“THE MESSIAH”

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23811, 3 December 1942, Page 3

“THE MESSIAH”

HARMONIC SOCIETY

It was an experience to pass from the beauty of last evening into the majesty and splendour of Handel’s world. The performance of “The Messiah," by the Harmonic Society and the Liedertafel, under Mr Victor Peters’s vital and alert beat, was a good one. This has been a thin year for choral music on a large scale and one records this occasion with gratitude. It is to be hoped that our smaller organisations for men’s voices will continue to support the larger mixed choirs, for in such times as these, with so many men away, the assistance of the Liedertafel was very welcome. Certainly, we have not for a long time heard such fine singing as the men gave to the words, “Blessing and honour, glory and pow’r be unto Him,” in the chorus, “Worthy is the Lamb.” They brought weight and power to much of the music, and, at times outsang the women. The splendid choruses had their share of tone. What we would ask is that quieter passages, as at the conclusion of “All we like sheep,” should have their share of fine sound, and not fall near to woolliness. But on the whole, Mr Peters built up admirably Handel’s great blocks of sound. The soloists, Miss Ailsa Nicol, Miss Ruth Royds, Mr Thomas West, and Mr W. B. Lambert reached good qualities in their work. A common fault, to which Mr West was an exception, was to slacken the rhythm within phrases, and to make the arias ends in themselves, and not part of the whole design. Miss Nicol sang beautifully "Come unto Him,” “How beautiful are the feet,” and the seldom sung aria, "If God be for us.” The plan of setting the men to sing the final section of “Why do the nations” is not to be commended. Mr Melville Lawry accompanied on the Civic organ. Is it permitted to ask why we could not hear the 3YA orchestra in this work? The concert was broadcast by the National Service. —F.J.P.