City Choir Dunedin, under the musical direction of David Burchell, presents the three-part oratorio on a two-yearly basis.
Whether those at the Dunedin Town Hall on Saturday evening were hearing the work for the first time or the tenth, all appreciated the work the 95-strong choir, four soloists and members of the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra had put in before they filed on to the stage.
Burchell conducted and played the harpsichord, while Heleen du Plessis (cello) and Micah Xiang (organ) gave polished performances in continuo passages.
In a last-minute change, Tessa Romano (alto) replaced Maaike Christie-Beekman, who was caught by the Airbus groundings. Romano did a superb job, especially in the duet, O death, where is thy sting?, with tenor Jordan Fuimaono, whose rich voice and clear diction was a pleasure to experience throughout the concert.
As is the convention, the audience stood for the Hallelujah chorus, an uplifting section that gave the choir and orchestra the opportunity to let rip at the conclusion of part two.
Soprano Joanna Foote delighted with I know that my redeemer liveth, which opens part three of Messiah.
The familiar air, The trumpet shall sound, showed trumpeter Ralph Miller at his best but bass David Greco seemed a little weary in this air, his diction not as sharp as it had been earlier in his recitatives.
Messiah was another resounding success for Burchell, the soloists, a committed City Choir Dunedin and the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, who put so much into a single public performance.
