Auckland Choral Society give stirring performance

By HEATH LEES

TOWN HALL, Auckland - Nine months ago, Elgar's Dream of Gerontius celebrated its first 100 years. Saturday night's stirring performance suggests that the work will remain fresh and strong for the next 100.

In excellent voice for the first Auckland Gerontius in nearly a decade, the Choral Society was joined by Musica Sacra, whose clean, beautifully launched entries acted like a musical spearhead.

And there was the richly symphonic sound - if not always an obviously Elgarian one - of the Auckland Philharmonia.

With some radiant string-playing in the angelic parts, and monumental brass for the central hymn of praise, the orchestra proved again how successfully Elgar combined the fully fledged romantic orchestra of the day with the English choral tradition. Its opening prelude, breathing the air of Parsifal at the start, yet every phrase creating greater life of its own, was a memorable experience.

In the front spotlight was tenor David Hamilton, singing the taxing part of Gerontius. To begin with there were intonation worries and over-anxious strains, but by the second half, when the now-dead Gerontius has become a soul, Hamilton's voice took on, paradoxically, more body, his contribution increasing in stature and effect.

Helping the transformation was Helen Medlyn, singing divinely as the Angel, while from the very back of the hall David Griffith's majestic baritone soared out with some of the most moving moments in the work.

Among the choir's strengths were upward leaps of pinpoint accuracy, entries that breathed their way in pianissimo, yet with clarity of articulation that revelled in the Town Hall's acoustics, and a big, full-throated sonority for the high points, like the magnificent setting of Praise to the Holiest.

Praise in this case goes to conductor Peter Watts, who began carefully but grew into the performance to become magisterial by the end.

Having led all the rehearsals for this, written the programme, and given the pre-concert talk a few minutes before lifting the baton, Watts could easily count the success his own.