UO Playback: Messiah, 1966

Introducing UO Playback, where each month, we’ll revisit a golden moment in Ulster Orchestra history.

This month’s photograph takes us all the way back to 8^th December 1966 at the Ulster Hall, and the Ulster Orchestra’s inaugural season. The Orchestra, led by János Fürst, is shown performing Handel’s Messiah alongside our good friends from the Belfast Phiharmonic Choir, with conductor Maurice Miles at the helm. 

Soloists: Pamela Petts (soprano), Isabel Moran (contralto), John Mitchinson (tenor), and Eric Hinds (bass).
Iaan Wilson (trumpet), Michael McGuffin (continuo), William Young (organ). Photo credit: David Byers

Maurice Miles conducted both the Belfast Philharmonic Society and the City of Belfast Orchestra from 1955 before becoming the Ulster Orchestra’s first maestro in 1966.

Rathcol, the Belfast Telegraph’s music critic, wrote of the performance:

“Maurice Miles’ interpretations of Handel’s Messiah have always been noted as presentations of an integral work, and last night’s performance in the Ulster Hall (the first of three) was no exception.

“One admires the way Mr Miles husbands his resources; how he divides the book up, so to speak, into chapters and paragraphs; how one climax is nicely calculated to contrast with those preceding and following, and how it seems that the full forces of singers and players give out their ultimate power only in the final great choruses.”

A tradition that goes from strength to strength – join us for Messiah on 14 December 2024 at the Waterfront Hall. Limited tickets are still available: Messiah – Ulster Orchestra

Have you joined us for Messiah before? Share your memories with us on social media – @ulsterorchestra on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky and Threads.

Unless otherwise stated, the text and images in this post are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International