Wanganui Male Choir, A New Beginning / O Se Armitage Fou at Central Baptist Church, July 25
Reviewed by Mike Street
A New Beginning - O Se Amataga Fou was the name selected for the Wanganui Male Choir's 277th performance, a reference to its new musical director, David Tipi, who is of Samoan descent.
It was David's first concert with the choir, and I found his handling of his "charges" most impressive. With gentle, yet firm, hand movements, virtually unobtrusive, he displayed a warm control as he guided them through a varied, well balanced programme.
The opening bracket consisted of a big contrast in styles. Compere Gordon Keelty coped well with the full name of Llanfair, a shortened form of its Welsh, 58-letter title. He managed to emerge from its pronunciation with tongue apparently intact. No mean feat.
After that came a personal favourite for both Joan and myself, Bui Doi, Dust of Life, from Miss Saigon. The varied blending of tenor and bass voices in this number was perfect. In addition to the stirring, emotional music, the words tell the heartrending story of the children born during the Vietnam war to local women, then abandoned by their fathers, American soldiers. The choir, all - or only - 21 in number, produced a riveting version. It was a pleasing contrast to be able to relax into the jaunty Sweet Georgia Brown as the third offering.