Bach’s Christmas Oratorio: delightful and uplifting
“A rousing and reflective performance that uplifted and delighted every heart… The gamut of moods – from the heartiest rejoicing to moments of exquisite reflection, pastoral mystery, and righteous defiance – requires all participants to remain alert to the intricacies of Bach’s music and text, and everybody proved willing to fulfil their roles.”
Corinna Connor, Five Lines
Amazingly vibrant, energetic and tumultuous “Christmas Oratorio” – the Bach Choir of Wellington, Nota Bene and the Chiesa Ensemble
“My abiding memory, though, is of the chorus throughout, of those faces showing every sign of putting their hearts and minds into every syllable of what they uttered, and filling the building unstintingly with their tones accordingly… It all made for a memorable and vibrant experience of a piece with the music we heard and enjoyed.”
Peter Mechen, Middle C
Wellington’s Bach Choir: back to the Baroque
“The Bach Choir offered a pleasing and extrovert performance [of Vivaldi’s Gloria], enhanced by bright trumpet and oboe playing in the lively instrumental introduction.”
“Vivaldi brightened the texture with trumpet and oboe in the penultimate section, splendidly played by members of the Chiesa Ensemble, and the best contrapuntal singing of the concert was heard in the final fugal Cum Sancto Spiritu, providing a rousing finale to the concert and delighting the good-sized audience”
Elizabeth Kerr, Five Lines
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Flavoursome Janáček and Dvořák from the Bach Choir
“I was able to savour all over again those sweet opening phrases of the work in the “Kyrie”, here beautifully floated by the choir, with conductor Shawn Michael Condon beautifully controlling the “ebb-and-flow’ dynamics of the lines, creating an almost lullabic sound around a crescendo of tones and associated emotions. The “Christe” passages made a telling contrasted effect, especially when the Kyrie refrain returned at the end, plus some briefly reiterated “Christe christe” murmurings.”
“Very great credit to all concerned with the Bach Choir of Wellington for a well-planned and engagingly-delivered concert, eminently worthy of ongoing memory.”
Peter Mechen, Middle C
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The Bach Choir of Wellington – ambitious and imaginative ANZAC concert
“The Bach Choir, an important component of Wellington’s musical life for the past 55 years, is in good heart. Under the astute direction of Shawn Michael Condon the overall sound made by 50-odd voices is well integrated, intonation and the balance between the parts good. It was easy to see that the choir has been well rehearsed with considerable attention to detail… This was an ambitious and imaginative concert, well conceived and executed to a good-sized audience.”
Roger Wilson, Middle C
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Dvorak’s “Stabat Mater” given sweet and resounding treatment by Wellington’s Bach Choir
“The contralto and bass began in beseeching mode, drawing in the soprano and tenor and eventually the choir, building towards a climax in the manner of the first movement, except that this one peaked more positively! As the soloists rhapsodised, in the expectation of the prospect of Paradise, the “Amens” suddenly burst out, soloists and choir exchanging these impulses of affirmation with a wondrous ferment, conductor Shaun Michael Condon steering everything expertly forwards towards a great peroration. The final Quando corpus morietur , slow, grand and solemn, left Douglas Mews’ piano rhapsodising, and the voices repeating all kinds of ecstatic “Amens” – at the conclusion of it all, the musicians were happily spent, and the audience exhilarated, and appreciative, with a real “buzz” of excitement in the foyer afterwards!”
Peter Mechen, Middle C
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Bach Choir celebrates Saint Cecilia, exploring interesting and important music with flair and taste
“[…] there was no escaping the quality of the singing under the choir’s director Shawn Michael Condon: clearly articulated, dynamically flexible and varied, and simply interesting in its story-telling character.”
Lindis Taylor, Middle C
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Rossini’s “Little Solemn Mass” from the Bach Choir at St. Andrew’s triumphantly reaches towards the stars
“From the opening Kyrie’s boldness… to the exhilarating fugues and the affecting Agnus Dei… this performance billowed out splendidly under Condon’s confident direction.”
Peter Mechen, Middle C
Impressive and stylish performance of Bach’s great Mass in B minor celebrates choir’s 50 years
“Vigorous and stylish under Peter Walls… resplendent in grandeur… brilliant playing, exquisite solos, and a jubilant Amen that ended with stamina in spades.”
Rosemary Collier, Middle C
Vivaldi and Bach
“First up was Vivaldi’s well-known Gloria, RV 589. This was taken at a slick pace, but The Chiesa Ensemble, notably the trumpets, were up to it. The attack from the choir was excellent, as were the gradations of dynamics. The choir threw themselves into this lively work with vigour.”
Rosemary Collier, Middle C
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Purcell, Mozart, Parry and Whitbourn
“The last section [of Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, K 339], the ‘Magnificat’, ranks with other great settings of that text and the choir did it energetic justice, with a final gathering of splendid solo forces; and bold choral singing … ”
Lindis Taylor, Middle C
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St.Matthew Passion rich and dramatic
“… It made for an extraordinarily satisfying and enriching musical experience – one suspects for both the audience and the musicians, in this case – and an occasion I think the Bach Choir can justly regard as a triumph.”
Peter Mechen, Middle C
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Bach Choir hits the Christmas Spot
“Our sense of ‘the ordinary and the fabulous’ was nicely blurred by the juxtapositioning of audience carols with the rest of the programme, our rendition of Away in a Manger followed as it was by five lovely settings by Richard Rodney Bennett of Christmas texts from earlier times. […] most enjoyable!”
Peter Mechen, Middle C
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Fauré and other delights
“… Stephen Rowley’s conducting enabled the work to unfold with a kind of natural outpouring of expression, as almost nothing seemed forced or too sharply-etched – only an unexpected intensification of tempo and tension at the words “Lux aeterna luceat eis” which came to a dramatic head at “quia pius est” gave me a start for a few seconds, until I realized that what he was doing at that point was actually working. …”
Peter Mechen, Middle C
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Resplendent Mozart Requiem
“… As the work progressed the choir’s energies seemed constantly to renew themselves, the vigour and focus of the “Osanna” fugues carrying over to the final “Cum sanctis tuis”, and bringing things to a resplendent conclusion. But there was also dignity, tenderness and warmth to be had from the Agnus Dei, with Douglas Mews’ registrations deftly coloring the music’s different dynamics. …'“
Peter Mechen, Middle C
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