22nd September 2007 ~ Handel's Samson ~ Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell, Auckland.
Saturday night's Samson must go down as one of Auckland Choral's finest achievements with much credit due to Peter Watts, a musical director who knows the value of enterprise and challenge in programming.

There is enough drama in Handel's score to fuel a handful of operas and Watts, by deft pruning, honed its narrative and ensured an almost theatrical impact.
I was not so hopeful when Pipers Sinfonia's well-measured Overture seemed unnecessarily burdened with persistently clumsy horn playing; but Watts' unfailingly spruce tempi and considered phrasing saved the moment.
David Hamilton's Samson set the scene with a short, telling recitative. This tenor seems to redefine expressivity; he can turn and bend a phrase with the sensitivity of a blues singer, a talent of considerable use in recitative singing. He made Samson a man of flesh and blood.
If Hamilton was inevitably centre-stage, in exemplary voice for the arias Total eclipse and Thus when the sun, he was also dramatically charged in his dealings with other characters such as the confrontation with Roger Wilson's bullying Harapha in Go baffled coward.
Countertenor Robert Cross, as Samson's friend Micah, was elegant of voice and beautifully pointed in his phrasing, all the time effortlessly projecting and enunciating. So fine was he, in fact, that I would have welcomed some of his omitted arias such as O Mirror of our Fickle State.
If Roger Wilson was a magnificently belligerent Harapha, striding his way through arias like Presuming Slave, then David Griffiths, as Samson's father Manoah, was more tender of mien, gauging sincerity and line with equal sensitivity in How willing my paternal love.
Nicola Edgecombe is a soprano with the clarity and poise of an Emma Kirkby. She was not only Delilah, but took on all the women's solos, including a fearless account of Let the bright seraphim, with Philip Lloyd's noble trumpet. Particularly exquisite was My faith and truth, with echoing women's voices, much of it unaccompanied.
Handel is a master of choral writing, and all the singers enjoyed the fugal scurries along with the resonant oases when the composer settles down to broader chordal matters. In a word, bravo!
William Dart for the New Zealand Herald.

12th August 2007 ~ Music of Hope and Consolation ~ Christchurch Arts Festival, Christchurch Cathedral.
Even a first glance at the programme showed that this was a tough assignment. It turned out to be a concert of riches, confidently presented, that left the substantial audience plenty to ponder.
The concert would have benefited had the order of items been reversed. To start with the obscure and divergent, yet very interesting Saint-Saens Messe a Quatre Voix Op. 4 was hard for both choir and audience.
The very soft Kyrie that followed a long organ introduction was all but inaudible. It took me some time to accept that it was meant to be like that, and it was not that the singers were afraid of being heard.
It was the first revelation that the Jubilate Singers are a firmly disciplined group that Grant Hutchinson has shaped into a chamber choir capable of meeting any musical demands. There were plenty to follow.
The choir sang strongly when it needed to, and the sound was always well blended and balanced, except for the need of a deep bass voice in the Agnus Dei by Samuel Barber. The other end of the spectrum was excellent, with some wonderful high soprano singing.
The other big work in the programme was Britten's cantata, Rejoice in the Lamb, and was conducted by the Jubilate's founder, Martin Setchell. The choir and soloists brought off its unique character convincingly.
Martin Setchell also played, with his usual strength and precision, an organ Te Deum by Jean Langlais. A motet by Vaughan Williams completed a fine concert on a festive note.
David Sell for The Press (Christchurch)

28th April 2007 ~ Handel's Messiah ~ Wellington Town Hall, NZ.
It might seem odd to have a performance of the Messiah at the end of April, but it didn't deter a sizeable number of the faithful.
And they would have had little to complain about, for this was a very polished performance. Indeed, it was a salutary reminder of just how much standards, across the board, have improved in recent years.
The choir, numbering a little fewer than 100 singers, delivered all the punch needed in the dramatic chrouses, and plenty of clarity and finesse elsewhere. The soloists were a well balanced quartet, and the orchestra of 30 or so players was highly articulate and polished.
I suppose Handel aficionados, aware of the modern way with this iconic work, might have wished for a more theatrical treatment, and they might have had a small point. Conductor Michael Fultcher certainly opted for fairly safe tempos, and on occasions, particularly in Part 1, a little more variation, a little more light and shade, would have been welcome.
Parts 2 and 3 were more dynamic, with a brilliantly buoyant and incisive Hallelujah Chorus, a wonderfully heroic The Trumpet Shall Sound from veteran Grant Dickson with marvellous trumpet playing from Mathew Stenbo, and a lovely uncomplicated I Know that my Redeemer Liveth from Lisette Wesseling.
All the soloists had their moments, with tenor Benjamin Makisi, an occasional intonation problem apart, suitably ringing in Every Valley. Counter-tenor Robert Cross was always highly polished, if not quite suited to the large Town Hall.
The immaculate continuo playing of Douglas Mews, on harpsichord and chamber organ, summed up the whole performance's overall polish. With just a little more drama it would have been absolutely stunning.
John Button for The Dominion Post (Wellington).

2nd April 2007 ~ Arvo Part's Passio ~ Christchurch Cathedral, NZ.
Cantores Chamber Choir, conducted by Brian Law at Chrustchurch Cathedral. Reviewed in The Press by Timothy Jones.
For these performers, an hour of Arvo Part must have been like driving a Ferrari just using first gear. So much pent-up power, deployed so artfully and with such continuous control, made me imagine the choir preserving its sanity by relaxing afterwards by belting out a few choruses from the Mikado, or going of to Warners (Hotel Bar) for some Irish roving.
Passio, the one work on the programme, which was and still is a top-selling CD, relates Christ's passion in a kind of Gregorian chant; yes, I know it is not really Gregorian chant at all, but it shares that music's serenity, simplicity and contemplative power. As such, and with its minimal dynamic variation, it made great CD listening, marketed, without a shadow of doubt, as music to relax to. But a live performance of such austere, stripped-down music, where the drama is in the text rather than the music is another matter altogether, and anyone expecting the musical hijinks of the Passions of Bach would have been gravely disapointed.
The performance, it should at once be said, was superb. Ben Caukwell as Christ, Andrew Grenon as Pilate and the vocal quartet of Virginia Nichol, Robert Cross, Robert Woodford and Chris Bruerton were in magical form, while the choir was light and flexible throughout. Likewise Brian Law's control was hard to fault, but the music itself remains profoundly tedious. Any performance is of course admirable, but for the listener, the endless, and apparently pointless, repetition along with the desolate musical landscape, made for pretty grim listening. This was a bold piece of programming which, I must admit, other present seemed to enjoy more than I did
The Press (Christchurch) .

17th June 2006 ~ Music In The Park 2006 ~ Chippenham Park, Nr. Newmarket, Cambridgeshire.
The grounds of an English country house on a balmy Saturday evening in midsummer was the perfect setting for a memorable performance of Gluck’s opera Orfeo. A successful outdoor performance of any chamber music is not the easiest of things to accomplish, but with the chamber orchestra from the University of Surrey (UniS) under the accomplished directorship of Samuel Rice and the enthusiastic and well-drilled chorus of Chippenham Church Choir, the foundations of a wonderful evening were laid. The singing of the two soprano soloists Marika Tozer (Euridice) and Sian Evans (Amore) was accomplished and thoughtfully projected, but the undoubted star of the evening was Chippenham’s own Robert Cross, singing the role of Orfeo. Robert’s voice possesses a purity of sound and a beauty of tone that even coped with a P.A. system used so that the 1200+ audience could hear what was going on.
The music of Gluck is not always accessible to the modern ear, especially when sung in the original Italian, but Robert was able to bring it to life and even those unaccustomed to the style of music and also the counter-tenor voice itself, cannot fail to have been impressed.
[Peter B. North]

6th May 2005 ~ Ascension Day Concert ~ Ely Cathedral
Concert with Ely Cathedral Choir and the choir and orchestral from the King's School Ely.
In Bach's "Ascension Oratorio" BWV11: Praise God In His Splendour - Robert Cross (countertenor) gave real credit to his previous training as an Ely Cathedral chorister.
His more maturely developed voice charged with emotional potency made his singing one of the most memorable parts of the evening.
[Rosemary Westwell MA Ed., MA TESOL, BMus., BA Hons.]

26th February 2005 ~ Countertenor & Continuo Charity Concert
I can’t remember the last time I attended a concert where the audience stood to applaud at the end. Last Saturday night the village church in Chippenham welcomed back Robert Cross, music student at Surrey University, who with two friends gave us a real treat. Judging by the applause and standing ovation, the whole audience agreed with me that it was a night to remember.
The concert was in aid of the Prostate Cancer charity and was extremely successful, raising over £1,200 from ticket sales and donations.
Robert Cross was Head Chorister at Ely Cathedral while at school. His voice has always been powerful, even when a young boy, and now with good training and much practice it has developed into a terrific, sweet and rounded countertenor.
He performed with two university friends, Sam Rice (double bass), and Stefan Bodel (harpsichord), both very talented young musicians.
The concert started with a well-known Handel aria, “Pena tiranna io sento”, from the opera Amadigi, a good showpiece for the countertenor voice. This was followed by “Flow my tears” by John Dowland, a sombre lament typical of that composer, who never seemed to write anything jolly.
Two short Purcell songs, “Sweeter than roses” and the ubiquitous “Music for a While” came next. I have heard these sung by James Bowman, world-famous countertenor and also an ex-Ely chorister like Robert Cross. Robert’s delicate phrasing and pure tone reminded me of James Bowman’s performance in his younger days. This was followed by “Ombra mai fu”, a Handel aria better known as “Handel’s Largo”, with gentle harpsichord continuo.
The first half concluded with more recent works, Schubert’s “An die Musik”, Brahms’ “The May night” and Britten’s “ The Salley Gardens”, which allowed Robert to develop a more romantic and rich timbre in his voice.
The second half of the concert was taken up by a performance of J S Bach’s Cantata no. 170, “O gladdening peace”, containing three countertenor arias plus recitatives. These were beautifully sung with great control and rapport.
Robert recently won first prize in the “Supporting Young Singers” competition for Southern England. This brings with it the invitation to appear as soloist in a concert with the Hart choir in Hampshire in April. He is back at Ely Cathedral in May for a concert including Bach cantatas.
Chippenham is very proud to have such a talented young singer in its midst, and particularly so in that Robert regularly sings with the church choir here when he is at home. His voice is really something special, he has a relaxed performing attitude which connects well with the audience.
In the countertenor world, he could be the next Robin Blaze, the young Oxford singer who is appearing everywhere at the moment. Remember, you read it here first.
[Judy Broadway]