Lyric Singers Concert
Saturday, November 23, Christ Church Anglican at 2pm
Reviewed by Leonard Cave
The Lyric Singers' concert last Saturday, Piece by Piece, was given in support of Jigsaw Whanganui and was supported by a large and enthusiastic audience.
Under the direction of Joanna Love and accompanied on the piano by Lisa Boessenkool, the choir sang four brackets of varied and often challenging songs with great aplomb. Most were greeted by audible sounds of appreciation from the very supportive audience before they burst into applause. The choir sang with good choral discipline, watching and tightly together as one voice making a balanced, blended sound. It is difficult to name one piece as the stand-out item of the programme, such was the evenness of the standard of singing but worthy of special mention is the part song sung by the women only which was beautifully ethereal. There were great moments in other songs where tenors and basses sang in strong harmony without the women.
The Abacus Trio (Angela Crawford, Chester Nevill and Murray Loveridge) with Denise McNeill (voice), Savannah Priest (piano), Hannah Boessenkool (voice), Hideki Yutoku (violin) with piano accompaniments by Marie Brooks and Ingrid Culliford performed intermittently, giving variety and contrast to the programme. Stuart Goodin from the bass section introduced the various items, ensuring a smooth run from one to another.
This was a quality concert. It included a wide variety of musical styles, some impressive difficult moments and the occasional number from memory. The Lyric Singers looked smart and sounded as they looked. A bow from the whole choir in unison at the end, to acknowledge the massive applause carried the discipline of this wonderful concert to the very end.
