Choral society, orchestra team up for concert

The best laid plans … 

Gisborne Choral Society has rallied after unexpected changes led to a rearrangement of this year’s performance schedule. The choir is now rehearsing for a concert on November 10, when it will be accompanied by the Gisborne Civic Orchestra. 

Right after its “Pick ‘n Mix” concert of folk music at the end of May, the choir started rehearsals for a planned project with the Hastings Choral Society. Vocal scores for the Mozart Great Mass in C Minor had arrived from the National Library, soloists were engaged and air fares booked and paid for. 

The choir has collaborated with the Hastings crew a number of times and, as in the past, the plan was to perform together here in Gisborne, and two weeks later in Hastings. 

But circumstances changed for the Hastings choir and they decided they could not make it this time. 

So GCS has decided to go it alone, and first thing next year will resume rehearsals for the Mozart concert. The music was returned and air fares swapped to fit in with a concert date of April 6. Soloists and the organist were also able to accommodate the change. 

In the meantime, the choir has knuckled down to weekly rehearsals for the November concert, adding in some weekend sectional practices for more concentrated learning. 

The concert’s main two items will be the Bach Cantata 191, Gloria in Excelsis, and the Fantasia on Christmas Carols, by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Filling out the programme will be a selection of other short pieces. 

“It’s early for Christmas music, we’re aware of that,” said choral society president Mary-Jane Richmond. 

“But by the time things with Hastings had been finalised, we had run out of time to prepare the Mozart for the original dates (August 27 and September 8) but we still wanted to put something together. 

“The civic orchestra is enjoying something of a revival and our musical director Gavin Maclean approached them to see if they’d be interested in accompanying us in a concert.  

“Even though they are busy rehearsing for their own concert at the end of November, they agreed.” 

The choral society was grateful to the orchestra, Richmond said. “It will be lovely to have them back playing with us.” 

For many years the choir and orchestra played together in a concert at least once a year but it had been a while since this had happened. 

The trumpet features in the stirring opening of the Bach cantata and doing the honours here will be Maurice Reid, who lives in Whakatāne. He will also accompany soprano Catherine Macdonald in a duet the two have long wanted to perform together.