"THE MESSIAH."

Otago Witness, Issue 3327, 19 December 1917, Page 58

"THE MESSIAH."

It has "been customary for the Dunedin Choral Society to present '' The Messiah" at Christmastide for several years, and the practice has been followed this year, Handel's magnificent work being rendered on Saturday evening in the King's Theatre to a very large audience. The efforts of the choir, under the baton of Mr Sidney Wolf, was in nearly all -cases highly commendable. Probably nothing went better than the Hallelujah chorus, though ihere were several other choruses that ran it close. Among these may be mentioned " For unto us a Child is .Born," "Glory to God the Highest," and " Lift Up Your Heads." Speaking generally of the solo work, this did not compare favourably with the work of the choir. Among the soloists w-ere some new, or comparatively new, aspirants for musical distinction, and there is no need, considering the occasion, to disparage the worthy efforts put forward; nor even to be critical. Mr Drake sang the tenor solos. Miss Jessie Christie had, especially for so young a einger, heavy obligations to fulfil as 'the soprano, and sh-3 carried out her work very faithfully. Miss Kathleen Carter sang tho contralto musio with a fair measure of success. Much of the difficult solo work devolved upon the two basses, Messrs T. Holgate and W. Thomson, the former singing the earlier portion and the latter relieving him thereafter.