~ 100-strong choir
for ‘Messiah’
THE traditional Easter offering of Handel's Messiah wds
made to an appreciative audience at the Civic Hall on Sunday
. by
. Guildford
Philharmonic Choir, singing
(latterly, at least) with spirit
and punctilious accuracy under
the direction of its regular cho-
rus-master, Kenneth Lank.
The choir was at its fullest
strength — but the orchestra,
thankfully, not so, equating
more to Handel’s original intentions in size, though a cer- tain solid basis was lost in the
larger choruses by the unaveidable lack of organ power.
spised. Hers is a true deep con-
safe and steady, with fine tonal
control, in his bass solos, and
oratorio scene was Maria Bo-.
ford
|
Messiahs, it was certainly the
clearest and most precise I
have heard for many years:
The sopranos; though in
excellent unity, seemed 2 little,
over-stretched towards the end
(as well they might!), but the
mellow "alto section and the
sturdy: male contingent were.
effective throughout. The great
fugal Amen was sung with impressive conviction.
The soloists were all highly
competent and experienced
oratorio vocalists and added
greatly to the evening’s enjoy-
ment. Clarity of expression
‘and articulation scemed to be
their watchword.
Catherine Wyn-Rogers’s fine
contralto made a most fervent
declamation of He was De-
recitatives, but was never at
fault
in his high ranges.
Henry Herford was equally
Another newcomer to the. - held his own nobly with ClfHaines’s
resounding in-
Vino, 2 promising young sopra-« strument in The Trumpet shall
Sound.
:
no of Italian extraction, who
sang her immortal aria, I know.
that my Redeemer liveth, with
sympathetic sincerity and, with
rather more variable pitch, the
jubilant Rejoice greatly with
joyous conviction. It was surprising to hear such ringing
high notes from such a diminu-
tive frame.
Although the first part of
Both men soloists performed
England’s greatest oratorio was rather dry and uninspiring, the " their roles with comfortable
ease and admirable breath consingers took fire after the inter-
val and, though
it was not per- haps the most dramatic of
rather staccato emphasis in his
tralté timbre, capable of
~moving expression, of which, I
am sure, much more will be
heard soon. It was the most
emotional aria of the evening.
trol in Handel’s long’ running
scales. Peter Hall was given to
Handel gives plenty of scope
for speed to conductors, and
Mr. Lank maintained a steady
and deliberate beat for most of
the choruses, with the choir ad-
mirably observant of unanim-
ity in all exits and entrances.
With over 100 on stage, his
control’ and careful direction
made for an eminently well-
balanced
performance.
and
worthy
John C. Dodds.
_