“Messiah” Performed By Harmonic Society

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31863, 16 December 1968, Page 16

“Messiah” Performed By Harmonic Society

A performance of “Messiah” was given in the Civic Theatre on Saturday evening by the Christchurch Harmonic Society with Mr W. R. Hawkey conducting. The Civic Orchestra was led by Mr Louis Yffer and Miss Nan Anderson played the harpsichord. The chorus work had been excellently prepared, was well balanced and always had attractive blending of tonal colourings. Mr Hawkey drew from his singers subleties of expression and dramatic pointing of important syllables in building his phrasing: there was always a rhythmic fluency carrying the music forward with flexibility, the words were clear, and the vocal lines were clean. Mr Hawkey chose his tempi well and his interpretative plan for the whdle work was artistic and had theological significance. The early choruses—prophetic of the coining Messiah—were quite lightly sung; and power was saved to be used effectively in the great choruses towards the end of the work when revelation was completed. Each chorus was carried forward to its climax with poised and secure sense of direction. In the earlier choruses perhaps there could have been a more strongly joyous ring in “And the Glory of the Lord” and in “He Shall Purify the Sons of Levi”: but the great cries of “Wonderful Counsellor” and the angelic heralding in “Glory to God” were superb. There was vindictive bite in the mockery of “He Trusted in God” and appropriate triumph in “Lift Up Your Heads," the "Hallelujah Chorus,” “Worthy is the Lamb” and the final crowning in the “Amen Chorus.” The orchestra played very

well and achieved a firmlycompacted body of string tone that had attractive and vibrant timbre. Balance was good and firm support was given with true orchestral identity in the whole texture without any over-weighting. If soloists are going to add their own appogiaturas and improvisational roulades they should do so with great care and restraint. The result should sound natural and inevitable if properly done. While the soloists of Handel’s day did this sort of thing, we must always be careful in copying from the past that we do not perpetuate conditions that perhaps the past would have been better off without. A singer would do well ’• to take great care in .using florid decoration on the vowel “oo.” A sound like one coming from an emotionally disturbed pigeon can be the far-from-elegant result Grant Dickson sang the bass solos with attractively resonant ring in his voice giving tonal power and vivacity. His secure line of vowels enabled him always to keep forward production and to find the middle of each note. His flexible rendering of runs in "For He is Like a Refiner’s Fire” and in “Why do the Nations” was exemplary. He had dramatic fire in "The Trumpet Shall Sound” and was ably supported by an excellent trumpet soloist. Bruce Chandler had a tenor voice of interesting and attractive timbre. He sang with warmth, understanding, and technical security. Joan Parker’s singing was disappointing. Her tone was unsteady and her vocal line insecure. Her singing of “Rejoice Greatly” lacked vitality, and “I Know that My Redeemer Liveth” was sung with a lack of conviction that only a modernist clergyman could commend. Lorna Brown has a contralto voice of some promise but many vowels and diphthongs are throaty, and for a solo such as “O Thou that Tellest” her voice needs more vigour, roundness, and grandeur. Miss Anderson played the continuo work with taste and understanding. There will be another performance this evening. —C.F.B.