The Royal Dunedin Male Choir entertained a large audience in St Paul’s Cathedral on Monday evening. Musical director John Buchanan is to be congratulated on the work he has done during the year with this group of about 40 male singers.
The choir was formed in 1886 and now in 2025 the city can be very proud of the choral standards it has achieved
The choir opened the concert with a strong patriotic number — Festival Piece on Sine Nomi — by Ralph Vaughan Williams, followed by an E. Wagner arrangement of Men of Song, Sing Out and an arrangement by Stephen Smith of the traditional Skye Boat Song. All demonstrated strong controlled harmony and impressive tenor timbre. Accompanists were pianist Linda Folland and organist David Burchell.
Later, two more brackets of three were equally pleasing, particularly Homeward Bound (Martha Keen arr. J Althouse), a dynamically contrasted free-flowing rendition of Carrickfergus, a more upbeat arrangement of traditional spiritual Shine on Me and You Do Not Walk Alone by Elaine Hagenberg. Uniformity of vowels and clarity of consonants was noticeable throughout and organ backing highlighted lt Is Well With My Soul.
Guest artist Jasmine Lengley presented three contrasting flute solos with pianist Sharon McLennan and added obligato to the choir for an arrangement of Tell My Father.
Guests soprano Eva Stein and tenor Teddy Finney Waters also entertained, accompanied by pianist Ewen Clark-Wallace. My favourite was Finney Waters with Copeland’s American folk song Long Time Ago. They also sang together in duet for You are My Heart’s Desire and Away in a Manger.
A brisk delivery of the Christmas carol Hark the Herald Angel Sing, originally by Mendelssohn, but delivered in a contemporary arrangement by American composer Dan Forrest, was the final item in this excellent concert.
Review by Elizabeth Bouman
