Japanese choir in Chch

Press, 20 August 1986, Page 20

Japanese choir in Chch

Following its successful performance in the Christchurch Arts Festival two years ago, Chor Farmer returns td Christchurch on Saturday, September 6. For this concert, starting at 7.30 p.m. in the James Hay Theatre, the Japanese choir will be joined by Skellerup Brass and Christchurch Liedertafel for an innovative Japan-New Zealand Cho-ral-Brass Celebration which will feature the world premiere of Anthony Ritchie’s “Shintarosan” for brass band. Chor Farmer is the male voice choir of the Tokyo Agricultural University and is conducted by Masumoto Hiroshi who is also a professional television producer. Chor Fanner is one of the most famous university choirs in Tokyo with a broad repertoire covering customary items of university glee clubs, the King

Singers, as well as some traditional Japanese music. For this visit they have been requested to perform more Japanese items than they did in the 1984 Christchurch Festival.

Skellerup Brass, the frequent champion band of New Zealand, has established contacts in Japan through its musical director, Mr Mervyn Waters, who travelled to Japan in 1985 with the Christchurch Youth Brass Band for the International Youth Music Festival in

Shizuoka. The band will open the concert with a traditional range of brass band music.

A Japanese flavour will predominate after the interval, not only from Chor Farmer but also with a new brass composition inspired by the folklore character • Shintarosan. This will be the first performance of “Shintarosan,” an overture composed by Anthony Ritchie and specially commissioned for this celebration concert.

To add further interest to the concert, the Christchurch Liedertafel Male Voice Choir, under its conductor, Alex Robson, will participate. They will present a group of songs in their customary style.

For the finale of the concert the Liedertafel will join with Chor Farmer and Skellerup Brass in the well-known “Soldiers’ Chorus” from Gounod’s “Faust” and the inspiring “Pilgrims’ Chorus” from Wagner’s “Tannhauser.”