Christmas Concert

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 8

Christmas Concert

A Christmas Concert featuring the CSIM Christchurch Youth Choir, the Schola Cantorum, conductor Peter Rainey, and the Christchurch Brass Ensemble, conductor Mark Hodgkinson, in the Cathedral of The Blessed Sacrament, Sunday, December 18, 3 p.m. Reviewed by Gerald Ginther. Christchurch can justly claim to be the choral capital of New Zealand if its number of choirs is any indication. The CSIM Youth Choir is already one of Christchurch’s best and has the capacity to improve still further. Although blending is not always secure in tenors and basses, the sopranos and altos are a formidable unit, with impressive clarity and purity of sound. Much credit is due to the assistant conductor, Peter Rainey, who ably deputised for the ill Harry Abbenhuis. Although the programme was over all an enterprising one, the first half was rather too long. With some pruning of items this could have been avoided — to me three Kyrie Eleisons and three Pater Nosters are somewhat unnecessary.

In the a capella items from Schola Cantorum, Palestrina’s “Alma Redemptoris Mater” came off the best, with finely blended tone. However, there were occasions of instability of pitch and there was contrapuntal writing that was

not always tidy in execution in the other items.

The Youth Choir performed the antiphonal writing of “Joseph was da” superbly, with warm, clear tone qualities also displayed in Mendelssohn’s “Grant us Thy peace.” Unfortunately Berlioz’s “Shepherds’ Farewell” from the oratorio “L’Enfance du Christ” lacked simple reverence, with the necessary flowing, legato line rather broken up by choppy phrasing. However, there was a splendid grandeur in Buxtehude’s “War Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit,” with its rather sombre chorale intoned by choir to a sonorous organ and trumpet accompaniment. The Christchurch Brass Ensemble produced awesome power at times, capitalising on the warm and spacious acoustics of the Cathedral.

Susato’s “Six Dances” featured some fine horn playing, with excellent contrasts of dynamics adding to the interest of the performance. Although there was some untidy ensemble at times in Scheldt’s “Battle Suite,” the commitment of the playing was never in doubt. All in all an enterprising concert with an intelligent matching of choral and instrumental forces enabling the performance of much relatively obscure music of genuine quality.