Full house for celestial fare

Visions of Heaven

Friday 28 June 2024, St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral was the venue for City Choir Dunedin’s midwinter concert on Friday evening, attracting a full house for a celestial musical programme of joy and peace to celebrate Matariki.

The event also gave performance opportunity for organists attending the New Zealand Organ Association Festival, and some magnificent organ textures accompanied the choral items. Heavenly titles and texts matched a theme of "Rising Stars" depicting both the universe and Christian heaven. David Burchell conducted and compered.

The programme began with Stars, by Eriks Esenvalds, an ethereal choral soundscape highlighted with extra sparkle by ringing wine glasses. Blessed City, Heavenly Salem by Edward Bairstow (1874-1946), an organist at York Minster, was full choral part-singing and featured organ accompanying from Jeremy Woodside (Wellington) and soloist soprano Cathy Sim.

Organ solos came from "rising star" organ scholars Max Toth in arpeggiated layers with overlaid lyrics of Theodore Dubois’ In Paradisum, and See-am Thompson with Le Banquet Celeste, by Messiaen, a subdued legato fabric from hands with short chordal sequences from the foot pedals.

Mark Anderson conducted The Stars Above the Sea, by David Hamilton. Burchell accompanied with his organ transcription of this movement from the 2020 seven-movement work for orchestra and choir.

The highlight of the programme was Woodside’s dramatic delivery of Apollo, by James Whitbourn. Woodside absolutely revelled in commanding the organ to interpret various sections of Apollo’s voyage into space from countdown, ignition, thunderous launching, views of Earth from space and the safe return to Earth marked with a final resounding perfect cadence.

Review by Elizabeth Bouman, Otago Daily Times, 1 July 2024

Rousing performance of Bach classic

Bach's St John Passion
City Choir Dunedin, Dunedin Town Hall
Sunday 24 March 2024

Presented on Palm Sunday, J.S. Bach’s St John Passion was a memorable performance in German by a fired-up City Choir Dunedin under the baton of musical director David Burchell, who also played the harpsichord. Despite Covid reducing the ranks, more than 60 choir members joined soloists Iain Tetley, Patrick Shanahan, James Harrison, Caroline Burchell, Maaike Christie-Beekman and Lila Crichton on stage at the Dunedin Town Hall. Guest organist was John van Buskirk.

First performed on Good Friday in 1724, the Passion is based on two chapters of the Gospel of John, the final days and death of Christ.

Tenor Tetley took the pivotal role of the Evangelist, his clear diction vital in tracing events from the Garden of Gethsemane through Christ’s crucifixion to his burial.

Enhanced by the choral sections, the narration is interspersed with individual musical dialogue, principally from two basses Christ (Shanahan) and Pilate (Harrison). With Tetley, the three demonstrated superb balance and control in the questioning of Jesus by Pilate.

Alto Christie-Beekman as the maid gave a powerful rendition of Von den Stricken ("To release me from the bondage of my sinning") and then soprano Burchell enchanted the audience with her clarity and command in the moving aria I’ll Walk in Your Footsteps, accompanied by Dunedin Symphony Orchestra flautists.

Crichton gained in confidence as the story developed, his rich tenor a joy to the audience.

Christie-Beekman’s aria It is Finished, sung from memory, was a highlight — lead cellist David Murray playing the accompaniment to perfection.

The story is a long one, yet neither choir nor soloists flagged, tackling soaring arias and complex choral fugues with aplomb.

St John Passion ends with the choir’s uplifting Rest Well Holy Bones of the Saviour. City of Dunedin choir gave it everything they had, a fitting end to one of its best-ever performances.

It did Bach proud, unlike the two people in the audience whose cellphones rang during the concert.

Review by Gillian Vine, The Star, 28 March 2024