Christmas Swing extravaganza, Birmingham Symphony Hall - review
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra made sure Christmas arrived just that little bit sooner on Friday night.
Birmingham’s Symphony Hall was transformed into a musical winter wonderland as the venue came to life for a jam-packed Christmas Swing extravaganza - think Rat Pack-esque tunes mixed with incredible West End vocals.
As soon as the sweet-sounding notes vibrated across the room, the crowd of merrymakers knew they were in for a special festive treat.
Singers Caroline Sheen, Damian Humbley and Nadim Naaman jumped into a seasonal time machine, effortlessly belting out the hits of Christmases gone by alongside three pitch-perfect tinsel-clad backing vocalists.
Tunes including Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Sleigh Ride and Jingle Bells automatically got those shoulders popping and heads bopping, while classics such as White Christmas made the smiles stretch from ear to ear.
Those festive feelings were turned up a notch during the second half, with Santa hats popping up across the stage and the talented musicians encouraging the crowd to clap along to the cheerful beats.
But the best mover and shaker of the evening was by far conductor David Firman, who definitely enjoyed grooving along to the music as much as he did directing his troupe of musicians.
What more could anyone want in the lead up to Christmas Day, it definitely launched the festive season with a swing.
