THE "MESSIAH."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4880, 21 December 1883, Page 4

THE "MESSIAH."

The Ohristchuroh Musical Sooiety, assisted by members of the Amateur Orchestral Society, gave their Christmas performance of "The Messiah" laat night in the New Hall, Tuam atreet, which, large as ib is, was by no means too large for the crowded audienoo that attended. Every ohair in the dress oirole was occupied before eight o'clock, and benohes had to be brought into requisition to accommodate many who otherwise would have been compelled to stand. Mr H. Wells waa the conductor, Mr A. B. Kelsey was tbe organist, and Herr Biinz, in the absence of Mr J. Coombs, was the leader. The orohestra, .whioh was unusually strong, waa fairly balanced, the strings predominating perhaps, but not more than was desirable. When heard by itself, or accompanying the soloists, it was not more than sufficiently powerful, but whilo the choruses were being Bung ifc seemed rather overpowering, this, however, being probably due to the deadening effect upon the voices of the stage accessories, rather than the want of judgment on the paTt of the mwioians, To Mr Appleby if as entrusted the opening recitative and air. His voice was in very, goed order and filled the hall perfeotly. He deolaimed the reoitative exoellently and sang very sweetly. The ohorus " And the Glory " was capitally attaoked by eaoh part and was taken in strict time. These remarks apply to all the ohoruser, some of whioh were therefore apparently too fast, because, aB a rule, it has been found tbat taking them at rather less time than that marked enables the vooalista to maater the difficulties of the rapid soale-like passages in whioh Handel so. delighted. When a ohoir has heen so effeotually drilled as the Musical Sooiety has now been, the poaition of affaira ia reversed. The members have acquired a flexibility of voioe that enables them to give the moat rapid runa clearly, and consequently the correot time becomes less arduous to them than what ia generally supposed to be a less exaoting time. Mr Beyd gave " But who may abide " and the preceding reoitative, on the whole, well. , The innovation of a piano phrase to the worda " even the messenger" was an improvement. The prestissimo was wanting in vigour oooasionally, but the vocalist apparently had reserved his strength for the closing cadence. Misa E. B. Bowley sang "O, Thou th,fe Tellest," and the preceding reoitative, with her usual expression. Mr Cane sang in good voioe "The People that Walked in Darkness," and with the exoeption of a slight slip waa very acourate ; perhaps erring on the eido of acouracy, as when he gave the full value of tho note te the insignificant word " the." Miss A. S. Taylor in the reoitatives " There were Shepherds," and those whioh lead up to the grand ohorus, " Glory to God," showed that she has lost none of her artistic feeling; as in the brilliant air "Bejoioe Greatly," she proved how perfeot is her elocution. Miaa Bowley took the contralto portion of the air " He ahall Feed Hia Flock," and Misb Bpensley the soprano portion. . Why the opening phrase should have the word " shall" emphasised there appears to be no reason, other than that it is so printed. The aocent ia given to the word "He" subsequently, and might well be always so. Misa Boirley equalled herself; Miss Spensley Bang with great taste, and with full recognition of -the meaning of the words. She was in splendid voioe. Miss Bowley saHg very sympathetically "Be was despised." The following ohorus was capitally aung, but with the stereotyped pronunciation of the word " chastisement." Surely it is possible to arrange to sing the word as it is invariably spokeß. Mr Appleby was speoially deserving of praise for hia aingiDg of the diffioult reoitative " aU they that ace Him," whioh he prefers to give without any grace notes. The chorus, "He Trasted in God," was no exception to the rule last night, so far as spirited rendering went, but there was a tendonoy among some of the vocalists to sing staccato, s failing whioh, it must be confessed, is almost impossible of avoidanoe, and would not be fairly oritioised were the exceUenoe of the ohorus singers lass than it is. Mr Appleby sang with appropriate pathos, "Thy Bebuke" and " Behold and See." He also aang very well the next recitative and air written for a sopranb. In the. ohorus, "Lift up lour Heads," there were noticeable one or two unusually delioate touohes, proving how oarefully the number had been studied. Miss Taylor's rendering of the air " How Beautiful" was enhanced by the flute accompaniment. Mr Merton in "Why do the Nations " was slightly inacourate for a phrase or so, but, on the whole, aang the diffioult air satisfactorily. Mr PuioheU waa soaroely equal to singing " Thou shalt Break Them ;" he gave it with spirit, however, and I endeavoured to make up for shortcomings by I singing the last few notes an octave higher

than they are written — a mere triok, at the best. The "Hallelujah" ohorus was the least satisfactory of any ; not that it was deficient in aoouraoy or apirit, but becauae there was so marked a disorepanoy between the volume of sound from the vocalists and that from the orohestra. With respeot to this number, however — as indeed of the other numbers— it is probable that very much depended en the position of individuals in the audience. Miss Spensley had the lovely air, " I know thafc my Bedeemer," and sane ifc vory nioely, but was somewhat deficient in depth and intensity of expression. The two quartettes "Since by Man" and "For as in Adam" were entrusted to Masters Oane, Woodward, and Appleby, and Messrs Appleby and Oane. They were both delightfully given, the latter being a shade better than the former. Mr Allan's voice is soaroely poworful enough for the martial air, " Xhe Trumpet Shall Sound," but he sang it very fairly. The oornet playing of Mr Tankard was a fine addition to the effeot of this number. The final choruses were as good as any that had preceded them. Beveral numbers of the oratorio had been judioiouely omitted, thus enabling the performance to olose at the reasonable time of a quarter to eleven. The success of last night has induced the Sooiety to announce a repetition of the oratorio fer the evening of St Stephen's Day, when it will be given in the Cathedral.