Recital Of Passion Music In Cathedral

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29803, 21 April 1962, Page 13

Recital Of Passion Music In Cathedral

The Cathedral Choir presented a Good Friday recital of Passion music last evening under the direction of the organist and master of the choristers, Mr C. Foster Browne. The programme consisted for the most part of unaccompanied works from various sources dealing with the present season. The congregation was a large one. The programme, which was imaginatively and intelligently designed, began on an effectively subdued note with Mr Browne’s sensitive arrangement of the spiritual, “Were You There?” for boys' voices. It was sung from the organ gallery before the ingoing procession. “Jesus, I Will Ponder,” set to a simple chorale tune, featured the full choir singing in simple though sympathetic style. "Pueri Hebraeorum” of Vittoria showed a more complex texture, kept at all times contrplled and flexible by each section of the choir. Leads and phrasing were effectively pointed.

In the manner of an authentic Bach Passion performance, the programme was interspersed with hymns in which the congregation could and did take part and contributed to the value of the performance. "Drop. Drop, Slow Tears” to Gibbons’ lovely simple setting showed up especially the trebles’ rich, finely-blended tone; "Jesu, Lamb of God” by Byrd was sung with the innate devoutness that the music demands, and a nice sixteenth-century sense of rhythmic freedom was preserved throughout. It is a,most important musical fact that a fair proportion of the world’s greatest music is not to be heard in the concert-room, but in special surroundings particularly ecclesiastical. Although it was emphasised that this performance was essentially a devotional meditation and not a concert, the value to musicians of this kind of specialised musical presentation, especially in New Zealand where such things are rare, cannot be over-emphasised. No musician here can afford to miss the invaluable opportunities offered by the Cathedral Choir to hear the sacred works of composers such as Palestrina /and Vittoria. “Blessed Jesu, Fount of Mercy,” by Dvorak provided variety, being the first item (excluding the hymns) accompanied by the organ; balance and synchronisation be-

tween choir and organ was admirable, the accompaniment being colourfully and imaginatively done. Mr Browne also gave a tasteful and intimate rendering of Bach’s greatest choral-pre-lude from the Little Organ Book: “O Man Bewail Thy Grievous Sin.” Leisurely ornamentation was an exemplary feature. Two anthems of Purcell demonstrated evocatively that composer’s use < ’ expressive and powerfully-spaced harmonies. A moving rendering by a few trebles of the negro spiritual “Crucifixion” displayed perfect tuning, a real pianissimo, and was a highlight of the evening. This was followed by a setting by Mr Browne of the words from the Gospel describing the last few moments of the life of Our Lord. Both music and performance conveyed the intensity and sense of sublimity demanded by the text.

The final item was, appropriately, Bach’s aria “It Is Completed.” This was taken more slowly and generally more suavely than last year, giving the singers more opportunity to cope with the considerable technical difficulties.

The characteristics of cultured restraint, tonal sensitivity, and what Sir Henry Wood so aptly called “the gentle art of singing” was at all times a reflection of the quintessence of the master of the choristers’ musical personality. —M.H.T