National Youth Choir

Press, 24 May 1985, Page 4

National Youth Choir

National Youth Choir of New Zealand conducted by Peter Godfrey at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, May 23, 8 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman. Professional in approach and polished in presentation, the 90-member National Youth Choir is a powerful testimony both to the strength of music education in New Zealand and to the fact that choral singing is anything but a dying art. From the first exuberant notes of Orlando di Lasso’s “Jubilate Deo” last evening to the triumphant close of the negro spiritual, “0, What a Beautiful City,” the choir easily sustained a demanding and admirably varied programe of works. A bracket of three madrigals by Robert de Pearsall were amongst the items that displayed the choir’s clear tone and clean articulation in the best light. Hoist’s Ave Maria, sung by the women of the choir, and five, songs from Elgar’s Grehk Anthology for male !; voices were also particu-

larly satisfying and sensitively delivered. Along with its attractive tone and, under the direction of Peter Godfrey, commendable attention to diction, dynamic contrasts and phrasal tailoring, a real strength of the choir is its ability to centre pitch with remarkable security. The entire programme, in fact, was delivered unaccompanied; straying notes were a rarity. If the choir have any blemishes in its sound, it is in the areas of balance and rhythmic precision. In the former, the group is simply bottom-heavy, with bass notes booming insistently throughout. In the latter, while rhythms are enthusiastically attacked, the exact definition of the pulse is often blurred. This was particularly noticeable in the contrapuntal passages of the Bach motet presented, as well as in the two New Zealand works. Yes, this New Zealand group does perform New

Zealand compositions; indeed, part of its reputation is based upon its willingness to tackle contemporary works by local composers. The two works offered last evening - “Ghosts, Fire, Water” by Douglas Mews and “Dirge for Doomsday” by Jenny McLeod — both use the events of Hiroshima of 40 years ago as subject matter. Jenny McLeod’s work, with its haunting refrain of “Mankind Kills,” and its passages of contrasting whimsy had the greatest impact. Douglas Mews’s piece, while pleasantly melodic, appeared bland by contrast. Both, though, struck directly and sombrely at the very heart of the nuclear issue. Guest artists for the concert was Christopher Kane, a Christchurch cellist who presented a stylish account of Bach’s Suite No. 2 in D minor. In this, the Sarabande and Prelude stood out for their well-contoured lines and dignity of expression. '•