Concert Review: Auckland Choral, Auckland Town Hall

Conductor Uwe Grodd. Photo / Supplied

It was an introduction Uwe Grodd could not resist, before launching Auckland Choral's annual Messiah. If we were lucky enough to be in the Super City with a super mayor, the conductor told us, Auckland could now expect a super Messiah. Tonight there would be no cuts - as Handel intended it.

The Overture bode well. Pipers Sinfonia was in sprightly form; the bustle of the Allegro moderato had character and an agreeable fugal flow.

Sumptuous strings introduced Paul McMahon in Comfort Ye My People. After drawing some fairly intense emotions from this recitative, the Australian tenor complemented it with an Ev'ry Valley that positively rippled with joy.

And joy it was to have a true bass in Martin Snell. An authoritative Thus Saith the Lord boasted chairman-of-the-board credentials, with unerring semiquaver runs on demand. Best of all, Snell's opera house experience gave Handel's music dramatic spine. The testing chromatics of The People that Walked in Darkness never quavered in their step; later on, the trumpet sounded, and thrilled, in collegial duet with the ever-reliable Philip Lloyd.

Anna Pierard brought a remarkable individuality to her contributions. He was Despised, thanks to rich strings and a regal pace, had grandeur yet, for all that, human sorrows were not forgotten. Mid-aria, the daunting refiner's fire was spectacularly dispensed.

Austrian soprano Ursula Langmayr did not always seem at ease with Handel's lines, particularly in Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion.

Yet, her clarity and projection were never in doubt, especially in the lovely If God be with us, an aria usually denied us in shortened versions of the work.

The stamina and aplomb of Auckland Choral's early choruses - with "Wonderful Counsellor" boldly echoing around the town hall in For Unto Us - did not persist throughout the evening. After interval, there were moments when energies sagged.

Even the Hallelujah Chorus, despite John Wells' grand organ contribution, trumpets and timpani, suffered from straining sopranos and timorous tenors

Hats off to the resourceful Wells in his quieter continuo moments; and also to the dual harpsichords of James Tibbles and Nicholas Sutcliffe, reminding us of Handel's own continuo partnership with Christopher Smith all those centuries ago.

What: Auckland Choral.

Where: Auckland Town Hall, Monday.