Stephanie Acraman's clear, fresh soprano impressed during Bach Musica's most recent performance.
Rita Paczian and her Bach Musica NZ can be relied on for music from well off the familiar and well-beaten repertoire trails.
Its latest performance, with a judicious selection of Mendelssohn's choral works, ranging from the once popular Hear My Prayer to the composer's magnificent full-scale response to the powerful
poetry of Psalm 42, more than justified the modest ticket price.
The first, sung in a later German translation, left one missing the familiar refrain of "O, for the wings of a dove." However, its sweet melody benefitted, as did the entire piece, from Stephanie Acraman's clear, fresh soprano, offsetting the sentimental tendencies of harmonies below.
She also led the choristers in a spirited cry to God that would have made more impact in its original language. Later on, Acraman impressed in her Bachian aria in Psalm 42, weaving elegant vocals around Alison Dunlop's shapely oboe.
If this performance, as a whole, suffered from issues of balance, there was no denying that Paczian ably caught Mendelssohn's shifting moods, from a broodingly romantic opening chorus to a finale that bristled with High Baroque splendour.
