St Matthew Passion

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34126, 12 April 1976, Page 16

St Matthew Passion

The Royal Christchurch Musical Society, under Robert FieldDodgson’s direction, gave its annual performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion in the Town Hall on Saturday evening to a large audience. Strings and some woodwind from the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, led by Paulene Smith, with Wallace Woodley playing the continuo part on the harpsichord, provided the accompaniment.

A number of the choir were brought forward from the customary choir gallery. This was successful in gaining greater clarity: and having conductor and the whole choir closer together must have made direction easier. Throughout the performance. the choir maintained its customary magnificence, which would attract very favourable attention and annreciation if heard anywhere. In the great choruses, in the smaller ones giving

dramatic import often in short compass of time, and in the lovely chorales full of tenderly religious significance, tone, tempo, clarity and rhythm, and style were all of unquestioned excellence. In addition to the many technical virtues the choir, the soloists, and the orchestra responded faithfully to the conductor’s leadership and created atmosphere of deeply moving sincerity. A new panel of soloists — a very good one — was heard this year. Kenneth Cornish impressed everybody deeply with his beautifully stylish and technically extremelv competent interpretation of the very difficult part of the Evangelist. His voice is of most pleasing timbre and his flawless clarity of words, together with musical understanding of high order, made his singing of this part a rare and thrilling experience. In addition to his heavy load, he sang the two big arias at short notice when Neil Thompson’s throat infection nrevented his singing them. These also were very efficiently performed. Bruce Carson also impressed favourably in his

sincere, dignified, and vocally most competent rendering of the part of the Christus. His was warmly sympathetic singing, showing understanding, reverence, and conviction. Howard Harvey’s singing of the parts of the relatively minor characters showed his fine voice, dramatic understanding, and interpretative competence very well indeed. Pauline Fitchett, soprano, and Patricia Lawrey, contralto, sometimes were not strong enough for perfect clarity on some low notes in this big hall, and here the playing of the orchestra may have been a little too heavy. Apart from that both sang with understanding and their voices blended well in the duet. They sang with wellexpressed feeling and with good attention to clarity of words and of line. Patricia Lawey’s very beautiful quality of voice was impressive in the “Have Mercy” aria and Paulene Smith’s excellent playing of the violin obligato was movingly beautiful. The whole performance is to be commended for its artistic unity.