What an amazing finale to the Ely Arts Festival this year! On Friday 1st July, Ely Cathedral was packed. There were 300 children on stage with a full orchestra including pianists, the conductor, Chris Parsons, and a fine soloist, Betty Jones.
The driving force behind it was Chris Parsons and he must have spent hours working towards this splendid evening’s entertainment. It was time well worth spending.
The concert opened with a wonderful surprise. We were expecting to see the children wearing their fantastic animal masks parade down the aisle of the nave in Ely Cathedral to take their places on stage in the octagon. However, when I turned round to see the children, I was amazed to be met with a huge creature – that was the Ely Eel. It was spectacular indeed.
The programme of music was most fitting and included movements from the ‘Carnival of the Animals’ by Saint Saens, the Lion King, and the Jungle Book. Other pieces included: ‘The lion Sleeps Tonight’ by Solomon Linda, ‘Walking the Dog’ by George Gershwin, and the premiere of ‘The Eel’ by Jonathan Brigg. This new piece had striking themes and featured brass instruments to reflect the majesty of this creature.
The best part for me was when Chris had everyone joining in with movements to create the sounds of jungle rain. With his infectious joy there were very few of us who could not help joining in the hand clapping, the clicking of fingers, the knee slapping or thumping of feet under his direction.
The choirs that took part came from Ely College, Ely St John’s, Ely St Mary’s, the Lantern, Littleport Community, primary schools from the Rackham, Stretham, Sutton and Wilburton, and Witchford Village College. Their wonderful, jubilant voices added considerable vitality to this exciting evening.
The soloist was clear and strong, giving an edge to ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ and the orchestra which contained professionals and sometimes students from the City of Ely College, was magnificent. The pianists, Jonathan Brigg and Tom Nichol, were highly skilled and raced across the keys with accuracy and abandonment in the finale of the ‘Carnival of the Animals’.
We were treated to a calm, serene break with Glenn Demspey playing ‘The Swan’ on the church organ.
This evening was highly successful and it not only gave the children a chance to enjoy the thrill of taking part in a huge musical, but it gave some of them a chance to hear a live orchestra and to be in Ely Cathedral for the first time.
We look forward to a similar spectacular evening next year!


Review: Suffolk Philharmonic in Ely Cathedral on the 25th June 2022
June 27, 2022A splendid concert of works by Mendelssohn was held in Ely Cathedral on Saturday. It featured Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leslie Olive and it was certainly a concert well worth attending. The best of Mendelssohn was featured: his ‘Hebrides Overture’, his violin Concerto and his Italian Symphony.
The Overture swept us into the feeling of depth and spaciousness of huge waves swelling and dying at this famous landmark that Mendelssohn visited when he came to England. The rich textures were leisurely nurtured and the familiar melodic material made beautifully resonant or playful as the music decreed. The evocative sounds that Mendelssohn created fed our imaginations as we remained transfixed with this fine performance.
When I was a music student, in my second year, I would sit in my college room with my feet on the mantlepiece over a roaring wood fire and Mendelssohn’s violin concerto playing constantly: sheer bliss. There is something that captures your thoughts and emotions in Mendelssohn’s unforgettable music. Even then, the violin soloist, Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux, managed to bring something new to this work that had become so familiar to me. Somehow, when playing perfectly accurately, she added her own unique emphases and suggestions of extra, meaningful phrasing to the melodic material which made the music come alive. She was also especially expressive in the softer more thoughtful sections. With her phenomenal technique, she exalted in the rapid arpeggios and melodic combinations.
The ’Italian’ symphony was splendid. It’s joyous and playful characteristics in the first movement were performed with refreshing abandonment while at the same time, every subtle underlying expression was clearly portrayed. In the second movement, there was no mistaking the sense of a procession with its measured ‘walking pace’ speed. The woodwind featured positively and strongly in this movement as did the marked, shorter notes in the lower strings. The third movement provided a graciousness interlude with the horns having a particularly successful display. The work ended in the rapid revelry of the fourth movement that made a fitting and joyful ending to this grand event.
It is hoped that Suffolk Philharmonic will come to Ely Cathedral again.
Tags: Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra
Posted in comment | Leave a Comment »