SOPRANO Suzannah Clarke has sung the National Anthem at the opening ceremony of Euro 96.

And at the Victoria Hall she proved that there is no stage too large or too small for her massive talents.

Her voice was at times like a sweetly trapped exotic bird and at others it had the gravity of a tortured soul.

Along with Anton Rich and Wigan-born Anthony Cunningham, this was a feast of musical talent.

There can be nothing more uplifting than a classical concert delivered with such precision.

The Manchester Mozart Orchestra had the mark of quality and it felt like listening to music on the hi-fi of a finely-tuned luxury car.

Haydn's masterpiece, The Creation starts in the chaos of sound which exists in the un-created world.

But the beauty that the 18th century composer brings even to the music of disorder plays with a supreme elegance on the ear.

The Creation is widely regarded as the Austrian composer's best work.

Inspired partly by hearing Handle's Messiah, I could clearly detect a resonance of that other great choral work.

The bank of choristers looked quite stunning while their sound was wonderfully rich.

It was my first concert at Victoria Hall and the setting was perfect.

The Victorian splendour of all that wooden flooring provided a sound box which amplified every note.

For me, it was a concert almost as pleasurable as watching England's wins in Euro 96. MATTHEW TAYLOR

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