REVIEWS
"There was a real sense of occasion on Saturday when Auckland Choral farewelled Peter Watts after 20 years as music director. The concert was also a celebration, marking just how much this dynamic Englishman has provided a figurehead and direction for the group over the past two decades. David Hamilton's The Ring of Words set an appropriate tone, praising the power of music ...
"... Beethoven's Mass in C provided the impetus choir and orchestra needed ... The musicians were well-primed, from the striding fugal entries of the choristers to exquisite woodwind colorations and bracing outbursts from trumpets and drums ..."
-William Dart, New Zealand Herald, April 2008
"After interval, Watts had his choir well primed for the promised profanities of 'Carmina Burana'. From the steady stakling of 'O Fortuna' to those curly rhythms of the 'Veni, veni, venias', the 100 plus singers were in top gear.
-William Dart, New Zealand Herald, March 2007
"Peter Watts led the impressive choir and the powerful percussion-backed orchestra in a rendering of Webber's Requiem that sent the senses reeling."
-Diane Francis, Franklin Life Newspaper, July 2007
"Handel is a master of choral writing and all the singers enjoyed the fugal scurries along with resonant oases when the composer settles down to broader choral matters. Samson must go down as one of Auckland Choral's finest achievements."
-William Dart, New Zealand Herald, September 2007
"It was spellbinding. The choir's entry on 'Rex Tremendae' sent shivers down the spine. The lasting memory I take away is the sound of that big choir, booming out a bare fifth at the end of [Mozart's] Requiem."
-Anthony Ritchie, Otago Daily Times, 2005