhaps not, as time for the appreciative capacity audience did not seem to drag at all that evening.