Insanae et vanae curae is a curiosity in the Haydn catalogue, a storm-tossed chorus rescued from his aria-heavy oratorio, The Return of Tobias.
It made a suitably celebratory work for Auckland Choral's Amadeus concert, with the full forces of the hundred-plus singers and Pipers Sinfonia behind it. Uwe Grodd marshalled
it all with his customary enthusiasm, although occasionally the men of the chorus sacrificed focus for gusto. Some phrases sounded closer to the Finnish shouting-choir tradition than what we expect with the First Viennese School.
Mozart's Coronation Mass brought more refinement and so, when words like "Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum" were punched out in the Credo, they made a real impact. In the later Sanctus, the "Hosanna in excelsis" had an attractive lilt to it.
A quartet of soloists blended well in the "Et incarnatus est" with Patricia Wright standing out, particularly in her Agnus Dei with its uncanny premonition of the lovelorn Countess's "Porgi amor" in The Marriage of Figaro.
After interval came the Australasian premiere of Hummel's Missa Solemnis, which Grodd premiered on disc back in 2003.
Hummel is one of a number of composers caught, as it were, in the shift from classic to romantic.
For this generously proportioned work to register fully, it needs sturdier orchestral playing.
The choir was tonally patchy, with too many passing glitches in the ensemble, although the soloists (Wright, Kate Spence, Derek Hill and Stephen Bennett) were a sonorous foursome.
Hummel's Agnus Dei was eight superb minutes, propelled on a series of poignant suspensions. This movement fully deserved the enthusiasm of Allan Badley's programme note and the choir sang with an appropriate fervour.
