LOVERS of classical music enjoyed a truly divine performance of Handel's Messiah at Blackpool's Grand Theatre.

A confident London Festival Orchestra (LFO) and Lytham St Annes Choral Society together produced a noteworthy evening, conducted with obvious enthusiasm by the founder of the orchestra, Ross Pople.

It is a weighty work, taking around two hours to perform, but it was a real treat for the ears, featuring of course the Hallelujah Chorus, sung and played with great gusto.

What a shame more Blackpool folk didn't come and hear such a polished performance for themselves.

The soloists too boasted great voices and clear diction -- and not a microphone in sight! Tenor Huw Rhys-Evans was the first to sing, filling the theatre with his deliciously sweet voice. Rodney Gibson made the most of his authoritative baritone voice to lend weight to the words.

Mezzo soprano Yvonne Howard produced a highly operatic sound with apparently no effort, and Ann Liebeck's clear voice lent a delightful innocence to her soprano solos.

Sadly, during the first half of the performance the soloists' faces were left in darkness, but a little spotlighting after the interval soon remedied that.