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The Christmas concert done by Ex Cathedra every year is a major event in the family calendar. We meet up with some of dad’s friends for  a meal and then go to the concert and it makes for a pleasant pre-Christmas event.

Predictably, I enjoyed this concert very much. Their voices never fail to move me and the whole setting in St. Paul’s Church with mince pies and mulled wine at the interval puts me into the Christmas Spirit. This year was no exception but before I sing their praises I will just lay down a couple of disappointments.

Firstly, they completely omitted the Samuel Barber, which they do so beautifully and usually brings the tears into my eyes. But I guess they have done it for the last three years and, being aware that they have a core audience that come every year, may have wanted to change things a little.

Secondly, I did feel the programme was a tad conservative. There were just a few too many pretty-pretty twee tunes. What I love about Ex Cathedra is they can deliver the raw and bare medieval music and the rhythmical, gorgeous Latin American music to perfection. There wasn’t much of either in this year’s concert and that’s a shame.  Still, there was enough to keep me interested in the second half including a wonderful Czech song and a particularly beautiful modern piece that the programme informed me was written by someone younger than me. Ho hum. I guess as I approach my thirties this is going to become a more common occurence!

Anyway, my gripes are minor ones. Their singing is so beautiful and their timing so perfect that there is nothing they could do that I wouldn’t like. Overall it was a very enjoyable night out and did set up Christmas nicely. In the encore they sang the Hallelujah Chorus very well indeed and it had the (no doubt intentional) effect of making me take home a leaflet for their performance of the ‘Messiah’ scheduled for Easter. Another date to add to the diary.

I find every year with my theatre-goings that there are some things I really really look forward to that turn out to be good but not stunning and some things I am reasonably indifferent about but which turn out to be astonishingly good. The perfomance by Opera North at Sheffield’s ‘Lyceum’ last night falls firmly into the latter category.

When it comes to opera I would say I usually enjoy it but never anticipate it with relish (well, unless it’s Mozart or Verdi!). The same applied yesterday and I must admit that when I realised they would actually be performing two I had a feeling we would be in for a long night.

However, both were fairly short and the time flew by. First up was Les Noces, a short and fiery Stravinsky piece, and after the interval Purcell’s beautiful Dido and Aeneas. Both incorporated modern dance and a very effective minimalist set.  The Stravinsky was good but it was Dido and Aeneas that really set it alight. The combination of modern ballet, a simple but clever set, and basic costumes circa 2007 with an opera from the seventeenth century was inspired and the result electric. Some of the imagery was wonderful, especially the sailors tumbling balletically (is that a word?) onto shore from the stormy seas.

I really enjoyed myself and, yes, I cried in a theatre. Again. I’m not sure if this is touring anywhere else but do try and see it if you can. I would especially recommend it for those not used to opera as it’s short, fresh and lively.