PERFORMANCE OF ORATORIO

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27369, 7 June 1954, Page 7

PERFORMANCE OF ORATORIO

Christchurch Choir Praised

AUCKLAND RECITAL "The Press’* Special Service AUCKLAND, June 6. “Elgar’s great oratorio, “The Dream of Gerontius,* given at the Town Hall on Saturday night by the Christchurch Harmonic Society and the National Orchestra, with Mary Pratt, Andrew Gold, and Kenneth Macaulay as soloists, was a performance to be long remembered, and a notable occasion in Auckland’s musical history,” says “L.C.M.5.,” the “New Zealand

Herald's” music critic, writing for tomorrow’s issue.

“The orchestra set the mood perfectly; so, too, did the choir, with an experience of discipline and long acquaintance with the work. “The great rhythmical and tonal difficulties of the Demons’ Chorus had been fully mastered, so that.it was a joy to note the solidarity of the chorus and orchestra here. Individual voices had had their tone beautifully scaled down to uniformity in the spft semichoruses, but there was no lack of fire or brilliance when needed, so that the wonderful C major entry of ‘Praise to the Holiest’ broke fortn with electrifying effect.

“Mr Victor Peters, who hag made the Harmonic Society’s singing the fine thing it is, heard the performance from the circle on Saturday, but he was given full recognition at the end for his inspired training.

Mr Peters and his choir, will return to Christchurch by air tomorrow with the knowledge that they have made a great contribution to the Auckland festival and given a stimulus to choral music,” concludes the critic.