TOWN HALL ORGAN RECITAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 21, 24 July 1918, Page 2

TOWN HALL ORGAN RECITAL

Mr. Bernard F. Page, City Organist, gave his weekly recital at the Town Hall last night. The programme, coniT prising works by composers of many nations, was specially fine, being fulj, of interest and of great variety. It opened with the" fantastic "Midsummer Night's Dream" overture by Mendelssohn, of which, an excellent and greatly-appreciat-ed rendering 'was given. A pleasant little Andantino by Wolstenholme -was followed by the Third Movement from the "Forest Scenes" suits of Coleridge Taylor, the charming depiction of the natural and ■ metaphysical phenomena of woodland life being most successful. Tlie first' part of the/recital concluded with Cesar Franck's Choral (No. 3) in A, whjchfully sustains its composer's re--putation for work of the. highest order, and gives full scope to Mr. Page's brilliant powers. ■ The choral was of course the leading feature of the recital, the pagnifieent closing section amply realising the expectations created "by the earlier part of the number. It is suggested that Mr. Page would meet the wiehes of- a considerable section of his hearers if he would again "give a recital devoted entirely to Franck's ■compositions," -admiration -for which he has succeeded in incnlcating to a marked degree. The second part of last night's programme consisted; of Boellmann's "Suite Gothique", and Moussorgsky's "Gate of tl;e Warriors, at Kiev." The suite comprises a short but imposing choral, a bright minuet, a tender prayer to Our Lady, and a glorious toccata. The Moussorgsky piece is characterised by great strength and spontaneity, and possesses in a,remarkable degree the power to conjure up for its hearers mental pictures—always of mighty proportions.