Skilful recital

Press, 15 June 1979, Page 4

Skilful recital

By C. FOSTER BROWNE The Wellington Baroque Ensemble, Peter Walls, baroque violin, Geoffrey Coker, counter tenor, Robert Oliver, bass viol, and Roy Tankersley, harpsichord. Ailed in at Christchurch on their way to Melbourne and save a recital of sixteenth to eighteenth century music in the St Albans Methodist eburch last evening. There Was quite a good audience. . The programme opened With Coker singing four arias from Handel’s opera, Rinaldo, with accompaniKt of violin and continuo. te were powerful in impact and were skilfully ren<tared. Mr Coker has a powerful counter-tenor voice of remarkable range, and he Stags with careful artistry, fie kept the works very much alive and gafre contjasting readings. Mr Tanksgslev played a Toccata in D minor bv Bach, cleanly on the harpsichord, with flashing contfasl And. lively impact

A Cantata, Sonitus Armorum by Sebastian de Brossard, was sung by Mr Coker with harpsichord accompaniment by Mr Tankersley. Mr Coker’s powerful voice was just what was needed for this work and it probably is heard rarely. An interesting work by Marin Marais was based on the bells of St Genevieve du Mont de Paris and was played by violin, viola and harpsichord. It was an intricate work of a type which the French later developed considerably, particularly in their organ compositions. The beautifully clear tone which Mr Peter Walls gets from his baroque violin deserves special mention, and the warmth and encompassing blending tone which Mr Oliver extracts from the bass viol does much for the tonal quality which pervades the music of this group. Good wishes for their success in Melbourne go with the groun to Melbourne and we shall look forward to their return.