Christmas Cracker Glasgow Chorus and Orchestra Review
Christmas Cracker
City of Glasgow Chorus and Orchestra
Review by Lorna Templeton
The Christmas Cracker production put on by the City of Glasgow Chorus and Orchestra was the perfect way to kick off the festive celebrations. With an engaging mix of Christmas favourites and west end classics, they brought a welcome dose of cheer to Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on a damp and dreary December night.
The first half of the show was dominated by traditional carols, a nicely judged balance being struck between the upbeat and more contemplative numbers. The pace quickened somewhat after the interval when we took a trip to the movies with Battle of Britain, ET and Pirates of the Caribbean, before a toe-tapping Les Miserables medley really got the audience going. The choir and orchestra then pulled out some hits from Mamma Mia (never going to go wrong in the singalong capital of Glasgow!) before closing with a rousing Christmas finale where crowd participation was very much encouraged – and delivered.
Throughout the night, the conductor made a point of bantering with the audience, which gave things a friendly, informal feel. One of his anecdotes was about how a reviewer last year described as “lacklustre” the rendition of “Twelve Days of Christmas”, where each section of the audience sings their allotted line in turn. This year’s gathering certainly can’t stand accused of giving anything less than 100%!
A very pleasant night in very pleasant surroundings.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information visit www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/events/christmas-cracker/
