Performance: Auckland Philharmonia

Town Hall

Review: Heath Lees

Proms Down Under is the new title for the antipodean copy of that strange British mixture of patriotism and pottiness that erupts at the end of London's "promenade" concert series in the Royal Albert Hall, and travels the world as The Last Night of the Proms.

Copyright problems have led to a withdrawal of the British title here, but the organisers have added a special Kiwi flavour. This changes the traditional taste of the concert and, although sponsored by Twinings, it may not now be everyone's cup of tea.

For one thing, good, witty and novel orchestral repertoire by New Zealand composers can be difficult to find, as Dorothy Franchi's Do-Wack-A-Do ballet suite reminded us. It was not so much that the music was uninteresting, but that the orchestral expansion of the original jazz quintet was thin and unimaginative.

So were the arrangements of Maori songs from Deborah Wai Kapohe, who sang effectively, with an arresting folk-based quality in her otherwise classically trained voice.

The major departure was in having poet Sam Hunt along. Hunt had poured his drainpipe legs into his best pair of jeans, and he twitched and chanted his way through several of his most engaging poems. Later, to the evocative canvas of Anthony Ritchie's purpose-built music, his Coming To It held the attention impressively, and vindicated the decision to have a poet amongst the players.

Part One of Gareth Farr's From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs - fast becoming a classic here and overseas - was given a vigorous though not overdone performance, and provided a brilliant curtain-raiser to the usual closing fun and games of curling streamers, Union Jacks, and unflaggingly jingoistic songs.

Through it all, Christopher Bell conducted the band and the proceedings with a steady hand on the baton and a loose rein on the audience, who sang, shouted and stomped their way through all the best bits.