Review Edmund Bohan, tenor

Press, 27 May 1989, Page 10

Review Edmund Bohan, tenor

Edmund Bohan, tenor and lola Shelley piano, presented by the Arts Centre of Christchurch at the Great Hall, May 26, 1.10 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman. Rain did not stop play at the Great Hall recital yesterday lunchtime. Nor did it dissuade a sizeable audience from attending.

The attraction was the fare of Edmund Bohan, a locally bred tenor who, after a long singing career abroad, has recently returned to reside in Christchurch. Obviously, he has a strong following in this city.

This is interesting, for Edmund Bohan is not an especially exciting singer. Rather, the strength of his work lies in his ability to turn in competent performances with a laudable measure of consistency.

One senses he has to work hard at his deliveries. Notes appear not as if conjured with natural ease, but as if they have been coaxed into orderly ype by a

persuasive musical mind. In this respect, the pairing of Bohan with pianist lola Shelley is a complementary one, though with a reversal of the usual partnership roles. The accompaniments provide the musical sparkle, setting a zestful, airy foundation for robust solo lines. Apart from Beethoven’s “Adelaide" the programme comprised the work of middle and late Romantic composers. Tchaikovsky and Richard Strauss were represented by brackets of songs, and Massenet, Boito and Cilea by an operatic aria apiece. The arias carried the greatest impact. In these Edmund Bohan was able to bring a good range of dynamics into play, helping to heighten emotional contrasts. The songs were ably interpreted and delivered with a commendable degree of polish. I especially enjoyed Strauss's “Zueignung” (“Devotion”).