KEY POINTS:
Robert Howell, like that Erewhon man, Samuel Butler, has an unquenchable passion for the music of Handel. His Handel Consort & Quire has, for some years now, been unearthing works that otherwise would remain as yellowing pages in a library basement.
Joshua, an oratorio written in 1747, five years after Messiah, is a mighty drama, containing not only the hell-and-damnation topple of Jericho but also the great Old Testament love story of Othniel and Achsah.
Proportions for Saturday night's performance were perfect, with 17 instrumentalists and a choir of 16 heard to their best in the clear acoustics of the Pitt Street Methodist Church. Howell is a persuasive conductor, even if here and there the ensemble could have been tightened .
The recurring flourishes of trumpets and timpani were bracingly rugged and, once one's ear was attuned to the slight edge between the two violinists, even this took on a certain charm.
Unforgivable though was the continuo playing, grimly limited on harpsichord, and sometimes non-existent on organ.
Was this, I wondered, why soloists were encouraged to hasten through recitatives, taking little notice of significant rests along the way?
Vocally, it was a strong rendition. The choir, apart from a few indecisive bass moments, obviously shared the enthusiasm of their conductor.
Jenna Johnson-Aufa'i was fresh and unaffected as the Angel and when those flames raged in Ian Campbell's big aria as Caleb, you felt their heat.
Stephen Diaz, though still innocent in the finer points of phrasing, brought a well-tuned vibrant countertenor to Othniel's role. Diaz engaged with the audience, and was a most attractive duet partner for Lisette Wesseling's Achsah. Wesseling, with beautifully tailored lines, made the most of her many glorious arias, including the charming: "Hark, hark! Tis the Linnet."
Finally, how good it was to have a tenor with the musicality and fine vocal equipment of Iain Tetley.
His forthright Joshua managed thrilling top notes that could have brought down the walls of Jericho without any assistance from trumpets and drums.
