"THE CREATION"

Taranaki Daily News, 19 September 1940, Page 11

"THE CREATION"

CHORAL SOCIETY WORK New Plymouth's good fortune in having such an organisation as the Choral Society was again deinonstrated in ^ the production of Haydn s "The Creation in St. Mary's hall. It was a truly inspiring performance, orchestra, choir and soloists severally and combined rising mag- . nificently to capture the exalted mood so essential in the interpretation of this glorious piece of musical architecture.^ At a time when ugly forces are seeking their wOl of the world it must be reassuring to know that the : are such things as Haydn's masterpiece to remind peoples beset that there is still something worth struggling for. If it performed no other service last night the choral society justified its existence. With such words as the poetry of the Creation and such music as only Haydn could write the society, with its prevtous experience of the work, rose nobly to the occasion. Wrapped in the vibrant music of instruments and voices the story of Genesis gained a perspective that plainly inspircd the audience with a sense of beauty and reality. Under the direction of Mr. R. Laurie Coopor the choir responded smoothly to every gradation of mood— from the tumultuous, tossing harmony of "Despairing, cursing rage" and the exultant music of "The Heavens are telling" to the delicate cadences cf the softer passages suggesting hushed awe as the marvels of the Creation unfolded themselves. Such was the uniformity of production of the choral sections that it is difticult to select any chorus for special mention, but it must be said that a musical audience appeared to be supremely satisfied with the two pieces already mentioned and wtih the gloriously triumphant rlng about "Achieved is the giorious work." It was an exceedingly happy choice that brought Miss Freda Bamforth (soprano), Mr. W. L. Hay (tenor) and Mr. Len Kerr (baritone) to the platform to sing the solos. Miss Bamforth was taking her first solo part at one of the society 's concerts and it must be said that she distinguished herseli. .The pure, unwavering quality of her notes, no matter what the range, made her songs a joy to listen to, and she, like the others, had the talent to interpret a basically religious subject with a restraint and simplicity that never. transgressed the spirit of the work. After winning many welldeserved plaudits for her exceptional work in solos and trios Miss Bamforth left the audience with very pleasant memories of Eve's rapturous duets with Adam (Mr. Kerr). The pure, even notes seemed to linger long after the song had ceased. Mr. Hay enlisted long experience in the singing cf the tenor part of Uriel, his interpretation of "In native worth bringing him a special mead of applause. Mr. Kerr's voice, particularly suited to the more robust parts of Raphael, rose to splendid heights in the solos, notable among which were "Rolling in foaming billows" and the recitative "Let the. earth bring forth." It was, however, in the trios and duets with the choir that the soloists did some of their finest work, especially the trio associated with "The heavens are telling" and that at the end of part two. The work of the orchestra was anot.her feature of the performance. Led by Mr. F. Symes. with Miss M. Arnold, L.R.S.M., at the piano, the instrumentalists introduced the oratorio with the Representation of Chaos and afterwards contributed with an always nice restraint the beautiful accompaniments with which the work abounds.