The cynic within me immediately noted two signs of the typical gala concert: unimaginative programming and a message from the orchestra’s royal patron closing with regrets that he couldn’t be there. Yet by the end I had to admit that Prince Charles had missed, on this occasion, an above-average celebratory bash.
Gathered to mark the Philharmonia Orchestra’s 70th birthday season and the 25th anniversary of German unification, our hearts soared upwards as Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony reached the Ode to Joy. Much of the wow factor stemmed from the youthful chorus, laced with Philharmonia Voices members but dominated by Ralph Allwood’s Rodolfus Choir, always as energising as a shot of tequila. The soloists too delivered strongly, with honours going to James Rutherford’s friendly bass and