Gondwana is a children’s choir comprising, I
would guess, on the basis of the booklet photographs, mainly 14-16
year old girls with a few boys, presumably trebles. The booklet
pays tribute to the leadership of the Finn Erkki Pohjola in the
evolution and acceptance of children’s choirs around the world.
In the UK we are well used to children’s voices, previously mostly
boys, singing in the English Cathedral tradition in a repertoire
of church music. The difference and challenge here is the eclectic
nature of the repertoire addressed, as well as the forward, very
natural, vibrancy of the sound, as against the more cultured sound
U.K. listeners are used to when listening to young voices.
At first listening I went straight through the
disc and found the overall effect to be rather ‘sameish’, but,
and it is a vital ‘but’, the contents were interspersed with pieces
of music that made me sit up and take extra notice. Typical is
Tr.1, ‘A New Gondwana’ composed for the choir to sing in the New
South Wales Centennial Ceremony in 2001. Its tonal construction
and the choir’s realisation are a delight. Likewise Tr. 5, with
rather a long lead-in, with its ‘Wolf Call’ arrangement is another
such appealing and arresting piece whilst Tr.16, Paul Jarman’s
‘Ancient City’ reminded me of Puccini’s ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Turandot’
and was sheer delight.
The strengths of the choir are to be found in
good articulation and diction allied, where appropriate, to smooth
legato and a wide range of expression. Interspersed in the sequence
of items, and abolishing that earlier feeling of sameness in my
subsequent listening, are Jarman’s settings. These are often with
instruments new to me. Tr.12 features a Korean puk, ocean drum
and bouzouki! Kodály’s ‘Dancing Song’ (Tr.15) is also very
different in texture and in its demands on the skills of the choir.
The recording is clear, well balanced and without
congestion. The booklet gives informative résumé’s
on each work as well as the words. Any teacher of a school choir,
or those interested in hearing children singing a wide selection
of pieces, many outside the usual repertoire, will find much to
enjoy here.
Robert J Farr
Gondwana Voices/Lyn Williams
and Mark O’Leary