"THE MESSIAH"

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 141, 12 December 1938, Page 9

"THE MESSIAH"

COMBINED CHOIRS

A FINE PERFORMANCE

A large proportion of the audiences attending performances of "The Messiah" attach less importance, no doubt, to the musical interest of the work than to its (for them) spiritual significance. Its message is as much for today as for any time since its first performance and, perhaps, more so. As choral societies know, too, "The Messiah" will attract larger audiences than any other oratorio, not excepting "Elijah," "Judas Maccabeus,", or "The Creation." At its hearing all Christians meet, as it were, on common ground. Jt has also the advantage of being familiar to choral singers ar\d as to that, it can be, and often is, sung with more attention to the conductor than to the score, .being sung out, arid well over the platform. "The Messiah" is also an essentially popular work wherever any considerable body of singers, male and female, can be mus^ tered and trained, and its annual performance in its shortened form or in' selections has become sanctioned by custom and looked upon as almost obligatory. To many* who hear it and rehear it, "The Messiah" 'reveals new and deeply impressive things in the perfect union of music and text. So, too, with conductors of "The Messiah." No two of them, apparently, have the same ideas as to its interpretation. It was not solely, then, the attraction of the combined forces of the Auckland Choral Society and the Royal Wellington Choral Union that accounted ior the crowding of the Town Hall to the doors on Saturday when "The Messiah" was given -by a chorus of 450 voices. The guest conductor for this occasion was Mr. Colin Muston, conductor of the Auckland Society. So great was the crowd at the doors that the performance did not begin until well after 8 o'clock and even then all were not seated so the National Anthem and ;the first verse of "Come, All Ye Faithful" were sung by choir and audience in order to ensure an attentive hearing for the overture. This was played with promise by an orchestra composed almost entirely of strings, supplemented by the grand organ. As soon as he took his stand Mr. Muston showed that he had complete command of his forces when the time came for the\ choir to follow the instrumental pre-' lude with "And the Glory of the Lord.** From the first chorus onward to the "Hallelujah," with which this presentation concluded, it was clear to all present that the conductor was determined tto obtain and the great choir was only too ready to give an artistically satisfying result. It was remarkable, too, how clear were the words uttered—and they are of the highest importance in this work—by so large a body of singers. Mr. Muston showed that he had a fine sense of climax, and the chorus was with him. Attacks were made with firmness and precision and the finishes were crisp and prompt. "O Thou That Tellest" was perfectly ,sung. Massive effects were obtained in "For. Unto Us" and the "Wonderful" chorus, every section, soprano, tenor, contralto, and,bass, giving a good account of itself; and the combination of all voices was as magnificent in this chorus as it was in "Glory to God." Memorable, too, was ~ "Behold the Lamb of God," for its suggestion of the impending tragedy in "Surely He Hath Borne" and in "The Lord Hath Laid on Him." If the audience seemed to feel, as so it did at times, that it was taking a passive part in a great religious service such an impression would be justified by the sincerity and. the absence of artificiality marking the general approach to the work. Majestic fortissimo effects without undue loudness, or srfouting, were obtained in "Lift Up Your Heads" and in the "Hallelujah." At the close of the latter chorus the audience stood silent for just a second or two as if awed by its grandeur. Mr. Muston had complete command over the chorus and orchestra. He appeared to demand first sincerity and-he got it, then an intelligent apprehension of the meaning of the music -and its call for various shades of expression from profound grief to exultation and triumph. "Since By Man" was sung as with bated breath, and "By Man Came Also v the Resurrection" was worked up to a sensational crescendo. At the close Mr. Muston gave unstinted praise to the combined choir, and said he hoped that on a future occasion a contingent from Christchurch would join forces in Wellington with the Auckland and local societies in a similar performance, a wish that was warmly applauded. " The soloists were Miss Myra Sawyer, soprano; Miss Molly Atkinson, ■- contralto; Mr. Joseph Battersby, tenor; and Mr. Russell Laurenson, baritone. Mr. Battersby made a favourable impression at the outset in "Comfort Ye,' and confirmed it in the following air, "Every Valley." He was perfectly clear in his enunciation, even in the difficult runs of "Every Valley." He struck a fittingly poignant note in 'Behold and See," and one of genuine exaltation in a swift transition fromthe one mood to another in "But Thou Didst Not Leave." He sang always with understanding and sincerity and without apparent effort. Miss Sawyer was excellent in "Rejoice Greatly," and sang with expression in "Come Unto Him." Her greatest success was. in ■, I Know That My Redeemer Liyeth, which: she sang with clarity, and assurance. Miss Molly Atkinson made no attempt to fill the large hall with her voice, which is one of firm quality,~welltrained, and rich in its variations of colour. Every word and every note in her solos was clear and expressive. She imparted such pathos to. "He Was Despised" that few who were present should have felt unmoved by her appeal. Mr. Laurenson sang with a. sense of the foreboding character of the air "But Who May Abide," and with considerable dramatic intensity in "The People That Walked in Darkness," with its sharply contrasting Sequel and their illumination. He was in excellent voice and accomplished the difficult air the "Refiner's Fire" with impressive GiffGCt The orchestra, led by Miss Ava Symons, gave a good account of itselt in the Pastoral Sympathy, played with delicacy and expression; but it also distinguished itself in the accompaniments, especially to the solos "He Shall Feed His Flock" and "Rejoice Greatly, and also to the choruses "Behold The Lamb" and "All We Like Sheep." Mr. Clement Howe, at the grand organ, gave valuable support. The performance was remarkable for the sympathy between singers, players, and audience and it may be recalled in years to come with a feeling of more than satisfaction.