Lockdown video keeps tradition going

In an Easter treat designed to lift the nation’s spirit during the first lockdown in April 2020, the Royal Choral Society performed Handel’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ from Messiah digitally on Good Friday, continuing (in part) a Royal Choral Society tradition that has been going for 144 years – broken only by the Blitz in 1940/41. This special performance saw 82 members of the Royal Choral Society singing from their own homes. Conductor Richard Cooke joined from his garden, with Richard Pearce – regular organist for the Last Night of the Proms – providing accompaniment. The individual videos were then spliced together to present the choir performing as if together. The video was presented as part of the #RoyalAlbertHome initiative from the Royal Albert Hall. The video had over 250,000 views over the Easter weekend, with viewers tuning in from all over the world.

Watch the video below: