JUDAS MACCABAEUS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1913, 22 November 1913, Page 7

JUDAS MACCABAEUS.

ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY. "Judas Mwcabaeua" is ono of tho half-dozen in tho domain of oratorio that is never ixsriruttod to .remain long oil thq sllclf. Written in a splendidly flamboyant stylo, Migge'!>-tive-.of the hemic t'lieino embodied-, tlio ii.iu.sic Sounds a nuigiiifieeut- paean of praise in honour of the great .hidaean libejtitor, after whom it is niinwd. it has been stated tlio iinfc free nolo of -ecstat-ie triumph that -rings through so many of the chorales, and which culminates "in tlio blood-stirring clioruSj "See tin;- Conquering Hero Comes,'' is a -nofi'eetion of tlio iiiil.iiciico wtought .oil tlio mind of tho conductor during his sojattfn in England. 'fjiis because of tho freedom of lifo and thought in fair Albion compaFcd to comparatively restricted lifo of the Hanoverian Court io which ho was attached in tho infant yeiirs of tlio -eighteenth cejitury. Tho tlienio was a congenial odp, as Handel's genius is always paramount in expressing cmotio.iis of a national cliar-iitfte-r such as is found in "Tho Messiah," "Israel in Egypt," and. "Judas Maccabaens." Moderns may find fault with the compostir'-S reiterative in.ai,inor--' isms as evidenced in his preludes to ' his arias, and may with some justico object to tho tediousness of those appalling riins ho was "so given to introducing, at once tlio Jiopo fiiid despair of soloists, but thero is no questioning tho sublimity of lliii conceptions, and tlicy .11110:114 of ihis gofiius as a melodist (albeit, lie was a notorious plagiarists and his ■ inspired Work as a writer of chorales. always ro.io wpfcinfl above the petty and commonplace., and Time, tlio greatest arbiter of all, has placed him on a pedestal among tho great. It is some little time since "Judas MacCabaeus" has been, sung in Wellington, and for that reason the perfotnianco given by tiio Hoyal Welling-t-oii Choral Secifiiy at tfe To-wii Halllast evening was \uuisiiall.y iii.teros.tiiig. Frankly, tlio society has done 'better 'work all round. Tlie chorus was dominated Oil several occasions bv an overpowering soprano, section, wliich jiaturall.y had ait unbalancing effect. Other than that,, t'lit? attack and releases wero not so clean and incisive as we liavo noted in past performances, still it- was : a- line lusty cliortiS- 'When it c.ang'ht the swing- at the niuSic, 311' d teiidei: -places were few and far between. Last, evening it was supplemented by a hundred ; hoys' and girls' voices used effectively I in "See tho Conquering Hero Comes." : This finO chords Was first snug -by the , Irerj's in harmony, then the girls, again together, .and finally by tho full strength i Of the' chorus, the arrangement account- ; ing for 'a very impressive- crescendo "that ; created considerable enthusiasm, A momentarily convie effect was caused through the. "breaking" of oite of tlio cornets in the fanfare for trumji.ets in | this- liiii.uber. Ti)o chorus, "0 Father Whose Almigh%'Po'wcr.i'V, wa,s nicely i sung, find ,ift "Lead On, Lead On" tho attack and volume of tone, wero'splendid. Another e.liorus that was- finely declaimed was "l.fcar us, 0 Lord." In "Tune. Voui" Harps,' 1 tho beautiful lytic effect- was linrdlv was oh viously an effort to keep up to. .pitch, After' a weak attack, that..tine -gliorjilfi *"Hail," Jitdon," was capitally sung, and tho cliorus "We Never Will Bow Down" was somewhat, raggedly sung, particularly bv tlio nrale voico sections, which, wero not at all sure of their ground. The orchestra, -owing to pte* ailing conditions. is always the caiiso of a good deal of anxiety, hut did fairly well, on the wholo on t-nis occasion, though ineliiieci io- drag a good deal in some oi tho accompaniments. The brass -section was not as smooth ii.ud relialil? as it might have been, and there wero rotig'linesses iu plenty in other .quarters,. but under tlio circumstances it is impossible to hope for good orchestral work in connection witii choral performances iii Wellington. . Too of the four soloists were entirely new to Wellingtui. Tho bass, Mr. -Reginald Cloond, of Sydney, has a big, ,pow. erful, und fairly resonant voice. .Mr Gooud apiicared to be suffering from a cold that deprived his voico of musical buoyancy and coarsened its nii.r£, was' sure of bis music, and sang with perfect confidence, but was inclined to sarriiice much to the production ot a big''tone. Ho was quite straightforwaixl in his ircatmcnt, _..f. th.c rcc-itativO "Not Vain :n ail this Storm of Griet," which teciii.s with line urtefpretive opiMjrtunities. Ho was. heard to liiucli liottor advantage in. tlio declaii-m----tory "Ann, Arm, Ye Brave, though his voice was too heavy ill quality to suggest- tho ringing appeal that tlio nunibei o\pi esses. Minus tho cold, Jlr, Oooad should be a Mircei woll noil I bearing. Mi. Ilanj Neil, alw> of S\d; nev, is a light lyric ionor, and for tut reason was not well equipped lor Uio hi"iily-draiiiatic role of Judas. In striving to do himself justice ui music tie\eiul his. joweis, his voice, sweet ami pleasing within limits, became hard, alia at times strident (iit the upper register). lie enmcud tin nupressKHi to tlio audieiKf thai he lacked cotiluleuco in himself, and was not always correct in those- tricky Handeliau runs wlnch so often P.ip up the unwary. Ills best effort, was ike air "Thanks to -My Brethren," "Sound all Alarm was on-lv fairly convincing as a damn call on ' a field of battle. ' Mrs. Arthur Meade, of Chr-istehurdi, was WU-di tlio best soloist of the oiiiia-i-tot- She lias :« bright, flexible, soprano ymce, W'li'.cli, f produced last evening, bore ajl the hallmarks of cnliurc. Her enmicntion was (rood, and she. gave life and character to the mvmbefß f'pU to li.or lot .Nor.-v-o'usnos-s lent a slight v-sbr-ato to her 'voice 1 -in her oponiiiß sofo "Io -Heayeiv s Almiaht-y King," hut rR tlio song of the Isr.aelitis.il wOiua.n., 0 Let Rtetuw Honours Crown His Name, hor voter came awav free and unconstrained, «n<! the sob '"Wise Men Sattenpg sane, very heaniivully indeed. Xellfe Castie, who wns allotted thn spjo "Father of Heaven" is a light- contrjUc of good finality. She her music verv pare.fnlly r.inl with conlul(;nce. but dip' lacks vitality—life. H could inf. Use a little more- abandon into her singing it would add much to the value of lier well.-t rained vo'ce. .. . ~ Mi' ClniUian Hellemann eonduetort with his iiistonun Mgour, and ; Mi. Logan «ns the kader ol the oichesli • Tlte iviidieirco all lint .'H''d tl"-