CHORAL SOCIETY'S CONCERT.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 265, 7 November 1919, Page 9

CHORAL SOCIETY'S CONCERT.

; AN ENJOYABLE PERFORMANCE. ' Last night at the Town Hall, in the : presence of a large audience, the Aucklland Choral Society gave its fourth ' concert of the season. Gounod'e "Messe Solenelle" and a concert arrangement of the opera "Faust" J • were the subjects presented, and highly j praiseworthy reading were given of the composer's two most famous works. J The readings secured of the pieces gave i unbounded pleasure, and the performj ance proved to be one of the most enjoyable and successful of the series. In the selection of the eolo cast the committee exhibited discrimination, j each member being; able to sustain hie : part with distinction, displaying the music in a style giving delight to the : audience, which was made manifest by j the frequent requests for repetition of the principal numbers. Though the choir was unevenly bal- ; anced owing to the male portion being unequal in strength to the other divisions, the men present sang with a will and confidence which did them credit. J Excepting that tho sopranos found some lof the high degroee a tax on the voice , : and they had to strain to reach the note, 1 the ladies displayed some admirable j j work, whilst a feature of the ehorue j singing was the nice quality of tone produced by the contraltos, and the care j exhibited by them in the leads and I releases. j The peculiar contrast represented by ' these famous compositions; the " Messe Solennelle " and " Faust," symbolisee the ; caprices of Gounod's character. He was ' imbued with mysticism and deeply reli- ! ' gious. At other times the worldly spirit of " Faust," " Romeo and Juliet," and I other secular numbers made itself con- ; ; epicuously apparent in hie character. | (The " Messo Solennelle" was the first j ;work of the author's given in England, ; ! and its deeply religious sentiment and impressive music immediately appealed. j The music of " Faust" is as fresh to-day and alluring in its beauty as it was when j produced in 1859. The opera has been : produced times without number on the , 'concert platform, and on the stage, whilst , j recently, ite 1,500 th performance was 'given at the Paris Grand Opera. The j" Mcsse Solennelle" occupied the first I part of the evening. A devotional and ! impressive reading was secured of the I" Kyrie." The subdued singing in the { I larghetto part of the " Cloria in Ex- ! selsis " was effective, and a pompous and j j stately delivery was obtained of the : j" Laudamus." The octave and unisonal j i passages were clearly sustained in the ! l"Credo,'' and dovotionally sung was the I j Adagio movement. In "Et Resurrexit" i I the sopranos were taxed in reaching the i jhig-h intervals. A flowing reading was j given of " Et Vitam," and the orchestra ! gave a smooth and expressive perform- j ance of the OfTertorium, whilst impree- j ' sive deliveries were gecured by the choir ! !of the " Sanctus," " Benedictus," and j j" Angus Dei." Miss Cora Melvin sang j tastefully in " Qui Sedes," and the Bene- j 1 dictus. Expressively rendered was j : "Domine fill unigenitt," by Mr. F. Bourke, j ! and , " Qui tollis" effectively sung by the ■ I solo, trio and chorus. In the opening •of the tenor solo in the " Sanctus " Mr. j Carter was successful, but in the subse- I quent " Pleni cunt" he missed some of ' the measures. ! In the " Faust" music the soloists were ; very happily chosen. Miss Cora Melvin's i light and pleasing soprano suited the i mueic : she sang with taste and feeling, j and clearly enunciated the words. She ! scored a distinct success in " The King of i Thule," singing the solo with simplicity | of etyle and nice expression. The rendering was so much enjoyed that a repetition was requested. The soprano also scored with Mr Carter a delightful j delivery of the beautiful duo, " The Hour j is Late!" Miss Ivy Woods sang pleas- ' ingly in "Gentle' Flowers in the Dew," I and sustained nicely the music of i "Weary I Wait," and gave with distinc- ! 1 tion Sibel's part in the concerted pieces, j ' !Mr. Fred Bourke'e fine baritone was displayed to advantage in the "Oalf of Gold," the soloist rendering tho music in a maestoso and firm manner, enunci- ; ating hie words admirably, and singing his intervals with a justness of intonai tion always reliable. He also gave pleasure in his capable rendering of "Maiden F»i(min<r to be Sleeping." In <he solos allotted to "Faust, -, Mr. Hubert 'E. Carter was eminently successful. , Into his sinjriner he threw dramatic intensity and feelinjr. using hie voice in a way which delightfully "" expressed the pentiment of the piece and the beauty of ! the music. After hie tender and c*- ' pressive reading of "All Hail Thou j Dwelling" the tenor was heartily en- ' cored. He aleo distinguished himself in j "O Dear One" and in "0 never leave mc I now." The choir sansr crisply in the ■ sparkling choruses, and pave with nice effect "Fed or Golden," "Lfeht as Air." and 'Told the Fla?." In the Mass and in "Faust" the orchestra played the delijrhtful instrumeTitntioTi with marked success*. Misses Whitelpw and Stevenson .ictinsr n« lenders of the first and second violins. The performance wns conducted with authority by Mr. Colin Muston. "