Coro Austral | O Magnum Mysterium
27 November, 2022, St Joseph’s Church, Rozelle
Margot McLaughlin – director
There is a great tradition of non-professional choirs in Sydney and it seems to me that over the last 30 years or so there has been a growth in the number of such groups. Maybe, as big cities expand and push suburban and village boundaries both outwards and inwards, people find themselves broken away from their family and friends, and the desire arises to join a community activity. And what could be better than joining a choir and singing for all to hear and to enjoy.
Coro Austral, founded by its musical director Margot McLaughlin, is one of these choirs and it fills one of the niches just right. They seem to be at home singing music from Europe from the 15th to 17th centuries and tonal music from recent times with a particular emphasis on music from Spanish speaking countries.
In a way the works in the concert were not as important as the coming together of the choristers to perform in the beautifully reverberant St Josephs, Rozelle. The most attentive and good sized audience was treated to music that wafted and weaved around this lovely venue.
The music in the first part included stalwarts of the very early baroque times in Spain, Portugal and Italy. A composer I had not heard of, Salamone Rossi (ca. 1570 – 1630), wrote music not dissimilar to Monteverdi and lovely it was.
The second part of the concert was aimed at more folksong style music and the choir clearly enjoyed in these works. Icelandic composer Bára Grímsdóttir’s Ėg vil lofa eina þá (I will praise her) was a most suitable choice for Coro Austral with its simple folksong melody, harmony and rhythm.
Margot McLaughlin is a conductor who is at the service of the music and does all she can to assist her choristers without being demonstrative. She brings a very informal approach to concert-giving walking down the centre of the church to engage with the audience and they clearly enjoyed her comments and her inclusion.
Composers included Tomás Luis de Victoria, Christobal de Morales, Diogo Dias Melgás, Salamone Rossi, César Alejandro Carrillo, Ola Gjeilo, Francisco Guerrero, Bára Grímsdóttir, Mykola Leontovich.
