Music / Bach vs Handel Sing-off. ANU Choral Society. At University House, ANU,  October 11. reviewed by ALANNA MACLEAN

A splendid idea for a Sunday afternoon SCUNA concert was to have a face off between composers Bach and Handel.

They were born in the same year but one went off to be famous in England while the other stayed in Germany going through a series of wives, raising lots of children and creating lots of music.

Under the huge, inescapable presence of Leonard French’s Regeneration in University House’s hall, SCUNA’s choir and instrumentalists presented a programme of short pieces in pairs introduced by bewigged MC, Leo Amadeus, who invited the audience to vote by acclamation each time for their favourite.

I think Handel came out the winner overall, what with the exuberance of the Hallelujah Chorus and Zadok the Priest, as well as For unto us a child is born from the Messiah. But then there’s there are beauties of Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring and Sheep May Safely Graze to be considered.

Aside from an occasional uncertainty among the male singers the choir and small orchestra (SCUNA Camerata) were in good form under conductor Veronica Thwaites-Brown’s sure footed direction.

Anthony Smith allowed them a break while he turned the keyboard into a harpsichord with adroit and lovely performances of Bach’s Allemande from French suite no 6 and Handel’s Air and Variations from suite in E major.

Composerly competition aside, there was much enjoyable singing and playing to be heard in a concert that reminded us of some pieces of music that will always be special. And so well-known that I suspect some people were quietly singing along with just about everything.

Good on SCUNA for giving the audience many musical reasons to smile on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

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