Performance: The Auckland Choral Society

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Review: Tara Werner

There are two distinct ways of looking at Maurice Durufle's Requiem.

The work has been called one of the great choral pieces of the 20th century.

Yet the composer himself did not regard it highly - it was said that he threw it out in the rubbish. Some would say that he should have left the work in the bin, given the sameness and even soporific aspects of the score, with its constant references to Gregorian Chant.

Either way, the Auckland Choral Society conducted by Peter Watts should at least be congratulated for attempting to break their traditional programming mould for this concert by presenting three contemporary works.

Despite Durufle's reservations, the Requiem definitely has its moments, especially the brief Pie Jesu for solo soprano.

Here Na-Young Kim impressed with both the richness and range of her voice, verging at times on contralto in her lower register and yet being able to reach the top notes with relative ease.

Her contribution was the highlight in an otherwise nondescript interpretation by the choir.

For instance, many of the organ entrances exposed some decidedly off-key singers.

And the lack of tenors (only 11 voices against 37 sopranos and 41 altos) meant that much of the sound was top-heavy.

The other choral work by Andrew Carter, Te Deum, also sounded unbalanced, but for entirely different reasons.

The music, composed with sections for children's choir and solo soprano, had an attractive directness that made it immediately appealing.

But having the Diocesan School Junior Choir and Le Choeur des Pierres Vivantes off to one side of the concert platform meant that a lot of their effort was dissipated.

This was a pity, since the latter were visitors from Noumea, and the concert did not really give them the opportunity to show their talents.

Meantime, a fanfare commissioned from John Wells, Just Another Millennium, has been dubbed by the composer a "traditional, in-your-face type of work."

And that's exactly how it came across - straight-forward and not exactly subtle.