Soweto Gospel Choir
Perth Concert Hall
Thursday, March 7
Listening to the Soweto Gospel Choir is the musical equivalent of an injection of vitamin B. For sheer exuberance and vitality, the Soweto choristers take a lot of beating. Unlike most choirs. the members of which are usually dressed in formal wear. the men and women in the Soweto ensemble resemble a rainbow, the women sporting bright, turban-tYpe headgear and vividly coloured gowns. The men wear very bright, outsize T-shirts and black trousers.
Also unlike most choirs. the Soweto singers gyrate. sway, bob and bow on the spot with great energy, including those performers who, in the gentle words of novelist Alexander McCall Smith in his No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, are “traditionally built”.
Moreover. the Soweto singers clap and stamp with uninhibited and seemingly limitless joie de vivre, giving not the slightest indication of jetlag despite having arrived in Perth only the night before from South Africa. This ebullience was infectious, with a concertgoer nearby so taken by such an energetic display that she, too, entered into the spirit of the performance with a series of impromptu arm movements.
In the splendid acoustics of the Perth Concert Hall it was surely not necessary to electronically amplify the singing to such an extent. The choristers generate more than sufficient decibels to reach the furthest corners of the venue – and, at times, boosting choral sound resulted in distortion.
There is a minimum of instrumental accompaniment: two traditional drums and an electric keyboard. Most of the singing was in the vernacular but there were some items presented in English. I particularly admired the intense expressiveness of Swing Low. Sweet Chariot. It was very moving, as were a number of powerfully atavistic songs which were enhanced by ululation. Also on the program were a number of freedom songs, presented with immense depth of feeling.
Soweto Gospel Choir will give performances in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne
NEVILLE COHN
THE WEEKEND WEST
9-10 MARCH 2013