There were 33 singers, including ten from the Edgecumbe Choir, with representatives from all sections. Unusually, the combined choir lacked male tenors!

Some evening views from the shores of Lake Rotorua

Creation – inspiration and joy

The Edgecumbe Choir’s 50 voices supplemented with 55 more from the Kowhai Singers and the Pohutukawa Singers of Warkworth, gave a glorious performance of Hadyn’s Creation on Saturday evening to a most appreciative audience.

This huge choir partnered with well-chosen visiting vocal soloists: coloratura soprano Catherine Macdonald, bass Jarvis Dam and tenor John Murray, plus visiting organist Michael Bell.

Eastern bay instrumentalists were Olga Stancliff on harpsichord, Matthew Pryor on cello, Ian Wilson on timpani and Sandy and William Herewini on trumpets, to give a most impressive performance of this loved oratorio.

The evening was especially enjoyable in that all facets – choir, soloists and instrumentalists - combined extremely well to deliver a unified, confident and well-paced performance.

For that reason, considerable commendation must be awarded to conductor Tony Hogg who, with seemingly minimal effort, led 105 choristers, three vocal soloists and eight instrumentalists through every intricacy of the oratorio with remarkable skill and composure.

The knowledge, musicianship and leadership Hogg demonstrated was outstanding.

From the slow tempo instrumental overture, suggesting mists and mystery building through the first bass solo to the explosive creation of light, the oratorio held its audience right to the wonderful, triumphal, full and final chorus two and a half hours later.

Set in three parts, the oratorio uses character voices to sing the narrative expressing Haydn’s wonder and joy in God’s creation, enacted day by day, in the biblical six days.

The voices of the three soloists are variously those of angels and of Adam and Eve - the bass singer is Raphael-Adam, the tenor Uriel and the soprano Gabriel-Eve, with the choir and instrumentalists contributing equally, and essentially, to the story-telling.

In her characterisations as the angel Gabriel and as Eve, Catherine Macdonald always had control and fluency and soft, sensitive phrasing when required.

Her ability was especially evident in the techniques used in trills and turns and in the way she highlighted passages with descriptive light and shade.

Both John Murray and Jarvis Dam were similarly accomplished.

Dam gave a fine performance over a wide-ranging part and sang with a warm tone and good projection. Murray, in character, immediately established a good relationship with the audience; he was obviously knowledgeable singing with confidence and excellent expression.

All three soloists used rubato (a relaxing of strict tempo during a phrase) confidently and brought considerable talent and professionalism to their roles.

Again, all three had consistent clarity of tone and pitch throughout, all had good diction, and in trio and duets, blended exceedingly well.

The unity of all 116 individual talents under Hogg’s baton was the greatest joy of the concert.

The combined choir’s soprano sound was ethereal in all the right places, the basses gave substance and grave thought when needed and the overall balance, contrast colour and tone were a joy.

At times, the combined voices were simply outstanding, achieving smooth, gradual and controlled crescendos and diminuendos - surely something that would have delighted Haydn who, over 18 months, poured his heart into the composition.

Well done Edgecumbe Choir.  

Leonie and Peter McRae

published in Whakatane Beacon, 24 April 2013

Yule be sorry if you missed this concert

The Edgecumbe Choir has eased audiences into Christmas mode with a yuletide programme of 20 old and new summer carols. 

The 50-plus choristers, well led by conductor Tony Hogg who also introduced items with interesting commentaries, presented a fine and disciplined blend of voices with good light and shade colouring the music.

The choir was accompanied by Hamilton-based rising musical star Timothy Carpenter at the organ, and talented local pianist Olga Stancliff. However, much of the choir’s programme was successfully sung unaccompanied.

The concert also introduced the fresh faces and voices of the Apanui School Choir with three carols conducted by Karyn Templeton and some supporting by the Edgecumbe Choir.

The Apanui children were a delight and a credit to their conductor and school.

The Edgecumbe Choir’s programme included four John Rutter carols - the choir has an affinity for his music - five of David Willcocks’ classic arrangements (some performed with a little help from audiences), stylish works by such diverse composers as Benjamin Britten and J.S. Bach and even a carol by New Zealander Colin Gibson called The Wind Blew Keen.

The concert was a refreshing entry to the new yuletide season and the best of its music.

The programme opened in the tradition of Once In Royal David’s City with the choir processing into the church, the male and female voices singing alternating passages, with the organ accompanying them for the final verse. It was an effective opening.

A contrast followed with a bright, bubbly Jingle Bells introduced with a strong, speedy entry from the women’s voices then more strength added by the men’s - all obviously enjoyed by the choir and audiences.

The first of the David Willcocks arrangements was the unaccompanied, How Far is it to Bethlehem, featuring soft and controlled soprano and alto singing with good diction and vowels and managing beautiful discords too. 

J.S. Bach’s arrangement of O Little One Sweet was performed unaccompanied and with understanding of his beautiful harmonies and discords all sung with soft entries, good diction and vowels and strong underpinning alto singing. Well done.

Rutter’s the Shepherd’s Pipe Carol is a difficult composition and the choir made it special.

From the strong, confident male voice entry and the following delicate staccato passage through to the contrasted smooth legato singing of the full choir, the time changes and the well handled soprano melody line, the choir exceeded expectation.      

It’s impossible to comment on each item but mention must be made of:

• Away in a Manger with outstanding tenor work throughout the audience participation.
• Rutter’s Christmas Lullaby for well blended choral work and attention to the composer’s dynamics. His Love Came Down at Christmas for the warmth and expression achieving all the composer asked for. His The Very Best Time Of The Year was simply quite beautiful.
• Hark The Herald Angels Sing with well blended harmonies and a strong and controlled descant over the last verse.
• Britten’s This Little Babe – such a speedy, difficult, tongue-twisting inclusion demanding perfect pitch and diction, exceptional time-counting skills and snappy on-time entries.
• And Adolphe Adam’s O Holy Night sung with depth and meaning, and a solo refrain the first time through, to Stancliff’s accompaniment.

Finally, the Christmas themed music was given a delightful touch with some extras – the outstanding chorister dolls, the beautiful wreaths and the chocolate Santas. Merry Christmas everyone!

Leonie & Peter McRae

Published in Whakatane Beacon, 7 December 2012

Around The World, Song by Song

In 1872 Jules Verne wrote Around The World in Eighty Days and had his hero, Phineas Fogg & his valet, Passepartout, attempting what was then considered impossible – circumnavigating the globe in 80 days. 

This past weekend, with conductor and compere Tony Hogg leading the way, the Edgecumbe Choir took audiences on a stylish and delightful round-the-world sampling of music from many nations in ’80 minutes’. As with Verne’s story the concert was a winner.

From the strong, rhythmic opening of the New Zealand traditional number, A Te Tarakihi (A Cicada) with clean phrasing, the music crossed the Tasman for a quite special, unaccompanied arrangement of Waltzing Matilda with good soprano and tenor work.

From Oz it was off to Africa for a traditional Sotho church hymn, Ga Gona Ya Tswanang Le Jesu, expressing the African ‘feel’ for the music not only in the harmony but also visually with the choir (and conductor) swaying in unison, to the African beat.

Japan was next for Sakura, another traditional song but this time celebrating the beauty of the flowering cherry blossom trees; such a special time for the Japanese people. In this, both male sections of the choir coped very well with a challenging higher range and close harmony.

It was an easy transition to the USA for a sensitive singing of the song Louis Armstrong made his own – What A Wonderful World. In this, beautiful, overlaying harmony was used to contrast well-performed discords; again, special mention must be made of the strong contribution from the male voices.

Staying in the States, it was time to Steal Away unaccompanied - the much loved Negro Spiritual; this was devotional with good vocal balance from the choir and showed particular strength in the tenors. Staying put in the States, a John Rutter arrangement of When The Saints Go Marching In followed. Then it was up to Canada for the Leonard Cohen number, Hallelujah, sung with good vowel sounds.  

Ireland had to be represented by Danny Boy! This was an attractive arrangement of the song performed unaccompanied with carefully managed phrasing and again, delightful discords in the part singing. Additionally, the performance featured some attractive soprano passages.

Down to Wales for a little-known, unaccompanied Welsh song, The Sands of Dee, and then up to Scotland for the Skye Boat Song - both well balanced and performed.

To complete the United Kingdom visit, the choir sang the sensitive, Simon and Garfunkel version of Scarborough Fair, with controlled dynamics and legato to a supportive accompaniment.

The tour then crossed the English Channel to arrive in France for a stirring rendition of Le Marsellaise sung with well balanced harmonies (and a beret- wearing Olga Stancliff accompanying them).

Jean Sibelius, composer of Finland’s entry, Finlandia is said to have had much to do with the formation of Finland’s national identity and this anthem of his eloquently expresses a love of his homeland. The harmonies were outstanding and the choir sustained them well. It was an emotional and appealing item.

Three Hungarian Folksongs followed and they were sung with excellent diction and variable speeds and the choir’s sense of enjoyment of these pieces were well conveyed.  From Hungary the musical tour took the audience to Italy for the well-known Neapolitan song, O Sole Mio; in this the opening appeared a little uncertain.

A giant journey followed and we were in Cuba for Guantanamera. The choir ‘celebrated’ this song and its Latin American rhythm (“cha cha cha”), with quite some style and pizzazz. Then down to Uruguay to tango with La Cumparsita. The final song brought us back to New Zealand with a memorable repeat of A Te Tarakihi for a finale.   

The Choir’s concert, supported throughout with Olga Stancliff’s skills and four contrasting and interspersed items from the talented, totally upbeat & swinging Trident Jazz Combo, deserved ‘Full House’ signs. The vocal programme was delightfully varied showing both depth and unity and a confident ability to present multiple national idioms very well indeed. Well done Edgecumbe Choir.

Leonie & Peter McRae

Published in Whakatane Beacon, 29 August 2012

Messiah: the promise fulfilled, hallelujah

For generations all Israel had been in a state of growing tension awaiting the coming of the prophesised messiah.

Seventeen hundred years later Englishman Charles Jennens selected prophetic words from the King James Bible and others from the Psalms in the Common Book of Prayer and sent them, as a libretto, to George Frederic Handel.

In just 24 hours Handel wrote the score based on that libretto, composing music for an outstanding oratorio known as the Messiah. Handel then took two more days and polished it. Remarkable.

The Messiah, as presented in performance by the Edgecumbe Choir last weekend, was also genuinely remarkable – a joyful success.

For this, great credit must be given to conductor Tony Hogg who led a unified, well – prepared 55 – member choir, four well chosen guest soloists, an outstanding guest organist and five fine local instrumentalists through two warmly memorable and, at times, inspiring performances.  

It is impossible, in the space of this review, to adequately cover the choir’s success with this major work.

Mention must be made of the full choir singing the many speedy and difficult melodic changes and sequences with control and clarity leading to a satisfying blending with soloists’ voices.

The choir was confident and focused, responding as one to their conductor’s lead.

The balance was good, heightened with some youthful voices and a strong bass section.

Chase Douglas, the tenor soloist, never once forced his voice – using light and shade to interpret Handel’s music with insight and perception.

His early first solo, Comfort Ye, was sensitively presented and the recitative,Unto Which of the Angels Said He, was sung with style and grace.

Bass, Jarvis Dam, the second soloist, gave a most satisfying performance conveying his dramatic moments with the skill of an experienced professional.

His ability to sustain long phrases was also commendable. Both Dam and Douglas had excellent diction and made valued contributions to the performance. We must see more of these two young men.

Contralto Patricia Wackrow’s early recitative, Behold a Virgin Shall Conceive, was sung with effective technique and with all the ability developed over years of experience, handling the somber mood of the air, He Was Despised, with sadness and dignity.

Soprano Catherine MacDonald was a joy. She placed her voice with confidence and skill, maintaining a clear, lyrical tone throughout the composer’s demanding score and always with excellent diction.

MacDonald’s I Know That My Redeemer Liveth was simply beautiful.

Guest organist Michael Bell and Olga Stancliff on keyboard (played as a spinet) were sensitive, supportive and attentive throughout the entire performance.

Matthew Pryor’s cello, in concert with the sound of the spinet, added authenticity to the music of Handel’s era; Maurice Reid and Sandy Herewini’s trumpets sounded triumphantly right on cue and Ian Wilson’s drums all added hugely to the building climax leading into what must be the longest “Amen” in the history of music.

That the Edgecumbe Choir’s production of the Messiah was a triumph is evidenced by the fact that both audiences gave it well – earned standing ovations.

Leonie & Peter McRae

Published in Bay Weekend, 5 May 2012

Excellent execution of Vivaldi’s ode to springtime by choir

What is life without music?

It doesn’t matter if it’s punk rock or Wagnerian Ring cycles – the reality is music puts colour, expression and a sense of identity into our lives, lifting the “everyday and the ordinary” into an enhanced and better place.

And the Edgecumbe Choir concert last weekend did just that, with a spring-themed musical move into the sunnier season.

In the first half of the programme, conductor Tony Hogg capably led the 35 voices through a varied programme of nine songs, ranging from the compositions of Guiseppe Verdi through to a more contemporary John Rutter.

The songs were interspersed with two brackets of organ sols from guest organist Michael Cox, head of music at Wesley College in Auckland.

The programme opened confidently presenting With a Voice of Singing in near perfect pitch (this is difficult to maintain when singing strongly), and really well managed repeated “Alleluias” in unison through to a controlled ending.

The next two numbers were known to everyone – Verdi’s Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves and Wagner’s Bridal Chorus.

The choir managed the volume contrasts well in the Hebrew Slaves, but with a little uncertainty in some lower notes. However, overall deportment was excellent allowing good support for voices.

Michael Cox showed his mastery of the organ with a fine touch in his bracket of two brief pieces – Adagio in C by Mozart and Scarlatti’s Vountary in D. The choir followed these with three Vaughan Williams songs including unaccompanied work. The diction was sharp and the male voices showed some notable quality, with the sopranos managing some difficult intervals.

Vivaldi’s Gloria was the major work of the concert. The choir sang the Latin with clarity and precision.

The work calls for sol as well as choir singing. The Laudamus te duet was particularly well executed, with repetitive “speedy” singing by soprano Catherine MacDonald and contralto Patricia Walcrow. MacDonald returned to sing the ariaDomine Deus, Wacrow the aria Domine Deus, Agnus Dei (with the choir) and then another aria – Qui sedes ad dexteram. Both these soloists are experienced, competent singers of a high standard and they brought a richness to the total performance. If there is a criticism, it is that the soloists were heard but not very well seen – they need to stand on a dias.

Particular mention must be made of the major contribution of accompanist Olga Stancliff. The skilled support she provided throughout but particularly in Gloria, was quite special.

It was a concert to sit back and let the music fill the mind and heart and enjoy.

Leonie McRae

Published in Whakatane Beacon, 16 September 2011

Marvellous Mozart was the first concert in 2010 for the Edgecumbe Choir. Under the baton of musical director Tony Hogg, the Choir, accompanied by organist Michael Bell, presented two works – the Mozart Twelfth Mass and the Coronation Mass. The afternoon may have been titled “Mainly Mozart” as Mozart is now generally regarded as not being the composer of the Twelfth Mass.

The concert on Sunday the 27^th of June in the Church of St George and of St John, Whakatane, was the first I have attended for some time. The change in seating direction for the choir and audience has been a big improvement for the audience. The choir, now seated in the sanctuary of the church, accords much better acoustics, easier viewing and a more logical position for the audience.

The programme started with the Mozart “Twelfth Mass”. This very much unknown piece of work was an instant success with the audience. I suspect its immediate appeal was the well crafted blend of the four soloists and the choir. The bass Jarvis Dams started straight in to the Kyrie with full control and the texture of a performer much more advanced than his 20 years. Throughout the evening this young singer showed he has a career to watch – his Gloria was poised, rousing and beautifully punctuated by the lively staccato of the organ. And the Benedictus showed just what his range is as he descended to the lower reaches of his voice. I do hope the Choir can engage his services on a regular basis in the future.

One can’t speak highly enough of all the soloists. They were in essence a perfect blend. Tenor John Murray displayed lovely control, his phrasing was alluring and crystal clear. Catherine MacDonald’s voice was just stunning and she was in fine form despite earlier worries about a pending cold and sore throat. She was captivating, lyrical, with a bell like quality and power that one can see why she has sung the role of the “Queen of the Night” from Mozart’s “The Magic flute”. Patricia Wackrow is a veteran of the Contralto repertoire and once again showed why she continues to be invited to sing with the Edgecumbe Choir. Her powerful voice and register were well suited to the two pieces and to compliment her fellow soloists. Patricia is a seasoned performer with the Edgecumbe Choir and once again didn’t disappoint the audience.

We heard Catherine and Patricia sing with the choir two years ago in Solomon and I hope we can see these two experienced performers perform together again in the future.

The choir rose to the demands of the “Twelfth” and really found their feet in “Cum sancto spiritu in gloria dei patris” from the Gloria. Throughout both masses they sung with enthusiasm and vigour.

The Twelfth Mass is not an easy undertaking as there are no recordings of the full mass available. Since it was discovered that it was probably not written by Mozart himself, but mostly by Wenzell Muller, the mass has vanished from mainstream choral music. For a community choir this means that rehearsals are probably the first time members hear the music and there are no opportunities to listen to recordings between practices. I’m glad they persevered; the Twelfth is a lovely Mass, well worth the effort and rewarding for both choir and audience.

The Coronation Mass is a very popular Mozart mass. Despite being a short mass it features all the spectacle and musical pageantry of the day. Any Choir that performs this mass has their performance marked by the many dozens of recording and live concerts. It is a busy piece of music. This performance of the Coronation Mass did not disappoint. Heads nodding in unison to the music gave testimony to the audience’s appreciation of the choir and their rendition to this well known and loved piece of music.

Both performances were led with great feeling by organist Michael Bell. His accompaniment was marvellous. It was a true performance where the conductor, choir and organist were very much in touch with each other.

Credit must go to the commitment of the members of the choir, to Tony Hogg, their musical director, and the soloists. This was community music and enterprise at its finest, and all who attended left well satisfied with the afternoon’s performance.

Posted by Tony Hogg on 1 July 2010

Forty-two singers of the Edgecumbe Choir, three soloists and four musicians chose the occasion of his death 250 years ago to celebrate his brilliance. Twenty-two works were chosen from various times in his career to show his diverse styles and moods from sombre, to opera, to fiery war-inspirations and grand oratorio. That the choir loves to sing his work has a proven record. In fact, it has sung Messiah nine times; single works more than 62 times including this concert; four oratorios, Messiah, Israel in Egypt, Samson and Solomon.

Unfortunately our reviewer was unable to attend either performance so the opportunity was offered to several musically-qualified people among the two audiences to speak on their impressions.

The dry wit of conductor, Tony Hogg, came to the fore when he announced to the audience at the start of Saturday’s performance that the first item on the programme, ‘See the Conquering Hero Comes’ was dedicated to The Bay of Plenty Steamers provincial rugby team on their win against Canterbury just minutes before the start of the concert!

It was also coincidental that the choir’s previous concert fell on the Mother’s Day weekend and this one was on Father’s Day and “we may continue this trend,” says Tony.

“There were some exceptional moments which were of the highest standard the choir has ever reached,”said the Whakatane Community Orchestra’s director, Tom Bayliss. “The singers respond well to Tony Hogg, conductor, and the result was very co-ordinated and well balanced. The strongest numbers for me were See the Conquering Hero, the Hallelujah Chorus, The Trumpet’s Loud Clangour and Behold, I Tell You…The Trumpet Shall Sound with wonderful trumpet playing by Maurice Reid and Sandy Herewini. I have known Tom Oates, bass vocalist, since we were teenagers in the same town and this was the best s singing I’ve ever heard from him. I was also very impressed with organist, Anne Holm, whose sensitive playing made the baroque works very moving.   She provided the right tone colours and effects and coaxed some of the best sounds that I’ve heard come out of that organ.   Everyone concerned can be very proud and they are a great credit to the town.”

Perfect sunny Spring weather was what accompanied vocal teacher, Leonie McRae, when she attended Handel Pops.“The choir delivered an excellent concert with a good balance of voices delivering a ‘warm’ sound with lots of light & shade in it. And humour too – in the two pieces arranged by Michael Diack. The programme of Handel’s music was well arranged with three accomplished vocal soloists & two outstanding trumpeters adding their talents to the Choir’s polished performance sensitively supported by the accompanists, Olga Stancliff & guest organist, Anne Holm. We are most fortunate to have the broad range of performing arts talent in our district & it must also be encouraging for the performers to have enthusiastic & appreciative audiences supporting them.”

“Exciting,” was the feeling expressed by local music teacher, Marion Newdick. “It was well balanced, lively, had humour and the choir smiled throughout. There were several of Handel’s distinctly forceful compositions and then, right in the middle, was Come Holy Spirit. This showed a different side to the choir. It was all sung pianissimo and was just beautiful. Stand-out moments for me were the wonderful trumpet sections played as they would have been in Handel’s day, the men’s solo of Spring and three top-class soloists, Patricia Wackrow, Elizabeth Pilaar and Tom Oates and both accompanists who gave us so much enjoyment.”

Audiences will have the chance to hear their local choir in its final concert for the year at Christmas.

Pam Greenhalgh

The Edgecumbe Choir’s first concert for the year was very well received by sell-out audiences last weekend at the Church of St George and St John in Whakatane.

In a departure from their normal repertoire the choir presented “Stepping Out”, an evening of popular songs from Gilbert and Sullivan to Eric Clapton, Rogers and Hammerstein to Queen. It was an ambitious programme but every piece was brilliantly arranged, wonderfully executed and enthusiastically received. The large choir, sporting some new (and younger!) faces, was ably conducted by the affable and animated Tony Hogg and accompanied by Olga Stancliff, whose sensitive and accomplished piano playing provided both structure and adornment to the choral pieces.

The concert commenced with a medley from Oliver. “Consider yourself at home” made everyone welcome and we knew we were in for a great night. The first of our soloists was revealed during this medley when we were treated to the bell like tones of long time choir member Barbara Law.

In ”Tit Willow”   from Gilbert & Sullivan’s Mikado the row and a half of male voices proved that though they were outnumbered three to one they weren’t to be outshone by the female choristers.  The programme bounced from Bach to McCartney to Simon and Garfunkel to a very moving “You’ll never walk alone” from Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The arrangements were wonderful and rich and made the most of the talent within the choir.

“All I ask of you” from Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber showed off the A Cappella abilities of the choir and the “Lord is my Shepherd”  arrangement made popular by the Vicar of Dibley had us checking for Dawn French in the wings. “The Lion Sleeps tonight” was well harmonised by the choir who obviously enjoyed singing it as much as we enjoyed listening. Then a wee bit of ABBA in “I have a Dream” and the first half ended poignantly with Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns”.

The second half commenced with Tony Hogg sprinting down the aisle to the podium and a lively and lovely “My Fair Lady” medley. Two more local talents made their evening  debut here. Another longstanding member of the choir, Avril Gow, delighted us as Eliza Dolittle and Bevan Schwass shone as Prof Henry Higgins.

“Ol’ Man River” again showed the power of the bass section and the A Cappella arrangement of “A Policeman’s Lot”   from the Pirates of Penzance provided some contrast in tone from the previous item.

A real treat was hearing and seeing the Grandmother/Granddaughter duo of Barbara and Amy Law sing “Pie Jesu”. There were quite a few wet eyes in the audience as this pair, born to sing together, blended so perfectly.

The audience was also treated to some virtuosic piano playing by Dolan Cox, the guest solo pianist, an extremely talented local lad and student at Whakatane High School. Dolan played 4 pieces interspersed through the concert starting with “New Orleans Blues” and moving back through time to Baroque pieces by Scarlatti and Bach then forward to Rondo “Alla Turca “by Mozart.  His phrasing was brilliant and the piano sang to his touch. In the Baroque pieces the themes were clearly yet subtly highlighted as they moved through the voices. In the Mozart the contrasts were beautifully rendered, not only could he make the piano sing he could also make it thunder. We look forward to seeing and hearing more of Dolan in the future.

Each piece was well chosen for the night and well performed but what an ambitious way to end the concert with the ultimate Rock anthem from Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”!  The mood, key and tempo changes were superbly executed and it was the perfect finale to a wonderful programme.

It was encouraging to see some young emerging talent being involved in this concert.  The discipline, camaraderie and experience that working in and with a choir brings is invaluable – and it certainly looked like a whole lot of fun!

Posted by Tony Hogg on 11 May 2009

Two Choirs, two provinces, two public performances. Saturday 20 September saw the second public performance of Handel’s Solomon by a combined choir comprised of the Gisborne Choral Society and the Edgecumbe Choir.

Each of the choirs have practised separately during the past months and tonight’s performance at the Liberty Centre in Whakatane was their second performance, the first being a fortnight ago in Gisborne at the Holy Trinity Church. Both performances took place under the baton of David Vine as guest conductor.

Handel wrote the role of Solomon for a female contralto. Auckland based contralto Patricia Wackrow gave the role power and authority, showing at times the lighter and higher register her voice is capable of. No stranger to the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Patricia is a seasoned performer with the Edgecumbe Choir and once again didn’t disappoint the audience.

Her role of Solomon was very supported by fellow soloists and choir. Gisborne based Soprano, Catherine MacDonald, singing both the Queen and 1^st woman, delighted the audience. Her voice was quite enchanting, lyrical, light, airy but with the power and clear diction required for such a role. I do hope the Eastern Baycan see more of her.

Second soprano, Rotorua based Elizabeth Pilaar, as the second woman gave a solid performance, showing a good understanding of the role and the confidence she no doubt displays as musical director of Rotorua’s ‘Con Spirito”.

Zadok is a minor role but one which requires the singer to sit for long periods and then perform for short periods. Tenor Michael Rumping showed the audience he was up to the task and gave a creditable performance which will add to his repertoire as he completes his musical studies at Waikato University.

Gisborne based Baritone Gavin Maclean’s role as the Levite was small and delivered early in the piece, but nevertheless well presented.

Guest conductor David Vine didn’t miss a beat. Truly a professional, the evenings performance reflected his wide experience not only as a performer of piano and harpsichord but also for his work with most of the major orchestras and choirs ofNew Zealand.

Credit must go to the commitment of the members of the combined choirs, and to Tony Hogg, musical director for the Edgecumbe choir. The choirs worked together perfectly in unison, no mean feat given their limited opportunity to rehearse together and the geographical barriers of distance.

Solomon is well-known for its choruses, and the combined choruses were superb. I must make special mention of the Nightingale chorus “May no rash intruder’ ’ at the end of act one. The chorus’s graceful interpretation and bell like tone was quite mesmerising.

The orchestra players provided a lively and grand flavour to the evening. Warm strings, triumphant trumpets and a timpani section which gave military order were used to good effect in supporting the soloists and choirs.

Solomon is one of Handel’s finest oratorios. This performance was greatly welcomed by the audience and full marks must go to all of those who worked together to bring the evening’s performance to fruition.

Posted by Tony Hogg on 24 Sep 2008

The weekend of the 8^th and 9^th of December, 2007, saw the final concert in the Jubilee Year series for the Edgecumbe Choir. Two works were performed for concert goers – a commissioned work “Jubilate Deo” and “The Armed Man – A Mass for Peace” by Karl Jenkins.

2007 was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Edgecumbe Choir and one of the ways in which the Choir celebrated the occasion was the commissioning of a Choral Work.

This was widely advertised in 2006 and 2007 and drew 37 entries which were considered by the judges, Karen Grylls, ONZM, Associate-Professor of Music atAuckland University,  James Tibbles,  Associate Head of School of Music at theUniversity of Auckland, and Tony Hogg, resident conductor and Musical Director of the Edgecumbe Choir.

Commissions can be problematic.  Firstly, concert goers might simply not enjoy the piece, despite its technical brilliance. It’s akin to a brave new piece of architecture or modern art. You love it or hate it. And secondly, there are no bench marks from previous recordings so its performance is to some extent up to interpretation, unless of course the composer is instrumental in its debut performance.

Neither of these fears transpired on Sunday, when the winning commission had its second performance by the Edgecumbe Choir.

The work, titled ‘Jubilate Deo’ by Andrew Baldwin was very well received.’ Jubilate Deo is Latin for ‘O be joyful in the Lord’ and what a happy, bright and joyful piece this was.

Twenty one year old Andrew, a third-year Bachelor of Music Student, majoring in composition at the New Zealand School of Music, in Wellington, is currently serving a second year as Composer-In-Residence at the Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul.

His presence at the premier of his work was very much an active one with Andrew providing accompaniment on the Xylophone along with Olga Stancliff on the Piano.

Although relatively short and under ten minutes in length, the piece was perfect for a professional provincial choir. All 54 members of the Edgecumbe Choir and Conductor Tony Hogg rose to the occasion on Sunday, and gave this piece a performance well worth its inaugural outing.  I do hope that other choirs can embark on a similar undertaking, and provide such additions to the New Zealandrepertoire available for choirs.  Full marks for a brave and generous undertaking.

“The Armed Man – A Mass for Peace” by Karl Jenkins provided the second part of the concert programme. This piece received its world première in April 2000 atLondon's Royal Albert Hall in a moving performance.

Sunday’s performance was just as stirring.  The Mass is a very poignant work, dramatic, with beautiful melodies.  It is a modern piece yet the inclusion of the traditional elements of the Latin Mass – The Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei and Benedictus seem to cleanse the very loud and frightening percussion segments.

This mass is an emotional journey, its use of various languages and the inclusion of a Muslim call to prayer makes it truly international. Fear, pride, anguish, sadness, heroism, passion, tragedy, pain and despair have no borders.

One has feelings of “where have I heard this before?”  The music elicits those feelings we have from the ever increasing documentaries of human warfare and misery, providing the sombre and sorrowful setting associated with the all too present scenes the mass media delivers to us in our lounges.

The choir was stunning as were the accompanists.  The planned cello player was on Friday unavailable, a potential disaster, yet the two last minute stand-ins, Eddie King and  Tamsen Kreynberg were outstanding with their sympathy to the piece, their precision and feeling.

The accompanying musicians supporting the choir deserve a special mention. Christine Martin for the excellent execution of the very difficult and beautiful piccolo solo. The percussionists, Alexa Halvorsen, Ian Wilson and Vince Clark, for providing moments which regularly lifted the people in front of us out of their seats. Our own Sandy Herewini and Maurice Reid who trumpet playing was flawless and exactly suited the tone of the mass. Maurice’s rendition of the Last Post was especially poignant. Olga Stancliff on the piano and Anne Cleaver on the organ completed the ensemble beautifully.

All nine members of the orchestra made this a truly moving performance.

The physical staging of the choir and their location in the Church of St George and St John has undergone a change. I like the result. A newly erected wall behind the choir acts to focus their voice more to the audience and to provide a richer timbre.

I am full of praise for the choir, conductor Tony Hogg and the accompanists. This was a brave undertaking and all who attended were well rewarded.

Posted by Tony Hogg on 11 Dec 2007

Promoted as a stroll down the memory lane of the Edgecumbe Choir, this was more of a carefully planned tour of the Choir and its antics over the past 50 years. This performance marked the Choir’s 50^th birthday concert and much of the chosen repertoire marked significant pieces performed by the choir since 1957.

The evening opened quietly with choir and tenor singing the Epilogue from Thiman’s ‘Nativity’, gathered spirit and strength moving through “On the way toJerusalem” and “With a Voice of Singing”. By the time they had reached Vivaldi’s “Gloria” they were up to strength and in full stride. The Gloria is very much old territory for the Choir, being first performed under the baton of conductor Ken Macdonald in 1974 and among the choir’s twenty most performed pieces during its history. The Sanctus from Faure’s Requiem was where the Choir really started to shine. A choir of 65 members can produce considerable volume and dynamic contrast which was evident with this very popular piece, well supported by the power from the organ accompaniment of Walter Barnes.

Contrasting the previous selection was a set of three virtually unaccompanied English folk songs from Ralph Vaughan Williams. Vaughan Williams was devoted to collecting and studying English folksongs to conserve them for the future and this evening the choir carried his work to the provinces of a land far from its origin. Their treatment was just wonderful, clean, unaffected and with a lyrical purity that transported the audience to the country of the song’s origin.

Bobby Shafto, MP for Durham in 1760, is the character behind the Choir’s next choice and is the now famous song (of his name) he used for electioneering purposes. The choir gave this a lively and spirited treatment, set to a perfect accompaniment from pianist Olga Stancliff. Warmed up and limber, the choir joined with the piano to become one instrument.

The Mendelssohn pieces – ‘Hear my Prayer’ and ‘But the Lord’ are pieces well known by the choir and performed on many occasions during the past 50 years. Hear my Prayer particularly received an excellent treatment by the Choir, soloist Charles Sorenssen and conductor with the audience transfixed.

The first half of the evening finished with two more recent pieces – an arrangement of the Lennon and McCartney piece ‘Yesterday’ finishing with the Te Rangi Pai classic – ‘Hine e Hine’. This heart warming piece firmly rooted the choir in its New Zealand setting, and would have stirred subconscious images in the audience of familiar end to evenings of a bygone era.

The second half of the evening was a mixture of the old and the new. Zadok the Priest (Handel) and the very patriotic ‘Jerusalem’ (with audience participation) were particularly stirring. The choir’s rendition of ‘Deep River” was, to use the vernacular, “cool” and ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’ had all the razzmatazz of a American Southern State procession.

I wish to comment however on two other selections. ‘All I ask of You’ from the Phantom and the medley from ‘Les Miserable’s’. A demonstrative hush came over the audience when these pieces were performed, heads nodded in time to the tempo and one could feel the human emotion in the audience that these pieces evoke. Two young members of the Choir - Anna Simpson and Julia Walmsley gave superb renditions which stole the audience’s hearts. Full marks to these two, the choir and to the ever capable soloist Charles Sorensson who stood in at the last moment to cover for Robert van Dijk who was indisposed. Despite being rather recent pieces the audience was enamoured with them and I am sure these compositions will be performed in decades to come by choirs such as this because of the absolute strength of their melodies and lyrics.

Conductor Tony Hogg was a busy man during the evening. Not only did he conduct, which was done flawlessly, he also interspersed his conducting with acknowledgment to previous conductors, especially Ken MacDonald the founding musical director and conductor whose directorship spanned 30 years, and the late Valerie Milne who held the baton for ten years. He also announced the winner to the Choir’s Golden Jubilee Logo Competition -   Kylie Baker – with her clean, simple design, and the results of the Edgecumbe Choir's Golden Jubilee Choral Composition competition. The winner – Andrew Baldwin from Hataitai,Wellington, will have his composition performed at the Choir’s end of year performance. Acknowledgement must go to local private charitable trusts for their generous sponsorship of these two competitions.

This concert was not just a tribute to the past choristers and conductors of the Edgecumbe Choir, but indeed a tribute to all those current serving members who tonight showed just why the choir has endured a history spanning five decades. Several previous members of the choir – having left the district and now returned, have taken up their places again in the ranks which shows how dedicated all these singers are.

Through earthquakes and floods, storms and power cuts the choir endures.

Although playing to a largely mature audience, there were members present who may well still be there in fifty years time when I am sure audiences will enjoy the choir celebrating its 100^th birthday.

Posted by Tony Hogg on 12 June 2007

Review 1

"TIS the season to be jolly". The words of the traditional carol seem the most appropriate to usher in Whakatane's festive season as Christmas arrived in the town three times over on Saturday. We had the Santa float parade, the open-air Christmas in the Park and the third celebration was the Edgecumbe Choir's Christmas Fantasia held at the Church of St George & St John on Saturday and Sunday.

Lovers of fine music, loyal fans of this fine choir, and people who just like a good Christmas sing-along were all catered for in fine style by this concert of Christmas carol favourites, conducted with customary energy by Tony Hogg.

The large audience was treated to a range of styles, with carols from Poland, Germany, France, England, Afro-America, and New Zealand. Composers and arrangers provided a varied selection of styles, with the concert featuring the always appealing sounds in Bach Oratorio excerpts. The tenor solo parts were expressively sung by Charles Sorensson, ably supported by the sustained and full harmonies of the choir.

It was noticeable from the opening chorus how well-balanced and full-bodied the choir was sounding; the very strong tenor and bass sections would be the envy of many a city choir. It is a credit to the energy and enthusiasm of conductor, Tony Hogg and president, Warner Haldane that this accomplished ensemble has such a strong and consistent membership which has allowed them to present some very ambitious works.

For this reviewer, the highlights were the Bach Oratorio solos and choruses, and the Vaughan Williams Fantasia, incorporating four contrasting carols. The Vaughan Williams appealed as much for its accompaniment as to the choral work; the expressive pianist Margaret Murray blended her piano line with the organ part ably played by Walter Barnes. Both accompanists added much to the whole performance.

An exciting experience for the choir was to present a "first performance" ofThe Shepherds Carol by Rotorua composer Sharon, Roberts-Good, and a second carol by this composer, the unaccompanied Ring the Bells, TheChristmas Bells. The choral parts of the latter cleverly created the timbre of pealing bells.

Another welcome surprise for the audience was the launching of the new book All We Like Sheep, a 50-year history of the choir, by Pam Greenhalgh herself an active member of the group. Whakatane Mayor Colin Holmes introduced the book and the author while complimenting the choir on its continuing reputation in musical circle, near and far. It seemed a fitting way to introduce the choir's 50th anniversary celebrations next year.

The mood of the concert - and of the large and enthusiastic audience - was best summed up in the closing carol, We Wish You A Merry Christmas. This jolly arrangement of the traditional West Country carol was sung with a lively full – throated sound which typified the best of Christmas Fantasia.

Elizabeth Bayliss

Published in Whakatane Beacon on 6 December, 2006

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Review 2

This would have to be the finest performance from the Edgecumbe Choir I have heard.

The term choir has come to loosely describe a musical ensemble of singers, however it origins were more ecclesiastical in nature. Originally the choir was the area of the church reserved for the clergy or religious for their communal prayer group. It evolved somewhat to become a chorus that sings as part of a religious ceremony. Many Cathedrals and Churches in England and Europe continue with this tradition.

Such was their quality and impact on Sunday that the Edgecumbe Choir could have held their own on any world stage and been quite at home in any English Cathedral. Anyone passing by the Church of St George and St John on Sunday afternoon could easily be forgiven for thinking they were in England given the quality and strength of music emanating from the church.

The evening opened with “And there were Shepherds” from the Christmas Oratorio No 11 by JS Bach. Mr Bach featured off and on during the concert with pieces from his Christmas Oratorios No. 12, 5, 9, 16 and 17. This was a good move to limit his presence to selections only. The selections were short and of a more lively nature. A Christmas concert should be lively and to have performed the pieces in their entirety would have become tedious.

Three New Zealand carols were tackled by the Choir. The Pohutukawa Carol, written by the late Douglas Mews Snr, was the first. It was delivered with meticulous control with the full choir delivering a fine performance. The next two, ‘Ring The Bells’ and ‘The Shepherds Carol’ by Rotorua composer Sharon Roberts-Good have never been performed anywhere else so this was indeed a coup by organiser Warner Haldane. And to add to the occasion the composer herself attended the Saturday night performance. The timing of these two pieces (along with the Vaughn Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols) is quite tricky, yet the choir didn’t miss a beat and this high standard continued right through the two hour concert.

Although “Ring the Bells” is a from a modern New Zealand Composer it’s sound is reminiscent of plainsong, the simple and unadorned melody confined to monastic orders. It was lovely and I’m sure has whetted the audiences appetite to hear more and for the choir to perform more works from this New Zealand Composer.

Local tenor Charles Sorensson was the lone soloist with the choir. ‘Bel canto’ means, most literally, "beautiful singing and this very aptly describes Charles’s style. Light, bright and charming, he delighted the audiences with his effortless approach and clear tone. His “Mary’s Boy Child” and “Oh Holy Night” with the choir in unison were simply beautiful. These two Carols are particularly appealing simply by the virtue of their simple melody.

The programme catered for any singers in the audience and the programme included the words to five carols with an invitation to the audience to join in. Four of the carols were standards - ‘While Shepherds watched’, ‘Angels from the realms of glory’, ‘Hark the Herald Angel’ and ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ – these were lapped up by the audience with full participation. And to test the audience a lesser known carol, ‘See Amid the Winters Snow’ was presented by the choir with audience assistance.

Conductor Tony Hogg took time during the performance to add footnotes to some of the items presented. He also talked of the history of the Choir and its current exploits. The Choir celebrates its 5Oth anniversary in 2007 and to mark that Golden anniversary has announced a Choral Composition Competition (with an award of $5000) inviting New Zealand Composers to write a piece especially for the Edgecumbe Choir. He also acknowledged the work of local resident Pam Greenhalgh, who has written a history of the Edgecumbe Choir called “All We Like Sheep” which has been published and was launched at the concert.

Tony Hogg, the Choir, accompanists Walter Barnes on pipe organ and Margaret Murray on piano deserve full marks. Not surprisingly full houses were at both performances, a reflection of the audience’s faith in what they have come to expect from the choir. We are blessed to have such talent, alive, thriving and well supported in our community.

This was an amazingly polished performance from the Edgecumbe Choir. Their talent and commitment on Saturday and Sunday provided a rare escape from the outside world and those who did not attend missed a truly memorable experience.

Gemini

Published in Eastern Bay News on 7 December, 2006

Eastern Bay of Plenty readers of The Eastern Bay News may have read the "Opera Plus" review written by Gemini. Editorial changes to the review left a sour taste for the reviewer particularly the editor's cutting out virtually any reference to the choir's part in this exciting concert and, to rub salt in the wound, what it did include was totally incorrect. At least the EBN did put something in. The Whakatane Beacon at the time of writing hasn't even ackowledged the concert. So much for quality community newspapers.

Below is the uncut version of the EBN review.

"Not content to rehash more of the same, the Edgecumbe Choir continues to look at new and varied formats for the concerts it performs to its Eastern Bay of Plenty audiences. There is a gamble with this however – provincial audiences do like the “tried and true” and one can sense a certain reluctance to engage in the esoteric or unfamiliar offerings that might be seen in a larger metropolitan setting.

On this occasion the choice of the familiar proved to be a winner – a wide selection from the popular German, Italian and French repertoire that has become almost synonymous with opera, interspersed with a sprinkling of lesser known but nevertheless well enjoyed offerings pleased those that attended the two performances. In many respects this was musically an “Opera in the Park” undertaking in magnitude but scaled to an “Opera in the Indoors” setting.

Any organiser’s nightmare must be the thought of a soloist becoming indisposed at the last minute. The realisation of this was the unavailability at the last minute of Bass Ian Campbell. At short notice Brian McKay stepped in, debuting with Charles Sorensson in Bizet’s “Au fond du temple saint” from the Pearl Fishers. The audience certainly sat up and took notice of Brian McKay’s entrance – his deep powerful bass provided the perfect balance to the lyric tenor of Charles Sorensson. These two worked very well together. Although not profiled in the programme, Charles Sorensson had a full programme with really quite strenuous pieces. He rose to the occasion. “Una furtiva lagrima” from Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore and “E Lucevan le stele” from Puccini’s Tosca were audience favourites – melodic, emotional, dramatic and touching. Brian McKay’s rendition of the Toreadors song from Carmen was commanding and especially popular with the audience.

The female soloists were a delight. Soprano Fiona Ferens was ideally suited to the pieces she performed and brought to the stage an elegance of voice and presence. Her deliveries of Mozart’s “Laudate Dominum” and “Vilia” from The Merry Widow were just magical. As was her lead in the Nuns Chorus. It is some time since Fiona Ferens sung with the Edgecumbe Choir and her return was most welcome. Contralto Patricia Wackrow gave an impressive performance that started with “Softly awakes my Heart” from Saint-Saens’ “Samson and Delilah” This is a heart rendering song, that was sung full of passion and love. Patricia is a regular with the Edgecumbe Choir, a sophisticated singer with control and power in an unforced performance. The combination of the two female soloists in the Duet from Delibes’ “Lakme” was a real highlight for the audience.

Some of the quieter and slower pieces were quite taxing for the Choir – the “Priest’s Chorus” for Tenors and Basses from Mozart’s “Magic Flute” and the “Pilgrims Chorus” from Wagner’s Tannhauser did have the choir appear a little bewildered at times, ditto with the middle section of Faure’s “Pavane”. Contrasting this though were the very powerful performances from the choir – Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus, Verdi’s “Va Pensiero”, Mascagni’s “Easter Hymn”   and the “Triumphal March” from Aida showed just what the choir was capable of. (The triumphal March was indeed “Triumphal” with a very rousing trumpet section by Maurice Reid, wonderfully timed and played).

The choir had wonderful accompanists. The combination of organist Walter Barnes and pianist Tama Karena provided a musical contrast of the delicate and the grand. This was most evident in the Bridal Chorus from Wagner’s Lohengrin. The familiar deep bass chords from the organ, with the lively little pieces from the piano came together beautifully with the choir. The use of the organ was just superb supporting the Soprano and female chorus in the Nun’s chorus as was the lively use of the piano in the Toreadors song from Carmen. While not profiled in the programme Walter Barnes is well known to local audiences having held musical positions at various schools and his involvement with local theatre. Although this was Tama Karena’s first performance with the Edgecumbe choir, he is known locally playing at the Opotiki Silent Film Festival and internationally at the La Giornate Del Cinema Muto in Italy. I do hope audiences sees more of these two working together with the choir in the future.

Nessum Dorma from Puccini’s opera Turandot when done well is a crowd pleaser – an aria that inspires feelings of patriotism and uplifting grandness (an association conditioned in us perhaps by its use as an “anthem” in a past major world sporting event). It is vocally difficult, and because of its now ubiquitous presence any renditions are open to obvious comparison. Conductor, Tony Hogg, took a risk in surprising the audience with this piece as an unprogrammed encore. For the choir and soloists this was their triumph. Sung by Charles Sorensen and with a finale of all the soloists and choir, this aria closed the performance, leaving the audience feeling movingly uplifted, proud and well satisfied.

Conductor Tony Hogg, the Edgecumbe Choir and soloists delivered an excellent concert. Let us hope we see them all work together again in further performances."

Posted by Tony Hogg on 4 August 2006