MENDELSSOHN'S 'ELIJAH'

Evening Star, Issue 25225, 12 July 1944, Page 7

MENDELSSOHN'S 'ELIJAH'

PERFORMANCE BY CHORAL SOCIETY -Next, u Handel's ' Messiah,' Mcndclssoliu s gicai oiai.or.o, ' tjijau,' iioius price, ui piacu in puoiic alio mis vom was a sounu choice ior uiu uuneiuii v.uortu aoaeiya parotic preseiuaaon m Uie lowii Had ,ast nignt. .Uie periormance was a iiot.ewoi'iiiy one, unci it neiU special interest because it was possUuy tue nearest to a centennial ceieorauon oi tlie composition ot tue oratorio mat Uunedin wu. inue. A.tnougn tue centenary ot me nr.si oci'torniaiiee ut ' tvijan ' uoes not lau lor two years, the oratorio was certauiiy in jji'wgreos ioU years ago. Last, mguvs presentation was not on as Dig a scale as that ot the 19<MJ ceiuenniai concerts, but it had much merit as an impressive periormance, with an abundance of tine singing.

as guest conductor of the choir which he led for a number of years, Mr Alfred Walmsiey added another to the long list of higtny musiciaiuy performances which he has given in this city. His inspiring leadership brought torth the singers' best t'U'oris. The great dramatic choruses had a strong vitality of ringing voices and there wero aiso occasions uf de.sghuu. tranquility in the quieter numbers. Mr Wa.mateys broad conception of the score gave i.he whole oratorio a cohesion and balance which were obviously appreciated by the large audience. -Much credit mustalso bo accorded to Mr George Koss, the chorus master, who trained the choir during the majority of the rehearsals. The conductor acknowledged Mr . Boss's good work when he spoke of the good training which tho choir had received.

The choir was large, but it suffered from a severe shortage of malo voices, which could only be expected at the present time. However, the men who remained were not hesitant in the use of their voices, and contrived to provide considerable volume when required. The predominance of female voices gave a brightness to some of the choruses which was not without its own merit. The choir threw itself zestfully into the electrifying choruses with which the oratorio abounds, and produced thrilling effects. The choruses of the priests calling on Baal were particularly brilliant, and there was tremendous excitement in 'Thanks Be to God,' 'Behold! God the Lord Passed By! ' and the closing chorus. Delightful lyric effects were captured in the two unaccompanied choruses, ' Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord,' and 'He That Shall Endure to the End.'

The solo singing was in keeping with that of the choir. Mr Alfred H. Jeavons had tho exacting recitatives and airs of Elijah, and sang them with a telling appreciation of the spiritual character of the prophet. The long recitatives did not sound ungrateful, but had much dramatic power, and, the airs, 'lt is Enough* and 'Lord God of Abraham ' were particularly pleasing. The tenor soloist, Mr Thomas E, West, of Christchurch, made an instant appeal in 'lf With All Your Hearts Ye Truly Seek Me,' which he invested with much melodious charm, and throughout his singing was of a high order. Miss Dora Drake was the soprano soloist, and used Iter soaring voice most effectively in the great number ' Hear Ye, Israel,' and jn recitatives of the early mfaclo scene, in which she and Mr Jeavons combined admirably in the duet ' Thou Shalt Love the Lord,' The excellent numbers for the contralto were sung by Miss Rena Roche with much feeling. ' O Rest in tho Lord ' was one of the highlights of the evening. Misses Drake and Rocho were joined by Mrs Eva Stewart in the trio ' Lift Thine Eyes." The youth's recitatives were sung with belllike clarity by John Cornish. A small but competent orchestra, of which Miss Ethol Wallace was the leader, provided the accompaniments, assisted by Dr V. E. Galway at the organ, and Mrs A. P. Manning at the piano.