ORATORIO "ST. PAUL

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 239, 6 October 1916, Page 7

ORATORIO "ST. PAUL

Although of the great oratorios, "St. raol 5 * is one of the most easily assimilable by the popular mind by reason of Jfendelssohnr's lightness of touch in his compositions, which consequently make fas-vigorous demands on the choir than an the more massive works of Beethoven, Tlmi-p* and Haydn, yet it was an enterprise of magnitude that the choir of Pitt Street Methodist Church undertook in producing the oratorio in celebration oi the church's All the more heartily can th*; choir and its conductor ie congratulated on the success they scored fn the production at the church last night before a. crowded audience. With excellent judgment and knowledge iof t&e requirements, the conductor ( 2/lr. i.&gax Randal) had augmented the vmale voices, and had Mr. H. G. Dutton it tie organ to -double"' the male voices in-passages, in addition to mamaging the accompaniments, so that the volume and fahtnee of the chorus were adequately while the burden of the narrative music and solo parts were put in tae eminently competent hands of such artists a; Madame Chambers (soprano), iGsa- M.iriel Earr (contralto), Mr. ■Ernest Brake i tenor), and Mr. HL Barry Coney (bass). The result was a perlonnance *vMch was entirely creditable w tie performers and satisfying to the audience, the outstanding- beauties of the music being well expressed. It was in Mc stronger .and mor? forcible choruses, Him to Death" and "This is Jehovah's Tsnple." that the choir achieved their most pleasing efforts, w tfle they also interpreted well the >aalting melodj- of "The Lord, He is ™»d," while the treatment of the choral (hjam tune). a peculiarly Mendelssohn otatorio-feature, -To God on High," commended itself to an audience largely conEregatiorial in character. The chi e f burden of the deelamatorv mnsic fell on Madame Chambers and Mr. "take, who sustained the changing draIjjpßS effects evenly, while Madame P"3Jabers penetrated the aria '".Jerusateat" 1 and the arioso "T Will Sing of Thy "teat Mercies' with the appropriate *&&, respectiiely, of sweet reproof and Station, as arell as interpreting well ficaving style of the music ~ & composers graceful beauty, as Mown ia the beautiful eavatina, "Faith- ™* Chto Death,*' was particularly suited ™ Js>. Drake's -aoice. Mr. Barry Coney 'wised dramatic vigour into the denunOatory aria "Ccaisume Them All." and Sjgll in the exultant solo, "I Praise 6 * 0 LordV while the one contralto ■ola, The Lord is Mindful," with its spirit, was beautifully sung Very nmch of the success of the orawlr°T, ISaa < * ne to "*'* art * s *i c manner in ™c organ accompaniments were by Mr. H. G. Button, who not the beauties of the piece j"?®£ -gteiment was entirely in his ?~~F> But also contributed largely to ■ .Tit" the iimsic in. focus generally.