City Choir takes on contemporary fare
Knox Church. PHOTO: ODT FILES
City Choir Dunedin, at present with about 80 singers directed by David Burchell, gave a concert at Knox Church on Saturday evening.
The choir's repertoire is usually sacred, chosen from oratorios or traditional choral favourites, but on this occasion items in the programme entitled "Darkness and Light" were composed in the past 30 years and possibly not all to everyone's taste.
However, a mixed diet is good for all, and contemporary classical music can be challenging for both choir and audience alike.
A short early Renaissance hymn by Thomas Tallis preceded O Radiant Dawn, by Scottish composer James MacMillan (1959), which impressed with good balance, dynamic contrast and a nicely tailored final Amen.
Guest accompanist Christchurch organist Sea-am Thompson's contribution was Clair de Lune, by Louis Vierne, a rather long meandering piece, well-played by this exceptionally talented young musician and certainly titled to fit the theme.
A 30-minute work with Latin text composed in 1997 by Lauridsen (1943) followed. This was a difficult and challenging five-movement sacred work, based mainly on traditional mass form and text. The organ opened with a low growling intro then O Nata Lux achieved well-balanced a capella harmony, before the more animated accompanied Veni, Sancte Spiritus and Agnus Dei-Lux Aeterna, which rambled somewhat until achieving an excellently controlled Alleluia, Amen soft choral fade-out.
After the interval, Chris Artley's Matariki preceded a more animated Dark Night of the Soul (Gjeilo 1978) with pulsating 7/8 rhythm, soprano and string obligato (Tessa Petersen and Ngaruaroha Martin, violins, Katrina Sharples, viola, and Heleen du Plessis, cello).
A short contemplative organ solo by Briggs (1991) followed, then finally came a real highlight, Luminous Night of the Soul (Gjeilo). A sonorous cello opening from du Plessis welcomed an exquisite soundscape section from female voices.
Pleasing lyricism with excellent piano prominence (Sandra Crawshaw) continued throughout, and choral harmony with instrumental obligato gilding was indeed exceptional.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Taane's ground-breaking sound and vision experience a hit
Tiki Taane. PHOTO: ODT FILES A fully immersive sound and vision experience delivered by Tiki Taane enveloped the large audience at the Glenroy Auditorium on Wednesday night. Chamber Music New Zealand shows itself prepared to showcase Aotearoa's avant garde music and encompass a new audience. The stage is set with a light drawing of full-facial moko wearing headphones. Tiki Taane is one of Aotearoa's award-winning and experimental artists in improvisation and bass culture from his beginnings in Salmonella Dub. He has expanded his artistic range to include directing and producing film and collaborations with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. He is an multimedia artist of extraordinary stamina and versatility. His improvisational skills mean that each performance is unique. For this tour Taane has collaborated with digital artist Kereama Taepa, whose transformation of traditional Māori patterns into the digital realm are mesmerisingly beautiful. Three-dimensional figures of Atua slowly rotate and twist. The stage is darkened as Taane deftly moves between his instruments. The intricacy of his rhythmic patterns wax and wane with timely innovation. Taane's charm takes a cheeky twist as he employs a hammer against bamboo, a stick against a cheese grater and dramatically pulses the motor of an electric drill. His artistry is boundless. The listener travels with the pulse of karakia and sometimes too static images of three Atua, te Uira, god of lightening and therefore electricity, Tanemahuta, who kicks open the earth's creative space and Hine te Iwaiwa who inspires weaving and manipulates visual imagery. Taane remains aware of how far he can take his audience. The performance closes with a grounding guitar solo from Salmonella Dub and with him leading the audience in Hine e Hine. Everyone left the auditorium with smiles on their faces having experienced something uniquely ground breaking, performed and produced excellently.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
St Kevin's and Meads Cup successes hard to top
Jacob Coghlan. PHOTO: ODT FILES 1. Favourite rugby memory? Winning a couple of Blood Matches with St Kevin's in 2013 and 2014. It would be a toss-up between those and winning the Meads Cup with the Old Golds in 2019. 2. Hardest opponent? Jesse Lusty-Winter, who played for Waitaki Boys'. Absolute grub, ha ha. Also one of my best mates and he is going to be in our wedding party. 3. Which rugby player do you admire and why? Morgan Mitchell. He's just one of the best blokes you will ever meet. Workhorse, scrummaging powerhouse, puts in shots. 4. What do you do to relax? I like to read a book. And I'm a bit obsessed with my fire and collecting firewood. I know it sounds weird but the best part of my day is getting home and lighting the fire, ha ha. 5. If Jacob Coghlan is cooking, what are we eating? Lamb roast.
NZ Herald
14-06-2025
- NZ Herald
Book of the day: The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney
Family pets are so often objects of joy and love, but the appearance of Bonnie, the Rutherford family's beloved retriever, was a malignant omen on a chilly Sunday in August as the Scottish summer waned. The first note of a discordant song that fractures the lives of Gordon and Sarah.
