WINDS THAT WHISPER
New Zealand Choral Music
The New Zealand Youth Choir/Karen
Grylls
MORRISON MUSIC TRUST MMT
2016 [58 mins]
These are April-fresh voices unaccompanied (apart from the two horns in the
Hamilton piece) and in unfamiliar though instantly accessible repertoire.
SAM PIPER's Kyrie from the Requiem is Howells-inflected. Piper
was born in 1977. JOHN RITCHIE's deep vintage British school sequence is
called Canary Wine. This comprises five songs redolent of Finzi's
Elegies, Moeran's Phyllida and Corydon and Kodaly's choral
works. Ritchie was born in 1921 and is not entirely straight-faced - the
humorous wail in Men's Shadows is certainly worth hearing. There are
two floating delights of songs from Lie Deep My Love by DAVID GRIFFITHS
(b. 1950). Britten's Hymn is an influence as also is William Mathias's
choral/orchestral cavalcades such as This Worlde's Joie. DOUGLAS MEWS
(1918-93) Lovesong of Rangipouri is more challenging having something
in common with the choral writing of Nicholas Maw and Christopher Browne.
He sets a Maori love chant. TE WEHI WHANAU (b.1934) is an ecstatic unison
song powerfully sung and reminding us of African choirs. RICHARD PUANACKI's
Ka Waiata is another Maori-based song which has quite a popular hymn-like
harmony to it. DAVID HAMILTON (b.1955) is represented by The Moon is Silently
Singing. This is the undoubted highlight of the disc. The music is touching,
melodic, vernally new-minted, ululating slides adding to the freshened mysticism
of the music. The two horns play a very full role and do so in some hushed
wonderment. The whisper-singing effects are breathtaking. JENNY MACLEOD's
Childhood is a collage of incidents and ideas from childhood. It has
much eager charm and spontaneity seen from the child's perspective - where
ideas tumble out and interrupt each other. Mildly challenging but nothing
to frighten the even slightly adventurous listener. Sovereign and joyous
singing in an open acoustic with just enough reverb to bring out richness
without clouding lines.
There are full notes and the design details are uniformly well judged and
eye-catching - all aptly matched to the music. A sheerly lovely production
amidst a dead sea of choral CDs. Would that all choirs had the freshness
and the depth of these New Zealanders. Highest praise for music and musicians.
Five stars - no doubt about it. Try the Hamilton and the Ritchie if you have
any doubts but start with the Hamilton!
Reviewer
Rob Barnett
Morrison & Co Music Trust
PO Box 1395
Wellington
New Zealand
www.trustcd.com
