Young sing old songs

Press, 9 December 1980, Page 7

Young sing old songs

By

PHILIP NORMAN

By 10.45 p.m. creeping paralysis of the faculties had numbed all desire but to exercise an option. The cause — a veritable mausoleum of music, a repository for tired songs. When will . selections such as “Edelweiss,” “Plaisir d’Amour,”- Brahms 1 "‘Lullaby,” “Amazing Grace,” “Gaudeamus,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” and “Nuns’ Chorus” be given the decent burial they deserve? Even evergreens lose their; leaves I with over exposure. *

One could understand an ensemble of octogenarians offering such a programme but to see a youth choir, the Donnell Singers, participating in such a death-defying act was a little bewildering, and surely cannot augur well for the advancement of music in this country. The Donnell Singers are an Auckland group, led by the competent choir mistress, Doreen Donnell. For their concert in the James Hay Theatre on Friday evening they were supported by the singers, Leo Barnett, Roger Knights, Ken Donnell, Roger Creagh, and Anthony Benfell, The latter two, in

particular, acquitted themselves well. The Donnell Singers had obviously been trained well in diction, and their feat of memory in sustaining a 2|hour programme without the use of music was staggering. Their performance was characterised by an abundance of enthusiasm and colourful costumes. To take a choir of 30 on tour these days is a noteworthy achievement, and for this, the group must be congratulated. Two suggestions perhaps for future occasions: a shorter concert, and a more varied, updated programme.