Moussorgsky drama in first choir concert

Press, 31 May 1977, Page 12

Moussorgsky drama in first choir concert

Three concerts will be given this year by the choir of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society in a subscription series. The series will begin on July 2 with a concert performance of the four-act folk drama, “Boris Godunov,” by Moussorgsky. This will be sung in English to the arrangement by Rimsky-Korsakov, with its colourful orchestration. The central role in this opera, that of Boris, will be sung by the New Zealand bass. Noel Mangin, who has had considerable success in the role in Europe. Noel Mangin will be bfought from Hamburg to take part in this performance of one of his best operatic roles.

“Boris Godunov” has a large number of parts, and the soloists engaged in-

elude Rosemary Gordon, Anthony Benfell, Bruce Carson, Roger Creagh, Bruce Chandler, Anne Price, Heather Taylor, Howard Harvey, and Peter Williams. The man who conducted “Aida” last year — Vanco Cavdarski — will be brought from Tasmania to conduct the choir and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, which will provide the orchestral accompaniment in this opera and in the other twb sub-

scription concerts. At the invitation /of. the New Opera Company of Wellington, the performance will be repeated in the Wellington Town Hall on Monday, July 4. Arrangements are now being made to transport the soloists, choir, orchestra, and conductor to Welling-

ton for this concert, which will be an operatic highlight of the Wellington concert season. The second subscription concert will be a performance early in November of Verdi’s “Requiem Mass,” last performed by the society in Sydney during the choir’s 1971 Australian tour. Soloists for this performance will include Lauris Elms and Gerald English, the tenor who last appeared in Christchurch in 1973, when he gave two concerts, one with the Civic Orchestra and one with the R.C.M.S. He will visit Australia before coming to Christchurch for the concert. The third concert will be the annual performance of “Messiah,” on December 17. The three soloists so far engaged are Isobel

Buchanan, Kenneth Cornish, and Bryan Drake. Isobel Buchanan will make her Glyndebourne debut next year, and from 1979 will be under contract to the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, so that the chances of hearing her in a live performance in Christchurch after this year will be rare. The bass soloist for “Messiah” will be Bryan Drake, the New Zealand bass who has made a successful career in England. He will be on a short return visit to New Zealand. Kenneth Cornish sang in the last two “St Matthew Passion” performances by the society. The last two concerts will be conducted by the society’s musical director, Robert Field-Dodgson.