like Warkworth and Whangarei while in the 60s and 70s there were visits to
Wellington and other places throughout the North Island.
By the later 1970s, Messiah had become a much-toured work, but there
were always risks awaiting the choir in a widely-stretched country that had
only recently been properly settled. A Matamata performance on 4 May 1975
was an occasion where “Hallelujahs” were fervently raised not just for the
oratorio but for good Kiwi resourcefulness. Singers had arrived to find that
the performance venue was made from two Nissen huts welded together, and
although the promised two pianos did appear at the last moment, they had been
tuned to different pitches! Somehow, with native resilience and inspiration the
performers made it all work.
A hallmark of Handel’s oratorios — and particularly of Messiah — is that
all the major moments are taken by the chorus — the
reactions, the praise, the unforgettable tunes, the
hammerstroke hallelujahs — all of them are given over
to the inspired possession of the choir. As Laurence
Cummings, director of the London Handel Orchestra
once said, “in this work, it’s the chorus that propels
the work forward with great emotional impact and
uplifting messages.” Over the last 150 years, those
who have joined Auckland Choral have always felt
that unique chorus-member thrill of making one’s
own vital contribution to the performance of Handel’s
Messiah. Many choir-singers — even timid amateurs
— have come to know and love classical music through
the dramatic contribution that Messiah gives to them
personally, despite the fact that it is shared — or perhaps
because it is shared.
Apart from chorus-member benefits, no-one should
forget the great advantages that Auckland Choral’s
Messiah performances have given to individual singers,
those soloists who have been drawn over the years
from different places, near and far. There have been
many local soloists of high quality who have made their
names, and sometimes their careers, through the regular debbie hardy, soprano
exposure that Messiah gave. The “People’s oratorio”
became a platform for some stunning Auckland-wide and New Zealand-wide
talent. The astonishing coloratura soprano Mina Foley sang the Messiah solos in
1953 — a time when everyone thought she would became a world star, until ill
health intervened. There was Anthony Benfell, a builder by trade — an amateur
musician, but with a voice of star quality, and an association with the choir from
1968 to 1999. Louise Malloy, an import from the exploding domain of radio and
TV, appeared through the 1980s while Helen Medlyn and Patricia Wright were
spotlighted in the Messiah performances of the 90s.
Some of the many locals who featured as soloists in the Messiah role of
honour did in fact go on to world careers. Malvina Major and Heather Begg
come to mind, but the male soloists seem to have been more numerous and
perhaps have gone further. Noel Mangin made regular Messiah appearances,
and of course Sir Donald McIntyre, whose very first professional engagement
Uwe had the choir learn the
three major choruses by heart,
His Yoke Is Easy, Hallelujah
and Worthy. We sang them
so well with full eye contact
and engagement with the
audience. We were rewarded
with rapturous applause, much
stamping of feet and a standing
ovation – out of character with
most choral performances. Such
a wonderful reward for a lot of
hard work and memorisation.