A LARGE audience filled St John’s, Wellington on Saturday for the Amici choir from Taunton and four stunning soloists for a grand opera gala.

All the big favourite choruses and arias were there and the musical quality was stunning throughout. Soprano Suzanne Manuell, mezzo Alison Kettlewell, tenor John Hudson and baritone Eddie Wade are all top-class professionals and were clearly in their element.

Amici’s musical director Andrew Trewhella and assistant director Peter Adcock shared the conducting and accompanying roles and both were of the highest quality in both departments.

The chorus was small for grand opera but the 25 Amici filled the church with a big sound as they tackled works in French, Russian and Italian with great aplomb. Whether Hebrew slaves, Easter choristers, hedonistic party-goers or triumphant Egyptians they sang their hearts out with only the tiniest occasional fluffs which mattered not a jot.

There were some less familiar works – we don’t often hear the chorus of Scottish refugees from Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’ but it was performed beautifully. Borodin’s ‘Polovstian Dances’ and the Waltz Scene from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugene Onegin’ are both huge sings – in Russian! – and Amici did them justice.

Everything was right about this event – the glamorous outfits of soloists and choir, the simple but effective staging, the informative and amusing printed programme, the interval refreshments and above all the sheer musical quality of the singing.

This was a brilliant evening and we look forward to hearing Amici again in Wellington soon. ANNE SHARP