Reviews & Media
23 August 2012
New Zealand Herald
JOHN SCOTT in concert with Musica Sacra
review by William Dart
When John Scott first visited Auckland in 2006, it was a basically Baroque affair, featuring the Englishman on chamber organ, in a programme with Indra Hughes' Musica Sacra choir and AK Barok.
Scott's second visit, on Wednesday, was another commendable Hughes initiative, bringing him to the heart of the city, to take advantage of the town hall's restored Klais organ.
Setting off breezily with Norman Cocker's Tuba Tune, Scott's solo selections even included an imposing transcription of Mendelssohn's St Paul Overture by that stalwart Victorian, William Thomas Best.
Throughout, deft foot- and fingerwork, along with a keen ear for registrations, were the hallmarks of his playing.
Not all was lost when a Handel Concerto appeared without its orchestral accompaniment; there was still much to enjoy with Scott's elaborate ornamentation in the Larghetto and his effective highlighting of a later Siciliana tune.
Ingenious and ear-catching sonorities were not enough to redeem a Grand Choeur Dialogue by Gigout, trapped in a tedious and repetitious rhythm rut, very much shown up by the subtly coalescing hues of a Durufle Prelude that followed.
There was humour when Scott swaggered through Charles Ives' Variations on America and offered us Guy Bovet's marvelously titled "Le Bolero du Divin Mozart" as an encore.
This whimsical powdered-wig pastiche of Ravel was undeniably clever, even if one waited in vain for the one dramatic chord shift of the original. But then perhaps that was part of the joke.
Chorally, Musica Sacra was in good form even if Vaughan Williams' O clap your hands, with splendid support from Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra percussion and brass players, was the most rewarding of three offerings.
Scott's own Missa dies resurrectionis was slight, liturgical rather than concert material, although it was easy to be seduced by the keyboard stylings in the Sanctus and some Monteverdian merriment in the Gloria.
John Rutter's Te Deum was the Grand Finale, and the English composer's contrived mix of the religioso and brass-laden rhetoric was a predictable crowd-pleaser.
12 November 2012
New Zealand Herald
Memorable moments drawn from 800 years
Musica Sacra spans the centuries in a dance of fascinating contrasts
review by William Dart
Indra Hughes can be relied upon to come with imaginative and stimulating programming, and Musica Sacra's Sunday concert was no exception.
Two major twentieth-century Masses, by Igor Stravinsky and Frank Martin, side by side, offered fascinating contrasts in terms of the personalities of their composer.
Hughes' punctuation of the Stravinsky with three settings from the twelfth-century Codex Calixtinus was, in its way, a minor coup.
In general, Stravinsky's cool and often astringent harmonies were laudably handled. The choristers were a little cautious, but one could hear those crucially placed major chords shining through the texture like the lights of a familiar town through low-lying mists.
The woodwind players were obviously enjoying the coloristic opportunities afforded by the linear precision of Stravinsky's writing.
There were many memorable moments. Hughes ensured that the Christe eleison danced as it should, on both instruments and voices; later, in the Sanctus, such was the confidence and rich tonal modulations of the choir that one was reminded of the breath-like sonorities of a bayan, or Russian accordion.
The older music did point to some extraordinary parallels between medieval Spain and the music of a twentieth-century icon.
Using only two or three voices each, the most effective item was doubtlessly the first which just happened to be the earliest example of three-part writing that has come down to us.
Iain Tetley, James Butler and Nicholas Forbes were in robust voice, here and there evoking almost organ-like resonances.
After interval, the demands of Frank Martin's massive double-choir Mass were more telling.
In places the choir's admirable vocal passion edged into shrillness and the Swiss composer's gentle, lulling lines were not always rendered with the required pliancy.
However, Hughes and his singers could not be faulterd for vigour or conviction. Here too there were touches to be cherished, from the men's jubilant Laudamus Te and a spectacular wash of Amen that closed a sprightly Et Resurrexit to the infectious, almost jazzy rhythms of the Sanctus.
Click here to read the review on the Herald website.
15 November 2011
New Zealand Herald
Music from Madrid and Toledo
review by William Dart
Musica Sacra's Music from Madrid and Toledo on Sunday must go down as one of the chamber choir's most enterprising presentations.
A trip to Spain by music director Indra Hughes, combined with the 400th anniversary of the death of Tomas Luis de Victoria, brought forth an impressive pair of Masses, interspersed with various instrumental and choral items.
These extras that punctuated both Victoria's Missa Pro Victoria and Morales' Missa Mille Regretz had sometimes been artfully curated to complement the larger surrounding work.
Hughes, with his customary wit and affability, warned us that Victoria plays with his audiences in a rather sly way and that we should be prepared for some rhythmic deception in the Missa Pro Victoria. And his singers securely negotiated the shifting nine-voice textures, getting into the spirit of it all for a dancing triple-metre section towards the end of the Gloria.
The choir created a warm sonority for a score that demands broad, confident strokes, with Hughes drawing out a massive, almost theatrical swell on closing chords.
Passing insecurities, such as nervous entries in the Agnus Dei, were more than atoned for by a rich, expansive Dona nobis pacem.
The Missa Mille Regretz was a six-voice affair; more compact in construction, it was rendered with a compelling emotionalism. A more assertive tenor line might have better higlighted the Mille Regretz theme upon which the Mass is based but the overall sound was full and vibrant. Hosannas pealed with joy, and there was some particularly beautiful ensemble when just three vocal lines arose out of the Agnus Dei.
The most dramatic impact came from the basses, their often striding contribution subtly shaded in by Ben Hoadley's dulcian.
Hoadley in fact was the star of the evening in his various solo turns. With enthusiastic harpsichord from Hughes, he presented bold, flourish-laden music by Ortiz and the tortuously-named Fray Bartolome de Selma y Salaverde.
Ortiz's musical ponderings on the Mille Regretz theme put the dulcian in the spotlight without its keyboard partner; Hoadley's artistry, combined with the instrument's plaintive timbre and occasional key clatter, made for a most poignant and evocative interlude.
Click here to read the review on the Herald website.
1 April 2011
New Zealand Herald
King of countertenors does justice to Hughes' boldness
review by William Dart
When one has grown accustomed to too many empty seats in worthy concerts, it was wonderful to see a full town hall for the first New Zealand appearance of Andreas Scholl.
Indra Hughes' courageous venture paid off magnificently, right down to the handsome programme book, written by the conductor with a style and wit an eighteenth-century reader would have appreciated.
What could have been a more appropriate overture for this king of countertenors than a Handel Coronation Anthem? Let thy hand be strengthened had Musica Sacra tempering genial pomposity with an affecting Larghetto, and the strings of AK Barok were in good spirits throughout.
A bracket of Handel arias revealed Scholl can effortlessly live up to his recordings. Ombra mai fu, impeccable in purity of tone, projection and breath control was introduced by its often overlooked recitative; of two Rodelinda arias, Vivi, tiranno was the brilliant showpiece it should be.
Bach's Vergnugte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust is made of sterner stuff, even if the composer contemplates sin with remarkable tunefulness.
Scholl's unexpected drop into baritone register in the first recitative for a mention of trampling was a nice touch while the breathtrap of the great Adagio aria posed no problems, a finely balanced dialogue with John Wells' organ obbligato.
After interval, the drama of Handel's Solomon came to life, peppered with lusty chorusing.
Pepe Becker's Queen of Sheba swept down the aisle in a spotlight and, although she did not match the vocal warmth of her fellow monarch, her ornamentation, especially in the startling close of Ev'ry sight these eyes behold was inspiring.
The inexhaustible Scholl, far from being the divo he could have been, fully engaged with his colleagues on stage and was in superb form throughout.
A storm of applause occasioned two encores. The first, a fervently sung Wayfaring Stranger, suffered from an accompaniment that needed a little more "studio" resonance, especially from Jonathan Le Cocq's unamplified theorbo. iFinally, a rousing Fairest Isle almost made one feel that Purcell's song could have been about Aotearoa rather than Albion, so privileged had we been to experience such music-making.
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Click here to read the review on the Herald website.
26 March 2011
New Zealand Herald
Scholl visit a rare high
article by William Dart
Even with handbills and posters to prove it, I pinch myself to believe that Andreas Scholl, one of the world's leading countertenors, will be singing in the Town Hall this Tuesday. But he will, thanks to Indra Hughes, who has coaxed Scholl out here to perform with the Musica Sacra choir and musicians of AK Barock.
I catch up with Scholl in Sydney, where he is rehearsing for a concert of Purcell and Handel that will, a few days later, have critics talking of breath control to make the eyes water and the singer's extrovert energy and mischievous humour. He is looking forward to crossing the Tasman and feels New Zealand must be a little like Australia, because "culture is not so easily accessible". "Over here the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra can play 30 concerts a year in the same venue and get full houses, which would be unbelievable in Germany," he says.
Scholl's countertenor potential was recognised back in his mid-teens and, of his teachers, he singles out Englishman James Bowman, "a wonderful singer who was also a fine human being". Scholl is immensely tactful and considered in his comments, wondering now whether the countertenor voice, once only known through Alfred Deller recordings, can have a certain modish appeal. "It is sometimes difficult for female contraltos, when some choral directors want the novelty of a countertenor voice," he says. "Yet it's much better to have a fine woman's voice than a mediocre countertenor."
Mediocre is hardly a word associated with Scholl and his Auckland concert will present some of the very best of Handel and Bach. The florid aria Vivi tiranno from Handel's opera Rodelinda on Tuesday's programme highlights the close relationship between composer and singer in the 18th century. "Handel wrote specifically for singers like Senesino, fashioning his music to the strengths of that particular voice, and something of the original singer's personality remains," Scholl says. "In fact, when I sing an aria like Vivi tiranno I can almost feel that Handel might have written it for me."
The major Handel offering on Tuesday is a generous portion of the oratorio Solomon, with Wellington soprano Pepe Becker as the Queen of Sheba. Scholl warned that there was a certain political intent afoot in the original oratorio, with various pieces of the Old Testament cobbled together "to appeal to a section of the English people who felt they were the chosen people, the direct descendants of the tribe of Ephraim".
On Tuesday you will also hear Bach's Cantata 170, which Scholl recorded with Philippe Herreweghe back in 1997. Its demands on the singer are prodigious, it is more than mere music. Bach wrote this setting to complement the sermon of the week, and "his audience would be aware of that," Scholl says. "They would understand the spiritual purpose of the piece, which is often lost on today's audience, who simply hear it as musical notes."
These days countertenors are not always willing to stay in an 18th-century musical closet. American David Daniels has covered Liza Minnelli and Frenchman Philippe Jaroussky has whirled deliriously through Saint-Saens' heady opium song. Scholl was the first in 1995, as one of the Three Countertenors alongside Dominique Visse and Pascal Bertin. After the success of the Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras triumvirate, here was a group designed for audiences hungry, in Scholl's words, for "the highest, loudest and fastest". It also gave him the chance to be Carmen for just a few minutes, in a take on Bizet's Habanera that he remembers as "a difficult one because of its register".
Scholl's superb new Purcell CD, O Solitude, a tribute to "one of the countertenor's great composers", brings up the name of the late German countertenor Klaus Nomi, who died as the result of Aids in 1983. "Nomi was such a reserved man in his interviews, but on stage, in costume, he created such a flamboyant personality for himself," he says. His version of Purcell's shivery Cold Song was inspired by Nomi while Dido's famous When I am laid in earth allows him to take on another celebrated operatic heroine. "But then," Scholl says, "it is not as if I am singing about my love for Aeneas. This is a more universal song of mourning."
Click here to read the article on the Herald website.
August 2010
ABC Limelight Magazine (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Travel Notes: New Zealand
by Sarah Noble: an article about the arts in New Zealand
"...lovers of the voice should also keep chamber choir Musica Sacra in mind."
Click here to read more.
July-August 2010
New Zealand Opera News
A rediscovered gem: music by Purcell and Spohr
review by Rod Biss
The resonant acoustic of St Michael's Church in Remuera is ideal for the music of Purcell. [...] What was very noticeable in Musica Sacra's beautifully detailed performances of four anthem written by Purcell for the Chapel Royal was that even when the music is contrapuntal, in some miraculous way the words are still distinct - particularly when heard in St Michael's.
Musica Sacra's repertoire is famously wide-ranging but in Purcell they seemed to be in their natural home, guided by Indra Hughes' perceptive hands. [..] We heard Musica Sacra at their most expressive. [...] Hopefully Musica Sacra will soon delve further into Purcell and give us some of the many verse and concerted anthems that employ strings as well as continuo harpsichord.
Interspersed between the anthems we heard more Purcell, three of his Trio Sonatas played with grace and tender affection by Miranda Hutton and graham McPhail (baroque violins), Polly Sussex (baroque cello) and with Hughes playing the harpsichord. What superb, sophisticated, skilful music these sonatas are, played here with great insight by all the players. [...] Hughes' harpsichord continuo was a model of sensitive tact, supporting the violins, and only rarely seeking the limelight.
[The rest of the review describes the music of Spohr's Mass for Double Choir, not the performance. Click here to read the full review.]
13 July 2010
New Zealand Herald
Strong Singing in works by Purcell and Spohr
review by William Dart
Ever ready with quip and merry banter, Indra Hughes introduced Musica Sacra's Sunday concert with a tongue-in-cheek apology for the rather downbeat nature of the Purcell anthems his choir would soon be singing. "Three mournful and dreary texts on how we're all going to burn in hell," he said, providing a macabre complement to the sensation of heated pew on gluteus maximus. In fact, Purcell's was the most memorable music of the evening. Lord, how long will thou be angry may have revealed disturbing signs of an unfocused choral sound that would be more problematic after interval but a robust Jehovah, quam multi sunt hostes needed no apologies, apart from an ineffectual bass soloist.
Particularly riveting was the flamboyant sweep of Hughes' harpsichord introducing the women's voices at the words "quia Jehova sustenat me". Hughes' continuo work was a joy and a stylish anchor in three Trio Sonatas by the composer, one of which was mystifyingly listed as having been written two years after Purcell's death. After interval, Louis Spohr's Mass for Double Choir was the "rediscovered gem" which had given the concert its title.
In his introduction, Hughes positively bubbled with promises; there would be "juicy gorgeous harmonies" and, it would seem, little bits of every composer you might imagine. Indeed, this take on the Italian Renaissance choral style, written just after Weber's Der Freischutz, had spurred the competitive Spohr to resuscitate one of his own neglected operatic scores. The ambitious Double Mass demands unfaltering choral confidence, which fluctuated rather worryingly. Constantly shifting chromatic textures often tainted intonation and Spohr's intricate voicings were not always comfortable for individual lines. A programme note told us the openings of the Gloria and Credo were laboured and repetitive; in fact, here was some of the strongest and most satisfying singing of the evening. Serenity was achieved by the end of the Agnus Dei, Spohr's most vivid inspiration, as solo voices, admittedly varied in quality, cried out against hushed chanting.
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22 March 2010
New Zealand Herald
The Opening of the Auckland Town Hall Organ
review by William Dart
There was no mistaking a historic occasion when Aucklanders packed the Town Hall to sample its newly restored organ. Blooms lined the stage and - after the arresting call of the pukaea, the same fierce sound that greeted Abel Tasman in Golden Bay - the capacity audience was welcomed by a powhiri. Kerry Stevens proved a matchless MC and speeches from Mayor John Banks, organ committee chairman Stephen Hamilton and the German organbuilder Philipp Klais whetted the appetite for what we were about to hear. John Wells launched into Bach's great D minor Toccata and Fugue, the same work that opened the inaugural Town Hall concert a century ago. The organist's immaculate articulation and keen registrations did not disappoint and nor did his virtuoso pedal work. Indra Hughes chose subdued registrations to accompany the Brahms Geistliches Lied, ably sung by choristers from Musica Sacra, the Graduate Choir and Viva Voce; after this, conductor John Rosser exhorted singers and organist to soar seemingly to heaven itself, in Parry's Coronation anthem, I was glad. Inevitably, Wells' specially commissioned Organ Symphony took pride of place and what a splendid working out it gives the instrument. Perhaps it was a mite too long at 34 minutes, though it could not be faulted in the showmanship stakes. And all was not flashy and extrovert; the exotic and unique koauau stop sang out with a rare sighing beauty. After interval, the finest vocal contribution came with Edward Bairstow's Blessed City, Heavenly Salem. Terence Maskell conducted with a real feeling for the weave of the music, while Hughes' translucent registrations blended with various voicings from the choirs. The rest of the afternoon consisted of unmitigated, guilty pleasure. It is not often that we hear a rip-roaring Organ Symphony by Guilmant and 20-year-old soloist Paul Tarling, accompanied by the energetic Auckland Youth Symphony Orchestra under Anton Poljanich, held nothing back. After a rousing sing-along to the national anthem, in a busy, knowing arrangement by Indra Hughes, many will be looking forward to Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's concerts with English organist Thomas Trotter on Thursday and Saturday.
Click here to read the review on the Herald web site.
late 2008/early 2009 (?)
New Zealand Opera News
Tenth Anniversary Concert (15 November 2008)
review by Rod Biss
Musica Sacra, under the singular, all-seeing, all-hearing eyes and ears of Indra Hughes have just celebrated their tenth birthday. Ten years of exploration and polished performance of sacred choral music, and for all music lovers their continued existence is something to be grateful for. Their anniversary concert was given in Auckland's architectural hybrid, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, with its notoriously quirky acoustics. Where you sit can totally alter what you hear; I was roughly in the middle of the nave and what I heard was strength of sound and precision of attack, but the church chewed up the words and Handel's normally straightforward counterpoint became a muddy jumble. People sitting near me confirmed that they had the same problems with the words - thank goodness, then, for the programme book, an absolute model of what programmes should be, that gave all the words. Handel's Let God arise was directed with brisk affection by Hughes and well sung by the choir (provided you didn't want clear diction). Tenor Iain Tetley sang with efficient expression and meaning, and Pepe Becker sang the soprano part with clear, bell-like sounds. Handel's Organ Concerto in G minor, with Hughes as soloist on the choir's precious Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber Organ was, as Handel intended, an enjoyable interlude. The slow movement is the most intriguing part of the work; the orchestra provides an unending unison ground bass over which the organ plays increasingly extravagant variations - Hughes clearly relishing, and showing to great advantage, the sparkling sounds that the organ has in store. Then it was Handel's Ode for Saint Cecilia's Day, a sort of addendum to Alexander's Feast, that gave choir, soloists and orchestra their real moments of musical glory: Pepe Becker with flautist Sally Tibbles in the beautiful aria "The soft complaining flute", Iain Tetley with Peter Reid on trumpet in "The trumpet's loud clangour" were highlights. It was, though, a tantalising evening. Enjoyable, of course, but how much clearer it would have sounded in almost any other venue. And AK Barok (sic) added their own tantalisations; they play in well informed baroque style, yet the next and vital step must be to use genuine, or reproduction, timpani, trumpets and wind instruments. [...] In the ten years of their existence [Musica Sacra] have sung Byrd, Palestrina, Handel, and on to Vaughan Williams and Parry. They have dug out obscure composers and have made several CDs, and because of their reputation for well focused precision they have been called on to add bite to several much larger works, most notably a performance of Mahler's Symphony No 2 which opened the last Auckland Festival. Where will they take us in the next ten years, I wonder?
18 November 2008
New Zealand Herald
Choir's top form promises even better to come
review by William Dart
Musica Sacra celebrated its 10th anniversary with confidence and utter professionalism, as reflected in the concert's handsome programme booklet. This offered a four-page history of the choir, detailing a busy and fruitful decade as well as extensive programme notes by Indra Hughes positively bubbling with enthusiasm, scholarship and quirky detail. No composer could have been more appropriate for the occasion than Handel and celebrations set off with Let God Arise, one of the composer's Chandos Anthems. Hughes set a lively pace with the players of AK Barok and soon a full-voiced choir was making the most of Holy Trinity Cathedral's echoing spaces. From the tonal finesse of Praise be the Lord to jubilant, resounding Allelujas, Musica Sacra was on top form. Handel's G minor Organ Concerto Opus 7 no 5 put the spotlight on the Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber Organ, which has become something of a staple star in the choir's concerts. Hughes was at his sprightly and mellifluous best on the keyboard, laying out flights of fancy over the second movement's inexorable bass line and underlining the wit and grace of John Wells' specially written cadenza. After interval, Handel's inspired setting of John Dryden's Ode for St Cecilia's Day put choir, orchestra and soloists through their paces. Pepe Becker, who had not quite conveyed an air of rejoicing in her Chandos solo, shone in this work, especially when she was accompanied by more intimate instrumental groupings. Her dueting with flautist Sally Tibbles was intensely moving, and her ability to make Handelian flourishes seem as natural as folk-song was astounding; her ability to draw the purest, bell-like note seemingly out of the stratosphere was breathtaking. Iain Tetley, most impressive in the earlier anthem, remained in strong voice, especially when trumpeter Peter Reid joined him. But it was not all Handelian swagger. It takes an artist of the highest sensitivity to invest Dryden's final mention of Cecilia "the fair disdainful Dame" with as much tenderness and unaffected beauty of tone as this tenor did. Musica Sacra seems assured of an even more successful second decade.
Click here to read the review on the Herald web site.
15 November 2008
New Zealand Herald
Delightful night of jolly church music
by William Dart
Tonight, the chamber choir Musica Sacra celebrates its 10th birthday with a concert of Handel in Holy Trinity Cathedral. A "cathedral experience" in the Lancashire town of Blackburn inspired choir director Indra Hughes to pursue a choral career. "I was 11 and the sound of the Blackburn Cathedral organ knocked me off my feet," says Hughes. "It was that moment in Elijah when Elijah goes up to heaven in a fiery chariot. Mendelssohn had written a chord in C major for full organ, and it became my life ambition to make that sound myself." Musica Sacra's mission statement has not changed in a decade. "We are not a church choir, but a choir that sings church music," Hughes says, pausing when I ask what gives Musica Sacra its special character. "There are two or three very fine choirs in Auckland and they all have their own qualities. It's a mixture of the sound of their individual voices and something indefinable to do with their conductor's style." As a conductor, Hughes says he is a stickler for "clarity of diction combined with drive, energy and conviction in the singing. Sometimes one goes for these at the expense of blend or purity of line. Only with the finest choirs would you get it all at once, with one rehearsal a week." Although, by its nature, Musica Sacra focuses on the music of bygone centuries, Hughes is proud of commissioning local composer David Griffiths to pen The Servant in 2003, and is thrilled with a new John Wells Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, which the choir premiered a few weeks ago. "John has done a fantastic, large-scale setting that's like a rocket going off; one of those moments when everything clicks into place." When it comes to contemporary music, Hughes says he prefers scores where the ink has had time to dry on the page. Composers like Griffiths and Wells have the benefit of hands-on experience in the choral world and Hughes rails against "contemporary composers who spatter blots of inks all over the page without any idea of the practicality or beauty. The music is often either unplayable and unlistenable." Not so with Handel, whose "very jolly and cheery music" tonight includes the anthem Let God Arise, an organ concerto and the 1739 Ode for St Cecilia's Day. Indra Hughes may have gained a doctorate studying Bach, but Handel "has a level of greatness equal to Bach but in a different way". "He prefers to write melody-and-bass rather than lots of intertwining counterpoint. And he is also better at letting his hair down and doing theatrical colour and drama. Handel has a greater immediate appeal and that's an important thing for audiences. It's easy for us to forget that some music is more enjoyable to perform than listen to. "Much as I think that Bach is number 1, a lot of what he has written falls into that category." Hughes is irrepressible when it comes to discussing tonight's Ode for St Cecilia's Day. "It is wonderfully lavish in scale, with obbligato parts for lute, organ and flute. There's a fantastic opening number which depicts a sort of primordial chaos, simmering and bubbling away like a Rotorua mud pool." Add in a line-up of "show-stopper choruses, full scope for tenor Iain Tetley to deliver some awesome high notes in the work's trumpet aria and a soprano aria for Pepe Becker, with cello and lute accompaniment", and it sounds like a captivating concert.
Click here to read the article on the Herald web site.
27 October 2008
Christchurch Press
Musica Sacra's first visit a real gem
by Patrick Shepherd
It was Auckland-based Musica Sacra's first visit to the South Island and since its formation in 1998, it has amassed an impressive list of performing achievements.
Joining forces with Christchurch's Jubilate Singers made for a powerful and varied programme. The purpose of bringing these two groups together was to take on a meaty work, and so Faure's Requiem took pride of place in the second half. The balance was excellent, particularly with the inclusion of organ and small chamber orchestra. I enjoyed the substantial section with the altos and tenors and the doom-laden conclusion to the Agnus Dei. The choir really delivered the necessary bite in the Dies Irae section of the Libera Me, softening into a most reflective ending, with In Paradisum simply serene. Soloists William Yaxley (treble) and Iain Tetley (baritone) were superb. Tetley's clarity and direct sound ensured every word was heard and I was similarly impressed by Yaxley who captured the ethereal quality of the Pie Jesu. I loved the selections of smaller works comprising the first half, with my favourites being Anthony Ritchie's evocative Widow's Songs and Patrick Gowers' rich and technically demanding Viri Galilaei. The Ritchie was the Jubes' moment in the sun and it suited them well, achieving a mournful keening in Over the Back and a degree of humour in the ostinato of Bread. The works by English composers Stainer, Croft and Parry spanned 300 years and were all gems.
20 March 2008
New Zealand Herald
Observing a truly Good Friday
by William Dart
"It's that week," sighs conductor Indra Hughes when asked how Musica Sacra's Good Friday concerts are shaping up. Over the past few years, these have been immensely popular. One reason for their appeal is that they are free (with the chance for a donation at the end) but, says Hughes, "this is a day which has inspired so much wonderful music, as well being a time when not many other organisations are putting on competing events. I also feel there is quite an amount of people out there who want to make some observance of Good Friday without necessarily spending three hours in a church doing devotions."
Tomorrow the focus will be on Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707) with a performance of his Membra Jesu Nostri, a sequence of seven short cantatas based around various aspects of the crucified body of Jesus. In his lifetime, Buxtehude's reputation was as an organ composer, Hughes stresses, and "a flashy virtuoso performer on the instrument"—spurring the 20-year-old Bach to walk 400km from Arnstadt to Lubeck to hear him play. "Buxtehude was a showman and an impresario as well. He organised a series of evening concerts and very cannily got all the local businessmen to pay for them, even down to purchasing the instruments and financing the seating."
However, there is nothing flashy about tomorrow's Membra Jesu Nostri. "A literal transcription of the title could be Jesus' Body Parts," Hughes explains. "The first cantata starts by considering his feet and then we work up the body to the heart and finally the head. It's a bit as if you are contemplating a painting of the Crucifixion by Van Der Weiden or Van Eyck, running your eyes over it very slowly, being drawn in."
John Wells will play the Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber Organ which Musica Sacra acquired in 2006. "The instrument is settling well," says Hughes, "and gives a wonderful visual focus as it's such a beautiful thing to have in the middle of the players."
Heading the bill tomorrow is a particularly strong quartet of soloists in Pepe Becker, Kate Spence, Iain Tetley and Hadleigh Adams. While the first three are well-known to Auckland choral audiences, Wellingtonian Adams is a new face and voice. The capital has already enjoyed the young singer's enterprising recital of the Aids Song Quilt, featuring music composed by contemporary American composers; Adams was also in good voice for a supporting role in Matthew Suttor's recent The Trial of the Cannibal Dog. In May, as one of NBR New Zealand Opera's Emerging Artists, he will feature in the cast of La Boheme. "I often feel opera singers are like bodybuilders," Hughes confides. "It's the Arnold Schwarzenegger thing, hideously and unnaturally over-developed. They can have this enormous volume but not the musicianship. "So it was great to invite Hadleigh to join us, because he has not only the voice but the artistry and the musicianship to go with it."
Click here to read the article on the Herald web site.
15-21 December 2007
New Zealand Listener
Vol 211 No 3527, page 42
Going for Baroque
Auckland’s most recent and most surprising musical obsession is the Baroque.
a review and preview of various early music performances in Auckland
by Rod Biss
[The article opens with a review of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's 3-week "Splendour of the Baroque" concert series, directed by Roy Goodman]
…it remained a fact that the APO was unable to let us hear the real splendour of the early Baroque. This was left for Musica Sacra directed by Indra Hughes, who brought New Zealand's only theorbo (bass lute) and its player, Jonathan Le Cocq, up from Christchurch. With a handful of strings and John Wells playing the beautiful chamber organ, St Matthew-in-the-City sounded as if it had become St Marks in Venice. It is a sound unlike any other, highly coloured yet clear and emotionally extravagant. The choir tackled the difficulties of Monteverdi's Missa In Illo Tempore fearlessly. The instrumental accompaniments had the genuine fluidity of the early Baroque, the sort of improvisatory embellishment of the harmonies that good jazz players know more about than symphony orchestra players. […]
[The article then goes on to preview four upcoming performances by other groups.]
Click here to read the full article.
25 November 2007
Metro Magazine (December 2007 issue)
review of Christmas a cappella II
by Rod Biss
Classic Hit
Here's a CD you can't and shouldn't resist; perfect for yourself or to play at the family get-together. best idea of all, why not buy a box and send them as your Christmas cards? It's a compilation of 22 Christmas carols sung unaccompanied with taste, precision and infectious delight by Auckland's splendid specialist choir Musica Sacra, under the direction of Indra Hughes. There are many old favourites such as Away in a manger, ancient treasures like Palestrina's Alma Redemptoris Mater and new gems such as David Griffiths' Annunciation.
15 November 2007
New Zealand Herald, page B6
Sacred musicians weave a mass of sonic sculptures
Choral style employed to produce memorable effect
Indra Hughes led the audience on a rare, remarkable aural odyssey
by William Dart
Musica Sacra has built up a loyal audience for its disciplined and imaginative choral singing and a solid attendance at Sunday afternoon's Monteverdi concert was thoroughly deserved. Basing the programme around the Italian composer's Missa in Illo Tempore, with its movements punctuated by various motets and other settings, Indra Hughes provided an intriguing toe-dip into music that gets scant attention in this country. The Mass was at its strongest in the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei sections, in which the singers created an enchanting weave of sound, the Sanctus almost mesmerising in its waves of glorious vocalising. The Gloria and Credo were more testing. In the first, despite no shortage of energy, solo voices sometimes jarred when they emerged from the choral texture. The Credo had its tentative moments and patches where tone was not so scrupulously sustained, although Hughes made the most of the movement's dramatic potential, especially in the hushed Et incarnatus est. The shorter Monteverdi pieces ranged from a robust Cantate Domino and a full-blooded Adoramus te, Christe in which the choir acquitted itself most creditably. A sprightly Beatus Vir ended the afternoon with buoyant, dancing rhythms and graceful instrumental interludes of the sort that charm you endlessly in Monteverdi's opera, Orfeo. If there were moments when various groupings within the choir came through unevenly, it did not detract from the effect of the whole. A small instrumental group led by Rosana Fea made a welcome contribution, clustered around John Wells on the liquid-toned Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber organ. The delights of Jonathan Le Cocq's theorbo, an exotic instrument like a giant lute, were as much sculptural as musical, although its delicate wash of sonorities contributed much feeling. Finally, all praise is due to Wells' crisp and finely-shaded organ solos that gave a richer historical setting for the Monteverdi we were hearing. Improvisatory preludes by the two Gabrielis, uncle and nephew, were like olde improv rambles to lose oneself in. A Merulo Toccata and a Sweelinck Fantasia Chromatica were daring, forward-looking pieces, while a Cavazzoni Ricercar revealed the seeds from which mighty Bach fugues would eventually grow.
click image to enlarge
13 October 2007
New Zealand Herald, page A27
report of the Launch of Christmas a cappella II
Tuesday night [9 October] saw the release of Christmas a cappella II, the beautiful new album from one of New Zealand's leading choirs, Musica Sacra. A chamber choir of around 30 voices founded and conducted by Dr Indra Hughes, Musica Sacra is based in Auckland, and the eagerly awaited album is a sequel to their very successful release Christmas a cappella, which was number one in the New Zealand classical charts in 2001. It includes a wide variety of pieces from the 16th century to the present day, and includes the work of composers from the US, Germany, Austria, England, France, Italy and New Zealand. The event was hosted by the Musica Sacra trustees, general manager Kevin Bishop and Dr Hughes. High point: a standout track on the album is a beautiful version of Silent Night sung in Maori, as arranged by Terence Maskell. Low point: That the choir didn't sing all night long! The beautifully executed extracts definitely left you wanting for more.
click image to enlarge (NB the photograph at bottom right is incorrectly captioned: the correct names are Jeff Todd (left), Jon Houldsworth, Glenys Todd)
16 October 2006
"CHOIR CONQUERS HARD CATHEDRAL"
LINDIS TAYLOR writing in the Dominion Post (Wellington)
Concert in Wellington Cathedral, 14 October 2006
Auckland's choir, Musica Sacra, which has been directed since its beginnings in 1998 by gifted English musician Indra Hughes, has made occasional visits to Wellington. Even for a city like Wellington, with a fine choral tradition and several excellent choirs, it is inspiring to hear choral singing of such brilliance and consummate artistry from elsewhere. Musica Sacra is a 30-voice choir that seems to have achieved all the qualities choral conductors dream about: a blend within each section and between each section that seems also to allow vivid contrasts as they navigate the complexities of Arvo Part’s Seven Magnificat Antiphons; entries that either emerge from nowhere or hit you with a thrilling synchronised blast; and a control of dynamics and tempi that puts the cathedral's challenging acoustic completely at the service of the singing. The concert was composed almost entirely of English music, apart from Part (Estonian), the American Whitacre, and Franck, whose Pastorale was one of two organ solos played by the choir's organist, John Wells. That much-loved piece responded beautifully to his choice of stops, phrasing and pacing. The other organ piece was the Andante Espressivo movement from Elgar's Organ Sonata. The organ dramatically introduced itself in Edward Bairstow's Sing ye to the Lord, a splendid, extrovert piece that at once assured us of an exciting and interesting concert. That was followed by In manus tuas by Tudor composer John Sheppard. It demonstrated the choir's command of complex polyphony, clarifying all the vocal lines with delicacy and restraint. For me the major events were the marvellous rendering of the Part Antiphons, Stanford's anthem For lo, I raise up, with some telling solos from within the choir, the quintessence of the best English choral music, making you wonder why, in most circles, Stanford is not ranked in the first division of composers; and, yes, Herbert Howells' Hymn to Saint Cecilia, a rapturous performance of a piece that is both ecstatic and heartfelt. The other 20th century composer was the 35-year-old Eric Whitacre, one of those classical composers who has hit success in a big way. His pathos-filled When David heard certainly pressed the right buttons, though the music was stronger in remarkable effects than in sheer musical interest. Stanford's contemporary, Parry, was represented by his long and more conventional Hear my words, ye people. Even that sounded like great music in the hands of this splendid choir and their charismatic conductor.
28 August 2006
The Inauguration of the Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber Organ
(Concert 26 August 2006)
WILLIAM DART writing in the New Zealand Herald
Whether it was quite the concert of the year that we were promised is a moot point, but the coming together of Musica Sacra and English organist John Scott did mean that few seats were empty in the sprawling spaces of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. There were irritating delays in starting, but a sumptuous programme—complete with quirky background notes from Indra Hughes—made that delay pass pleasantly. When the music started, Hughes' languorously paced Zadok the Priest showed the choir at its considerable best. Our first taste of the Donald Barriball Memorial Chamber Organ came when John Scott gave us a Byrd Fantasia, a chirruping delight bursting with bright, liquid colours. With the full force of the choir and AK Barok alongside it, the gentle tones of the organ occasioned some deference. The celebratory Sinfonia of Bach's Wir danken dir, Gott seemed a little muted, with both timpani and trumpets particularly solicitous in the dynamics department. However, split notes are no less intrusive for being played pianissimo. While Pepe Becker brought authority to her aria, Iain Tetley needed more tonal weight and Andrea Cochrane severely lacked vitality for a text that blazed with joy. The centrepiece of the evening was Handel's G minor Organ Concerto. Scott's crisp articulation, keen sense of colour and piquant improvisation were appreciated—but acrid echoes in the strings were not. It may have been a good idea to have Scott's hands projected on a video screen, but it was distracting when the image was flipped, and the organist's heaven-bound flights of fancy seemed to be spiralling in the other direction. The Foundling Hospital Anthem is not prime quality Handel, with the most memorable choral scoring and singing to be heard in "The Charitable shall be had in everlasting remembrance". Towards the end of the work, Pepe Becker and Lisette Wesseling were remarkably affecting in their short duet. As if the rousing Hallelujah Chorus, one of Handel's many borrowings in this anthem, wasn't enough, an encore followed. Bach's most famous Air, scrumptious on pizzicato strings and fluttering organ, proved the perfect parting bonbon.
International Record Review (London)—June 2005
Review by Marc Rochester
Musica Sacra is an Auckland-based choir whose reputation has yet to spread far beyond its native New Zealand. With the international release of this, its second CD, that should change, for this is an exceptional disc. Indra Hughes draws from these 31 singers a sound which has none of the pretentiousness or false enthusiasm of so many similar choirs from other English-speaking countries but rather possesses a certain earthiness vaguely reminiscent of those folk-music groups in the 1970s and 1980s. The individual quality of each voice is preserved and, as a result, the blend is natural rather than created by any self-imposed 'tone'. This is not particularly refined singing but has a naturalness and openness which conveys with real conviction the essence of these four, rare works.
There are inescapable weaknesses in ensemble between the voices and their instrumental support, and the technical limitations of some of the singers are cruelly exposed in Scarlatti's Stabat mater, but while at first it seems somewhat tired and overstretched, Hughes has a visionary approach which transcends such failings. With ten distinct solo voices revelling in their individuality there is a tangible feeling of intimacy and directness of expression which culminates in a magically translucent 'Amen'.
The anonymous notes which accompany the disc make the amazing claim that Rheinberger's Cantus Missae is 'one of the most sumptuous and glorious works of the Romantic period'. Since I have long associated Rheinberger with acres of turgidity, punctuated once in an extremely rare while by a rewarding moment or two, and with the triumph of adherence to rules over the fire of invention, this claim beggars belief. But, wait! What have we here? No acres of turgidity, but elysian fields bursting with wonderful moments, and with masterly manipulation of the eight-part a cappella textures serving an invigorating musical creativity. If I wasn't convinced the disc's booklet editor had got it right, I would never in a million years have associated this sumptuous, ravishing work with Rheinberger, but given this wonderfully rich and beautifully shaped performance, sung with such immense musicality and obvious enjoyment, I'm prepared to put this adorable music somewhere in the top 20 of 'sumptuous and glorious' works of the Romantic period.
I'm thrilled with the two remaining rarities which Musica Sacra unearthed to complete this fascinating programme. With Stanford's lavish, Bach-inspired setting of the Magnificat (not to be confused with the more famous English-language one from his B flat Anglican service) and Charles Wood's deeply lovely Nunc dimittis, we find two Irish Protestant composers highly inspired by Latin texts and, found in such unfamiliar surroundings, producing music of such exceptional quality. Once again, there is no doubt that it is the unimpeachable quality of Musica Sacra's performances which makes these works so memorable.
For this intriguing programme alone this is a 'must-have' disc: with such distinct and compelling singing it stands as one of the most impressive choral discs I've heard for a very long time.
14 June 2004
How are the mighty fallen—Concert 12 June 2004
WILLIAM DART writing in the New Zealand Herald
Robert Ramsey is a shadowy figure of 17th-century music, known only for a few volumes of choral works. The indefatigable Indra Hughes had chosen seven of Ramsey's motets as the pillars of Musica Sacra's Saturday night concert, which took its title from one of the composer's finest pieces, How are the mighty fallen.
The unrelentingly hard, if heated, pews of St Michael's were a small price to pay to experience some magnificent choral singing in a worthy acoustic. The success of the evening lay in the rapport between Hughes and his chamber choir. He coaxed them to revel in the sheer sound of the music they made, particularly the young, vibrant tenors of the group and the forceful alto section.
Tudor composers weren't backward in using the occasional dissonance to make a point, and Ramsey proved to be no exception. Musica Sacra made the most of them, particularly in How are the mighty fallen, where the David and Jonathan story had inspired an especially emotional setting from the composer.
The motet's final line, "and the weapons of war destroyed", repeating the last word for emphasis, must have had many in the audience thinking of the deepest hopes of our own grim times.
But is Ramsey such a radical spirit, one wondered? True, the voices entered quirkily in In Monte Oliveti but, on the other hand, O Vos Omnes had what sounded like a medieval moment at the words "sicut dolor meus".
The resourceful Hughes kept up interest even when the music was less than inspired. Ramsey's weakest offering, O come let us sing unto the Lord, started on a roll but ended up treading musical water. Little touches such as a hearty accent on the word "magnify" were appreciated.
A selection of motets by Palestrina, Gibbons and Weelkes set the Ramsey in context. The opening number, Palestrina's Dum complerentur was lusty and joyous; 30 minutes later Weelkes' O Lord, Arise, was less focused in terms of pitching.
After interval, Bach's great motet Jesu Meine Freude was an ambitious choice. As might be expected, Hughes made the most of the drama, especially when Satan came into sight. He was a stickler for the work's dramatic rests, although occasionally the sense of pulse drifted a little. In the demanding three-voice sections which, on the whole, were admirably sustained, phrases sometimes relaxed into mere successions of notes.
21 April 2003 (Easter Monday)
Musica Sacra at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—Good Friday
21.04.2003 By WILLIAM DART
There was almost no room in the church, despite extra seats covering most of the pewless areas. So popular was this programme of Passiontide music and readings, devised and conducted by the indefatigable Indra Hughes, that it was a matter of standing-room only for latecomers.
Musica Sacra did not spare themselves with some extremely demanding repertoire. The most taxing was William Byrd's gripping Infelix Ego, setting a text written by the religious reformer Savonarola on the eve of his execution.
This 15-minute work was admirably carried off, with only the occasional softening of focus through the odd tentative entry and a tendency to shrillness in the soprano line.
These musicians were not afraid to sing out lustily when required in Purcell and Battishill, or give every chord in John Wells' Drop, Drop, Slow Tears its considered weight and attention.
Bruckner's Christus Factus Est, apart from a perilous bass moment, revealed the group's well-honed ensemble and tonal range, from rousing crescendos to feather-light pianissimi.
The highlight of the evening was David Griffiths' The Servant, a setting of the prophetic scriptures of Isaiah, some of which are familiar from Handel's Messiah. Scored for soloists, choir and two string quartets, this is a major work.
Griffiths' score is alive with subtle interplays and exchanges between various voices and instruments. The word setting is finely thought out and the composer is not afraid to burst out in the brightest of E majors.
Although some harmonic progressions give a nod to Philip Glass, there is also a glowing kinship with Vaughan Williams in the inventive handling of the rich string textures.
The choir was full-bodied but the soloists were uneven. Tenor Iain Tetley sang the lamb to its slaughter with a quite terrifying resolve, and the redoubtable Margo Knightbridge, following in that proud tradition of oratorio altos founded by Dame Clara Butt, clearly relished the march tune that Griffiths had given her.
The closing number, a serene When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, without the over-fussy harmonisations that had marred an earlier hymn-tune offering, was the perfect leave-taking.
Musica Sacra: CD Review by John Pattinson in Breve (NZ Choral Federation Magazine)—April 2003 (very slightly abridged)
On rare occasions one picks up a novel and reads it at one sitting and this latest CD by Musica Sacra falls into that same category. Here we have spellbinding performances of substantial works from the chamber choir repertoire. These are no ordinary works, however; like the institution of Holy Matrimony, these are from the box marked 'not to be enterprised nor taken in hand unadvisedly, wantonly or lightly'. Anyone who has ever stood in front of an able-bodied chamber choir will revel in the intoxicating whiff of danger when tackling works such as Domenico Scarlatti's ten-part Stabat Mater or Stanford's huge Magnificat in B flat. [Here the review digresses into an operatic story—Ed.] There are so many things that can go horribly wrong with a cappella performances at this level of difficulty that I know I'll find myself drawn repeatedly into listening, fascinated by its potential for disaster, even in the full certainty that it turns out brilliantly. It's so refreshing to encounter a choir which sings 'with the spirit and with the understanding also'. One gets the impression that everyone in this compact ensemble knows what they are about and is capable of sharing equal responsibility for the end result.
True, the Scarlatti at times (such as in the 'Inflammatus') does expose some voices which differ in quality (though not in standard) but the resulting individuality is, I believe, a strength which lends a human dimension to this enterprise. For these are clearly no mere choral clones seeking to produce a rarified, disembodied, ethereal wash of sound, but creatures of flesh and blood who combine musical intelligence and passion in equal measure. Nevertheless, the group is capable of a beautifully blended tone, and nowhere better than in their performance of the unjustly neglected Cantus Missae by Rheinberger. I suppose this work will never be a chart-topper, but it must be enormously satisfying to sing with its complex romantic 8-part sonorities and chromatic harmonies. Musica Sacra's performance of Stanford's Magnificat is a veritable tour de force, dramatically alive and vibrant yet sensitive to every expressive musical nuance…The illustrated CD notes are sumptuously produced, with just the right amount of information about composers, texts and the choir itself…Those wanting to know more about this exciting choir are pointed in the direction of their excellent web page—well worth the trouble.
"Best of 2002" (an article listing the 10 best classical albums of 2002)
"The year's finest choral disc" For all its drab cover and title, this is the year's finest choral disc. It takes brains and extensive repertoire knowledge to exhume high-quality rarities from unlikely sources. From Domenico Scarlatti, known almost entirely for his 550 keyboard sonatas, conductor Indra Hughes unearths a remarkably rich and lengthy Stabat Mater. From Rheinberger, notorious for his dull organ works, he digs out a wonderful Cantus Missae. Stanford's Magnificat in B flat and Charles Wood's Nunc Dimittis complete a quartet of meaty fringe works. Even the complex 10-part texture of the Scarlatti doesn't rattle Hughes's outstanding Musica Sacra choir of 30—they sing with passion. Clearly, a choir and conductor on the way up." (Ian Dando, The Listener, 28 December 2002)
"The flood of recordings intended for season buyers has begun, and selective buyers have a large range to choose from. Indra Hughes' Auckland chamber choir, Musica Sacra, is one of this country's quality amateur choirs—perhaps claimants to being the best—whose commitment to their love of choral singing is evident in almost everything they perform. On this new recording made by the indefatigable Wayne Laird and his Atoll label, the choir sing four contrasting and challenging works. The Scarlatti "Stabat Mater" would test the best professional choir with its extraordinary 10-part complexity and its demands on various soloists, all of them members of the ensemble. They give us an excellent performance, ringing with conviction, of music that has many moments of great beauty and mysticism. I was also impressed with Charles Villiers Stanford's "Magnificat", from 1918, another work for double choir rarely attempted by today's choirs, but handled with ease by this group. The music may have been inspired by Bach, but it is entirely within the British choral tradition (though Stanford was Irish-born), and is here given an immaculate, well-balanced performance. The choir does well with the Rheinberger "Cantus Missae" too, though it is not a work that made much of an impression on my tastes, and for its finale, the Charles Wood "Nunc Dimittis" makes an appropriate choice to follow the Stanford. Last year the choir published an excellent disc of Christmas songs. This performance deserves to be as successful. (Bryan James, Otago Daily Times, 23 November 2002)
"...a feast of excellent choral singing…full of riches to behold. The finesse and detail required in weaving the textures and sonorities of an 8-part or double choir setting in polyphonic style are often missed by lesser choirs. Not so here. Indra Hughes pinpointed with crystal clarity the rich polyphonic textures, with the sinuous strands of sound carefully woven into a glorious tapestry displaying subtleties that could easily have been lost. Noticeable were the rich, sonorous and beautifully warm sounds achieved in the softer and middle dynamic range which unfortunately hardened at the fortes and the bloom at the lower dynamics disappeared. The three Brahms motets were exciting and vigorous. A most difficult and complex Bach motet, Singet dem Herrn, proved challenging and rewarding. The imbalance in male voices due to illness proved more noticeable here, with the odd indelicate entry; however the overall quality was excellent and a delight." (Andrew Buchanan-Smart, Waikato Times 4 November 2002, reviewing the Choir's concert of German music given at Waikato University on 2 November)
30 July 2001
The Dream of Gerontius at Auckland Town Hall
extract of review by Prof. Heath Lees (New Zealand Herald)
"…In excellent voice for the first Auckland Gerontius in nearly a decade, the Choral Society was joined by Musica Sacra, whose clean, beautifully launched entries acted like a musical spearhead…Among the choir's strengths were upward leaps of pinpoint accuracy, entries that breathed their way in pianissimo, yet with clarity of articulation that revelled in the Town Hall's acoustics, and a big, full-throated sonority for the high points, like the magnificent setting of Praise to the Holiest."
Reviews of CD Christmas a cappella (2001):
"Christmas Carol CDs don't come better than this. The Auckland unaccompanied 8-part chamber choir under Indra Hughes sing with such joy and vitality compared with the over-churchy aloofness of many carol recitals. Their opening track springs to life with such spontaneity and crisp energy. All is underpinned by fine choral technique and an ability to match style to period as in the fine account of two renaissance motets by Victoria. Hughes's repertoire selection balances old and new perfectly…fresh-sounding descants are finely floated by the sopranos…all recorded with warm reverberance." (Ian Dando in the Christchurch Press)
"…an unusually good issue of Christmas music…superbly sung…Even if you already have a collection of Christmas recordings, don't pass this one by. It is one of the best I have heard, both in choice of carols and in quality of performance." (review by Christopher Moore)
"Christmas a cappella is an elegantly put together CD by Musica Sacra and their conductor Indra Hughes. This relatively new and enterprising Auckland choir have put together a sophisticated classical Christmas CD with a variety of interesting works set off by a colourful cover and informative booklet inside. The choir, singing in Auckland's St Michael's Church, sounds rich in tone and full of colour with the reverb turned full on. I particularly enjoyed the floating, smooth sounds produced in Tomas Luis de Victoria's Ave Maria, and Michael Head's The Little Road To Bethlehem, with its boy-like sopranos and lyrical tenor lines. The New Zealand compositions featured include works by John Wells, Christopher Marshall and an arrangement by Indra Hughes. These pieces add a New Zealand freshness to an effective and well balanced programme. I highly recommend this CD as a reflective, relaxing and timeless escape from the 21st century's frantic Christmas rush." Review by Stephen Rowe in "Breve" (the magazine of the New Zealand Choral Federation)
"Musica Sacra's "Christmas a cappella" (spell it with one 'p' and you've got a little goat bleating away instead of an unaccompanied choir, according to the CD booklet) I listened to as I was making my Christmas cake this season, and a very suitable accompaniment it proved to be: smooth, rich, creamy, beautifully presented, the ultimate in good taste. Overall perhaps there could have been a more nutty texture: the basic tempi are often very similar from work to work and the tone overall is of constant sweet reverence. But a goodly mixture of interesting composers has been stirred in alongside the expected favourites: early music friends like Victoria, new friends in former colleagues of conductor Indra Hughes, the requisite Rutter and Willcocks, and two small pieces by New Zealand choral composers Christopher Marshall and John Wells. This mix is stirred in the expected English traditional manner, big ritardandi at the climaxes, word repetitions under new harmonisations, a reverberant acoustic (St. Michael's in Remuera), but all presented with unfailing good taste. The booklet is artistically presented with complete texts (which are necessary because some are not well known, and in some the long reverberation time makes the words hard to hear) and a lot of useful information is given, such as the origin of the name "a cappella" itself. The two New Zealand works both won prizes in competitions at the Royal School of Church Music, Wells's in 1992 and Marshall's, to words by the indefatigable Shirley Murray, in 2000. And you can tell a book by its cover: the CD case is fronted by a lovely print of an illuminated manuscript, beautifully reproduced, design excellent." (Review by Gillian Bibby, "Music in New Zealand")
"…full-blooded and expressive…" (Rod Biss in the Sunday Star-Times)
"Superb Christmas work in an English Choral Tradition…Musica Sacra is a choir of excellent voices…a fine CD…a particularly good soprano section, and the recording…clear and unfussy." (Bryan James in the Otago Daily Times)
"…a thrilling passion…" (William Dart in the Listener)
A REAL TREAT FOR LOVERS OF FINE CHOIRS
"…Indra Hughes is a choral director of great talent and this choir…is a superb ensemble. [The Victoria Requiem] offered ample evidence of the choir's precision, balance, homogeneity of sound and wonderful command of its austere idiom. One of the charming features of their style is their command of crescendos that allowed their voices to expand organically with the increasing volume of reverberation—one of the beauties, for some the problem—of the great church. Though they had only a short rehearsal time, the choir had speedily mastered the mysteries of the acoustic, turning it notably to their advantage, and they did everything else right, such as suppressing sibilants. Their singing had a wonderful clarity that allowed middle parts to emerge vividly as melody line, as in the attractive Magnificat by Hugh Blair that ended the concert.
Its organ accompaniment was vividly played by choir member Woo-sug Kang. When the choir sang from the front of the sanctuary their sounds projected excellently. But after the fine flamboyance of the organ solo from Hughes—the Variations de Concert by Joseph Bonnet—the choir took up the choir stalls, facing each other, to sing William Harris's Faire is the Heaven: the sound was dissipated. One of the pleasures of the evening was the Annunciation by Auckland composer David Griffiths [the premiere of this work, written for Musica Sacra]: a setting of a challenging, dense, metaphysical poem by John Donne, Griffiths' masterly, suspenseful music elucidated it superbly." (Lindis Taylor in the Wellington Evening Post, reviewing a concert by Musica Sacra in St Paul's Cathedral, Wellington in November 2001) |
