Dominion Post, 1 October 2007 By Lindis Taylor The only way Wellingtonians have been able to confirm the international reputation of Terence Maskell’s Auckland based Graduate Choir has been through its CD. It was a pretty good representation, but nothing matches the real thing, which arrived on Saturday, in the first concert of a short North Island tour. There are about 35 voices on tour: big enough to make an impact in something like Stanford’s For lo, I Raise Up, and small enough to give real clarity to the more intricate harmonies and rhythms of many of the NZ pieces that filled the first half. Conductor Maskell, who made Aorere College in South Auckland outstanding in musical circles, reveals his wide knowledge of the repertoire as well as unparalleled choral acumen, and a keen ear for music that would work in this big space. To sing a sequence of seven pieces by NZ composers, was a brilliant idea: and admirable that three of them were composed or arranged by Christopher Marshall, who is commonly represented solely by his famous arrangement of Minoi Minoi. These showed his variety and his freedom from fashionable styles of choral writing that are cloying or erudite. This was seriously agreeable music. The title song of the concert, A sound came from Heaven, by Douglas Mews Sr, had the choir spread across the front of the sanctuary and down the side aisles – it worked superbly. Other fine pieces were by former Wellington organist and composer Katherine Dienes (an elegantly written Ave Verum), father and son John and Anthony Ritchie, and David Hamilton, whose impressively atmospheric Karanga, complete with distant koauau, ended the first half. The second half was dominated by German Romantics, refreshing, for it demonstrated a less-known but imaginative aspect of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms. Brahms’ lovely, melodic Wo ist ein so herrlich Volk? and Schumann’s spirited Talismane were examples of superb part-songs. The concert ended with Gershwin’s Embraceable You which, like most of the repertoire, coped well with the long reverberation; and Tommy Taurima’s Kotiro Maori, performed further back in the choir with divertingly varied actions. Choirs are a direct reflection of their conductors’ talents. This is one of the very best choirs in New Zealand, of great strength and excellence both in its technical skills, musicality and interpretative insight. |
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