Very Much a Team Effort

Te Ao Hou, March 1964, Page 59

Very Much a Team Effort The items themselves were well chosen and the music steered almost entirely clear of American pop tunes. Albert Whaanga's leadership was firm and inspiring yet there were no real stars for this seemed very much a team effort. I am not an admirer of some of the typically Mormon settings which were used for the set-piece choral numbers yet the disciplined singing and rich harmonies were a joy to listen to. In some of the informal songs there was an occasional fleeting use of massed voices singing in unison without harmony. This gave quite an ethereal quality to some of the music. ‘Hine e hine’ was particularly effective. On the debit side there was a rather ragged performance of ‘Ruaumoko’ and the men's first peruperu appeared a little uncertain. In contrast the remaining peruperu displayed some beautiful footwork and the taparahis combined ferocity with precision. Particularly grating in the first item on the programme was a narration by an American actress. Her voice fell harshly on the Kiwi ear and though she made a gallant attempt to master Maori pronunciation, this feature was one of the less happy aspects of the evening. For the other items, a little commentary by a Maori or an illustrative programme would, I imagine, have helped the non-Maori viewer. The tragedy now is that by the time this article appears, this fine group will have gone their separate ways. This is a group which should be seen by every Maori and Pakeha. Certainly anyone who takes part in Maori concert performances could not fail to learn a great deal by seeing this party. Let us hope that the organisers' intention to reform at a later date is realised.