Review: Great Opera Choruses

Some operatic choruses are not very familiar, others are well known and memorable for catchy rhythms and attractive melodies - but a selection will always find favour with a concert audience, as was the case with this programme.

The choir of 40 plus members responded enthusiastically to Joseph Christensen's clear direction, with well contrasted dynamics and changes in style clearly projected - not always an easy task with items performed out of context without the build-up of the surrounding story and music.

The chorus from Cavalleria Rusticana, opening the programme, sounded slightly tentative, but the Easter Hymn from the same opera, where the choir was joined by soprano soloist Oriana Kershaw, was much more confidently sung and made a fine end to the first half of the programme.

The Chorus of the Enchanted Islanders by Handel and the Voyagers' Chorus by Mozart, were stylishly sung, while the final extended, and well-known Polovtsian Dances by Borodin, made an impressive end to the whole programme.

The Priests' Chorus by Mozart, for men's voices alone, and the Spinning Chorus by Wagner for women's voices, sounded less secure and somewhat tentative.

Guest soloist Kershaw, a former student of Karamu High School and Bmus voice graduate from the University of Waikato, certainly impressed the audience with her polished singing and portrayal in the arias Voi lo sapete by Mascagni, Crude Sorte by Rossini and Stride la Vampa by Verdi, and in the duet from Cavalleria Rusticana with Joseph Christensen.

There is a promising powerful, dramatic quality to her singing which should develop further as she gains greater experience as a soloist.

Pianist Alex Wiltshire from Taupo gave magnificent support to all the singing with her fluent, extremely stylish, sympathetic and at times brilliant accompaniment to all the items.

The contribution of flautist Dana Parkhill, trumpeter Christopher Wilson and timpanist Antonio Della Barca also played an important part in providing support and variety in some of the instrumental accompaniments and to the whole presentation.

Great Opera Choruses

Hastings Choral Society

Directed by Joseph Christensen

St Matthew's Church, Hastings, Sunday

Reviewed by Peter Williams