Lister and Stott

Press, 24 September 1988, Page 8

Lister and Stott

Donald Lister (baritone) and Rosemary Miller Stott (piano), presented by the Arts Centre of Christchurch at the Great Hall. Reviewed by Philip Norman. The Great Hall had more the air of a funeral parlour than a concert hall at lunchtime yesterday. For the best part of an hour, the venue played host to music of a remarkably dolorous nature. No item was exercised at a greater than allegretto pace; most were marshalled at a lilting largo clip. Dynamics were reined in at a piano level, with an occasional mezzo-forte unleashed at points of climax. Even the sprightly-natured second, fourth and sixth songs of Lilburn’s “Sings Harry” cycle were cloaked in a relatively sombre guise. Donald Lister’s subdued, almost reverential tones seeined to speak of tragedy at every

However, in spite of the persistently lugubrious atmosphere, my interest in the proceedings did not meet with an early demise. I put this down to the consistently warm and expertly controlled baritone timbre produced by this New Zealand-born, Sydney-based singer. The appeal of this polished sound was at the strongest during the opening bracket of vintage Italian arias. The gentle lines of Caccini’s “Amarilli, mia bella” in particular were ascribed with an alluring poignancy. Later in the recital, these qualities helped produce a moving account of Rodrigo’s dying moments in Verdi’s “Don Carlos.” For an operatic character, though, Rodrigo made an unusually quiet exit from the world. Commendably, and necessarily, discret accompaniments for Donald Lister’s performance were provided by Rosemary Miller Stott. *