CHORAL SOCIETY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14220, 17 November 1909, Page 8

CHORAL SOCIETY.

' . V- "ISRAEL IN EGYPT." ' The Choral Society's present season was closed at the Choral Hall.last evening by the' presentation of Handel's pretentious * and inspiring oratorio, "Israel in Egypt." i It is some years since : the work • was heard ' here, and the difficulties in the way of an . adequate performance are such as to call _ forth more tb^h v ordinary effort oh the part of conductor and performers. .In y -seve-. ral »of :'.■'• the choruses the > effect "was "•' inspiring. The broad .: opening <■ double iihorus,'*' '" Arid 4fteir Cry."; was commenced ; ... •. by the Ist alto voices with some hesitancy, though it was evident as the number'proceeded that H\i notation,/ as well as the various Jeao<s, Lid engaged the serious attention of Wit* performers. The difficult ' _;■ chants, " They Loathed to Drink," with: its ■:». suggestive drops of a seventh in the the- '%< -■:matic material aligned to the various part's, was' given with fairly good effect. The magnificent double chorus, "He Spake the ; .Word, and there Came all Manner of -Fli«J;" • a tested fully the vocal equipment of the choV . ' and orchestra, the strings of the latter dis- " splaying; a tendency to dryness of tone in the profuse demi-semiquaver figurations suggesting the movements of myriads of flies. " The powerful " Hailstone " chorus displayed 'a creditable alertness and enthusiasm on the . singers' part, which was made more evident as the number proceeded. "He Sent a Thick Darkness" was responsible for prompt at- ;," i tack in thei various lines assigned to the separate voice parts in the latter portion, while the forcefulness of the chorus, "He Smote All the First-bom," with : its con--1 tinuously moving vocal parts and detached crotchets was meritoriously sung. The chorus, But. as for His People," showed ■ the.sopranos tame in attack upon the high notes beginning "He led them forth like ~ sheep." The more ordinary movement of the latter portion discovered the singers ■ better at ease. That grandly impressive chorus in C minor, " But the Waters Overwhelmed Their Enemies," with its. surging unisons in the descriptive accompaniment, /lacked solidity; in parts, and the sopranos were hard put to it in several of the higher, notes. The short double chorus, "Moses V; . and the Children of Israel," was followed by ---. '■'.'•'. the grand and florid "I Will Sing Unto the Lord." This was sung with considerable enthusiasm, - though ,in > places the . flowing semiquavers on. the word "gloriously" seemed. not unnaturally laboured. The concluding strenuous ./sentence, "The' horse and "his' rider," was .given with great effect, the wide >>.'■ harmonies receiving graphic treatment. In ■-' " the two-part chorus, " The Lord is a Man of War,'! the male voices contributed work ;"-'....- which ranks as one of the evening's - successes, while the more ordinary harmonies of "The Depths Have Covered Them," showed the full choir to advantage. Some telling choral, effort was put forth in " Thy Right Hand, 0 Lord." The various entries ■ were surely made, and the rhythmical effect was steadily preserved. Some broad tonal effects were secured in' "The Lord . ".' Shall Reign," and the final brilliant chorus, Sing Ye to the Lord," was given in praiseworthy style. In order to compress the performance within certain time limits, certain excisions were made, these including several choruses, as well as two duets. The solos of Israel in Egypt," though of considerable interest, are scanty as regards number. To Miss Marian Owen Garland was given the opportunity of singing the one brilliant soprano aria, " Thou Did'st Blow with the Wind," with its wealth of semiquaver scales. The effort was not without some merit, though i the lower notes of the vocalist were almost inaudible some way back in the hall. j Some of the players were ill at ease in ! the accompaniment to this number. Miss Nellie Upton's contralto solos, " TheirJ Land Brought Forth Frogs, ,r and "Thou Shalt Bring Them In," were sung in! somewhat mechanical fashion, the spirit j of the text losing much of its effect thereby. Though Mr. W. Aspinall has not always been congenially cast in oratorio, he certainly deserved the vigorous. applause at the close of his exacting solo, "The Enemy Said," which was sung with temperament as well as brilliancy. The tenor's recitatives, Now There Arose a New King," "Then Sent He Moses and Aaron," "For the Horse of Pharaoh," and " Miriam the Prophetess," ■ were up to his usual standard. Dr. W. E. .Thomas conducted and Miss - Edith Whitelaw led the orchestra with requisite sureness and taste. Mrs. S. '"..: Jackson was piano accompanist, while Mr. R. , Leslie Hunt presided at the organ. Handel's "Messiah" will be the next work to be produced by the Choral Society. ' ' ■_