It was a tale of the Free State choirs stepping out of the spotlight to make way for their Gauteng counterparts. In the conclusion of the first semi-final of Varsity Sing, the University of the Free State (Kovsies) choir and the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) choir both lost to Tuks Camerata (from the University of Pretoria) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) choir.
Kovsies were a favourite in their previous round but performed to a poor reception from the judges in this semi-final. Their gradual decline in the quality of their performance was notable and sad for a choir with much potential. Meanwhile, Tuks Camerata solidified their position as a firm favourite.
UJ opened the show with the piece, I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes. The performance had good blending and displayed good colour and shading by their ability to control their volume. Judge Loyiso Bala said it was “pragtig” and that it was a performance filled with moments.
Their second piece, in the African genre, was Tambira Jehova. It was well choreographed and they appeared to be enjoying it. Afrikaans rapper Hemelbesem said that like gospel, or good news, it made him feel good.
Next was the turn of Kovsies with the Afrikaans song Kaapse Kanarie So Geelkeel Sing. It had little depth and felt like a one-dimensional performance. The voice blending was poor and their lines in the choir were singing at different volumes. The bass line was a bit off pitch.
Straight-talking judge Marvin Kernelle said people didn’t know their words and heavily reprimanded them saying he has not been convinced of their performance for three weeks. Hemelbesem said he was a disappointed in them and said the song was not a good choice for a semi-final.
For their second song, they took on Xhosa-language rendition of the lord’s prayer, Bawo Wethu Osezulwini. Again, this piece was badly blended. Fortunately, there were moments in the performance where you could hear the lines separately. Bala said they needed to hear the piano more clearly and that was why they were out of tune. Kernelle said that there was something special about the choir but that they had much introspection to do.
Competition favourite, Tuks Camerata, sang a Xhosa-language piece titled Indodana. It opened with good shading and the choir members looked invested in the music. The voice-blending was on point and the diction was clear as you could hear each word.
Bala called the performance unstylistic and said he can’t imagine Xhosa men and women singing the song. Competition judge Christo Burger said that what Bala meant was that it needed to be more traditional. He, however, felt it was a good composition. Kernelle, in his unique style, said, “They are in the final, that’s it.”
Lastly, although CUT didn’t make it through, they ended the night with a performance that proved that they have massive potential and that will do better next year. In their African genre piece Diphala, they had drum-beating to assist the energetic performance.
Personally, I don’t think it was a good idea for the men to wear vests. Bala said, win or lose, they were the most memorable choir in the competition. Burger said they represent the Free State well and that was difficult to compete against world-touring choirs in this competition.
Tune in next week Thursday at 8.30pm as the competition moves to the Hugo Lamprecht Auditorium in Parow, Cape Town for the coastal semi-finals. There, we will see Rhodes, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, the University of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch University go to head-to-head for the remaining two spots in the finals of Varsity Sing.
By Wendyl Martin, Weekend Argus
