A Muted NZSO Messiah
By Max Rashbrooke
After last year’s stripped-down – and very good – Messiah, I was expecting something completely different: an all-guns-blazing performance led by an Australian conductor, Brett
Weymark, well known for renditions that feature as many as 400 singers. Instead what we got was a performance that
couldn’t quite seem to make up its mind.
Lining up this year to sing Handel’s classic were the 140-strong Orpheus Choir, who quite apart from their technical
excellence can obviously produce a big sound. But – confusion number one – they were paired with a pared-back orchestra
in the baroque style. Then – confusion number two – said orchestra played at a tempo you’d expect to find in a
period-appropriate rendition – but with Romantic dynamics, lingering swells and shifts of emotion that seemed to come
from another era.
Perhaps in response – confusion number three – the choir were remarkably muted. It was odd to hear such a dull
performance, especially under the baton of someone known for their choral work. But it was undeniable: in, for instance,
what is usually one of the most exciting numbers, For Unto Us a Child is Born, the choir sounded entirely unenthused
about the arrival of this infant, even though he – being, you know, Christ – is kind of a big deal, to borrow a line
from Will Ferrell.
Similarly the thrilling climaxes of numbers like And He Shall Purify were disappointingly underplayed. The singing
throughout was technically very good: no-one could complain about the accuracy, the blending or the basic quality of the
voices. But there was very little passion, or punch, or urgency. It was all a little muted and polite.
The soloists were also slightly underwhelming, capable of some lovely moments but not possessing the resonance to give
the work its full weight. Soprano Celeste Lazarenko and mezzo-soprano Deborah Humble combined beautifully for He Shall
Feed His Flock, their majestic vocal lines matched by a rich, sweet sound from the NZSO players. Tenor Robert Macfarlane
displayed some acting talent and a good dynamic range, especially in the opening Comfort Ye, My People, and bass Jared
Holt was convincingly stern and forceful, with careful phrasing and musical intelligence (For Behold, Darkness Shall
Cover the Earth was particularly good). But none of their singing was such as to blow one away with its beauty or power;
the more testing runs were not quite carried off with conviction and some of the vocal work was frankly a bit muddy.
The NZSO’s sound was good throughout, especially in the sprightly opening and the gentle woodwinds of the Pastoral
interlude. Some of the stripped-down moments, with just harpsichord, solo violin and cello playing, were a real delight.
The real problem, as above, was trying to work out how that playing fitted into the wider picture – or whether there
was, in fact, a convincing wider picture, something that never seemed certain at any point in the performance.