Review Category: Australia

Where the text spoke of anguish, pleading and torment, the ACC lifted in united energy and awe through the glorious triads and suspensions. Impeccable pitch and articulation of the text are a feature of the ACC’s performances, and throughout, the tempered contrasts of dynamics in response to the text was scholarly and splendid. It is a joy to hear the Stabat Mater – and with the grand final cadence “While my body here decays, May my soul your goodness praise, Safe in heaven eternally,” the ensemble affirmed a celestial height.

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For the Australian Chamber Choir, … an acknowledgement of a creative force that transcends faith and soars … with a devotion and assurance that is inspirational and affirming.

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The Coronation Gloria delivered a triumphal entry to the program with bold brass accompaniment and the choir in full and confident voice. The spine tingles started here.

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they created a sound that was as pure as crystal, beautifully blended, clearly articulated and unanimous in execution of phrasing and dynamics.

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This was the choir at its best – secure of entry, pure of intonation, its long phrases firmly moving forward and with excellent solo offerings in both the Sanctus and Agnus Dei.

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Chamber Choir take command of challenging work

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The choir’s flawless intonation, impeccable blend, marvellously pure intervals, seamless contrapuntal vocal movement and their careful emphasis on text delivered an exceptional concert.

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... as TS Eliot might have said, between the sheet music and the concert falls the shadow. Hearing Vaughan Williams’s little-known John Bunyan setting from 1940,

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The Australian Chamber Choir is attracting an increasing following. This can be attributed to three major factors: the quality of the performances, the choice of repertoire, and the suitability of Our Lady of Mount Carmel as a venue. The acoustic of this Middle Park church provides a splendid vehicle to showcase the vocal and musical strengths of this 18 voice choir. On Sunday afternoon, a fine blending of strong voices with secure intonation and a surprisingly broad dynamic range responded to the direction of Douglas Lawrence with assurance.

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The program’s most challenging music, a terse but harmonically grinding Miserere extracted from Penderecki’s  St. Luke Passion, enjoyed a lucid reading from the 17-strong ensemble, who handled its pungent intervallic clashes with controlled vigour, the emotional aura of regret and sorrow coming across with singular success.

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Before Sunday, I had never seen a choir performance except on Christmas day or during a Qantas ad … It was instantly apparent that each individual was uniquely gifted and that together, the talent of these perfectly-synchronised individuals was simply outstanding.”

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