In the past few Covent Garden Festivals, Harry Christophers has conducted one of Handel's choral works in the splendid, echoing Freemasons' Hall. This year's setting was distinctly more prosaic and, while the modern Peacock Theatre couldn't compete atmospherically, we were at least able to hear clearly.
The secular setting was not inappropriate. Although the John Dryden ode Handel set was written to celebrate Cecilia, patron saint of music, it doesn't exactly promote a devout life. At its most basic level, it describes Alexander the Great getting plastered before holding forth on how best to slay one's enemies, and then staggering up to bed with Thais, of whom he has yet to make an honest woman. The real hero is music, as played by a servant called Timotheus.
Handel had ample opportunity to flex his compositional muscles in depicting music's spiritual power over the emotions of even a great king and warrior. There's even a "concert within a concert" idea. After the first chorus, we listened in on Timotheus's lyre playing in the form of Handel's harp concerto in B flat, the solo part beautifully played by Maxine Eilander. Later, the organ concerto in G highlighted the instrument associated with St Cecilia; Paul Nicholson was the dexterous soloist.
The playing of the Symphony of Harmony and Invention was, on the whole, crisp, but there were tiny slips in ensemble that would have been imperceptible in a less dry acoustic, and a little more resonance would have warmed the sound of the baroque instruments. The Sixteen were behind them and had to work hard to project their singing, which was neat and accomplished but a little polite. The chorus, "Drinking is the soldier's pleasure", although lustily introduced by bass soloist Michael George, might have been in praise of sherry. Even so, Christophers constantly encouraged them with fluid, energetic conducting.
Carolyn Sampson brought a bright sheen to the soprano solos. Ideally suited to this music, she is surely on the verge of a major career that, if she can work a touch more colour into her voice, is certainly deserved. Tenor soloist Anthony Rolfe Johnson has long proved himself worthy; his voice does not have quite the same agility, but he showed he can still be an authoritative, exciting singer.
• The Covent Garden Festival runs until June 2. Box office: 020-7369 1793
