Review: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & City of Birmingham Choir, at Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Carl Orff’s paean to drinking, sex and the vicissitudes of fortune isn’t everyone’s cup of medieval mulled wine.

But even its detractors can’t deny that Carmina Burana packs a musical wallop when given such a boisterously well-sung performance as this one.

The City of Birmingham Choir was always on top form, whether belting out O Fortuna, gentle pastoral ditties or saucy songs on the joys of erotic love; while the boys and girls of Lichfield Cathedral School Choir sounded as pure and sweet as one could have wished for.

Alish Tynan brought a lieder singer’s sensitivity to the love songs but the impact of tenor Colin Judson’s song of the roasting swan was diminished by being sung from behind the choirs.

American baritone Kevin Greenlaw was terrific, whether using chest voice or falsetto, crooning about the pain of unrequited love or declaiming the woes of gambling.

Conductor Andrew Greenwood marshalled his forces splendidly.

Wagner’s Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin showed off the RPO’s great strength, their brass section, but the woodwind found some of the rapid playing required in Saint-Saens’ Organ Symphony a little too demanding.

The organist Stephen Disley was exemplary and the thundering final chords resounded impressively.