Varied concert for Musical Society

Press, 15 August 1984, Page 20

Varied concert for Musical Society

The Royal Christchurch Musical Society will give its first subscription concert for 198-1 in the Christchurch Town Hall on Saturday.

The soloists are Patricia Middleton, Judy Bellingham, Peter Banens and Howard Harvey. Two of the works, Kodaly’s “Te Deum” and Randall Thompson’s “Peaceable Kingdom” have been performed by the R.C.M.S. on previous Australian tours — the “Te Deum” at the opening of the Adelaide Festival in 1962, and the “Peaceable Kingdom” in Sydney in 1971. Both works have been performed by the R.C.M.S. seven times between 1958

and 1978 because of their popularity. The Hungarian composer Zoltan Koualy wrote the “Te Deum” (also known as the “Budavari Te Deum”) in 1936. In the same year Randall Thompson’s “Peaceable Kingdom” was . commissioned by the Harvard Glee Club and the Radcliffe Choral Society. The title of'the work for - unaccompanied chorus refers to an early nineteenth century painting by the Quaker, Edward Hicks. The third work on the programme is Haydn’s Mass No. 10, the ‘Theresienmesse.” It is thought to have been written for the

Empress Maria Theresia of Austria, but there are also indications that it may have been dedicated to Marie Hermenegild Esterhazy, a member of one of the most influential families. It was written in 1799, and its first recorded performance in Leipzig in 1805 apparently was received with enthusiasm. The mass has become popular in Germany and Austria during recent years. The choir will be accompanied by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, whose leader is Paulene Smith, and both choir and orchestra will be conducted by Robert Field-Dodgson.