£25.50 & up—Ella Fitzgerald by candlelight in 6 locations

Very moving

Brilliant

Fabulous musicians, lead violinist was fabulous.

Great to be told about each piece of music before it was played.

Very professional musicians, wonderful atmosphere in the cathedral.

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Poor technical use of sound system. Singers and all instruments were using microphones which were too loud, therefore the orchestra totally over powered the singers. This appeared to make them over project their voices which was unpleasant. It was extremely difficult to hear the words. As a musician and singer myself I found the quality of performance was poor.

Restricted view for many. They had packed too many seats into the furthest back corners of the cathedral where it would never have been possible to see. Unlike in a church service where the speaker is on raised step, the players could not be seen. Lovely performance but did not see any of the players or singers. Maybe they should be on a slightly raised platform.

The queue started an hour before, they packed too many in and delayed the start time as the queue was still down the street.

Magical in the Cathedral

Great

Professional

Was very enjoyable

It's a really nice evening out

The Lark Ascending was beautifully played however we were not able to see the ensemble. This was not a candlelight performance …just a purple hue cast over the performers area. I wrote to Candlelight concerts expressing my disappointment and annoyance but they have not had the good manners to acknowledge or responded to, my email.

Having paid for Band A tickets and arrived very early we were enormously disappointed to find that the chairs (school type, hard, very uncomfortable and pushed right up against one’s neighbour) were all in the same level. We were inalble to see the ensemble apart from short views of their upper torsos if the moved around the stage, which was lit in a purple hue. No candles. We couldn’t see some of the ensemble at all and the stiflingly hot Cathedral was desperately uncomfortable …we are in our 70s and had expected st least some degree of comfort, not hard school chairs without no room to even wriggle in one’s seat without becoming far too well acquainted with one’s neighbour. The whole seat up was very poorly thought out and clearly as many seats as possible were sold in order to maximise profit, with no thought to providing any sort of quality. This was a joint birthday gift for me and my partner and we booked a hotel so that we could enjoy the evening without a late journey home. We left just before the interval and as the interval was announced we were followed by a number of other people, all expressing the same disappointment and frustration at a wasted evening.

I expected the concert to be by candlelight but the lights were on throughout the concert

Enjoyed the evening

Musicians were good as well as the programme but soloist playing in the dark could not be seen

Band B seating was the worst in the venue. We arrived early but none of the seats gave a good view due to obstructions

The surroundings of the cathedral - but I could go there anytime for free!

Accoustics in the cathedral worked against the performers as there was an echo. The musicians often drowned out the singers. The male singers were a bit clearer. Could have been so good!

Excellent

Most enjoyable concert with lovely musical content.

Beautiful setting. Beautiful music. Fabulous experience

The concert was wonderful, the venue magnificent and a great crowd.

The only downside was £15 for two small plastic cups of wine - the venue being greedy, nothing to do with Travelzoo.

It was difficult at times to hear the compare, especially when the bells of a nearby church kept ringing ! As it was candlelight some actual candles around would have enhanced the atmosphere .

Not really knowing what to expect from a Candlelight Concert, but recognising the operatic and classical programme, we were not at all disappointed by the talented musicians and artistes. A really varied and well organised evening, with the Cathedral setting the atmosphere. Altogether a splendid occasion.

Very nice, but not good for people who were sat in the back with no view.

Wonderful and most professional

The concert was fabulous.

Lovely evening. Paid extra to get a good view of the orchestra. Next time take a cushion!!

It was very enjoyable.

Wonderful!

Exeter Cathedral was the perfect venue.

We visited Arundel Cathedral, the concert was excellent, the acoustics amazing, and the orchestra fabulous. The choice of music was particularly pleasing.

Very well organised, the information delivered throughout the concert explained each piece which enhanced the enjoyment thereof.

Great musical experience.

Excellent venue, excellent orchestra. The whole "candlelight" thing is a bit overstated though - only people right at the front can see the candles and they were a bit of a token effort. Still lovely atmosphere though.

The Cathedral was too cold and therefore uncomfortable

Really enjoyed. Lovely venue.

Fabulous and well organised.

It was truly magical. The cathedral was beautiful, but it was the sound that was so amazing, if you closed your eyes it was like listening with headphones on. Just fabulous.

Would recommend.

Although cold, due to heating problems, the cathedral created a wonderful setting for the concert, which was amazing! The percussion in polar express, resounded around the cathedral, so much so, you could imagine a train arriving at any moment!

Delightful evening at Christmas time

Looking forward to another concert

The pieces of music in the second half were, in the main, known to us and the planned encore was the best piece of the night. The audience applause following the final piece wouldn't, in my opinion, have prompted an encore. The musicians appeared to 'get into the spirit' during the encore; something that was missing from most of the rest of the performance.

Access to the venue was difficult to find, not least because there was a Christmas Market in full swing right outside the venue. No directions were visible to the entrance and when we located it, with the help of a road-sweeper, we had to cut through, between the stalls and pick our way through the youths sitting on the steps to the hall, enjoying their fast-food and drinks from the market. The music from the Christmas Market drowned out the quieter pieces of music. To top it all, a group of around 15 or so attendees (including me and my wife) were locked-in behind a security door, when we were coming back from the toilets. The door was open, when we went to the toilet but had been closed whilst we were in the toilets. Unfortunately, it needed a swipe card to open it, which none of us possessed! Because the toilets were quite a way away from the hall, we were unable to alert security to our plight. Fortunately, a lady was able to call her mother who informed security, who managed to get a swipe card and 'release' us! Whether or not it was an accidental closure or part of the shutting down actions, I don't know, but I'd suggest that the venue owners review their processes and procedures and either implement a way of keeping the door in the corridor unlocked/held open during the concert but, if it was part of their closing-down procedures, then they include a check of the toilets, which are some distance beyond the offending doors and down a flight of stairs, before locking them. The musicians were obviously very talented but the majority of the pieces in the first half were unknown to us and, judging by the number of people who didn't return to their seats, unknown to quite a few others too.

Lovely venue, performance was only an hour, so bit expensive

Really enjoyed the concert in the beautiful Lincoln Cathedral. The downside was that the acoustics weren't very good. We had good seats midway in the aisle. However, there were no speakers at all to project the sound. We were reliant on the power of the 15 piece orchestra, which sadly wasn't enough to cover the huge cathedral. Several people around us didn't come back for the 2nd half!

Check the size of the orchestra for your chosen cathedral and whether there are speakers

No

Couldn’t see candles from back so no atmosphere. I thought it would be Christmas songs but it wasn’t

Good

Unfortunately, they didn't have a designated disabled section/area for elderly people.