ROYAL AUCKLAND CHOIR.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 195, 19 August 1927, Page 16

ROYAL AUCKLAND CHOIR.

Despite the inclement evening there was a large attendance at the Royal Auckland Choir's second concert of the season in the Town Hall last night. The male choralists assembled some 75 members, and enjoyable performances were given of the numerous concerted pieces. Granville Bantock's "Hunting Song" provided material for bright and responsive singing, which was fully taken advantage of. The tenors sang with clearness and nice vocal quality, and the basses secured a good tone, and their work blended agreeably with the higher voices of the choir. The varying cadences of Dard's "Nightfall" were executed with beauty and vocal inflection, whilst the dialogue between the different voices was effectively sustained. The choralists were warmly encored at the close of the music, and in response sang with expression and durational stress the hymn "Abide With Me." An energetic and graphic rendering was secured of Harrison's "Viking Song." With resolution and power of voice the initial verse was sung, descriptive and telling was the performance of "Hear the Ring of His Mail," and the inner parts were ado* quately exposed in "But the Viking Drinks Deep." A merry and free delivery was that of Lovatt's "Now is tho Month of Maying." The voices circled around each other with accuracy and fluency and phrased the music suitably. Paliard's "The Sea Fight" was treated in a style which displayed the dramatic parts to good purpose. The building up of the tone was well managed, and the climaxes were telling and forcible, and the chording was rich and resonant in "Comrades, Be Steady." Devotionally sung was "Now May Heaven," and impressively rendered- was the closing "What a Silence." The pianissimo singing in "Both Ships and Men" was noteworthy, as was also the good vocal quality made by the basses in the low intervals of the final cadence. Charmingly rendered was Shelley's "Dreaming," whilst Buck's "Bugle Song" and Dard's "Night and Day" were other successfullysung concerted numbers. Bemberg's "Nymphs and Fawns" and Cowen's "A Birthday" were given with nice vocal quality and beauty of phrase by Mrs. Arthur Walton, who also sang feelingly in Rowley's "When Rooks Fly Homeward." Haydn's air and variations were played with freedom of bowing, clearness of execution and pleasing tone quality by Mr. Francis Bate, 'cellist. In Wagner's transcription of " Star of Eve" he secured a nice cantabile and phrased gracefully, and gave a facile rendering of David Popper's "Arlequin." Moss' "Floral Dance" and Lohr's "For the Green" were tastefully delivered by Mr. H Schofield. All the soloists were warmly recalled. Dr. W. E. Thomas had his singers under perfect control in the ensemble pieces, and Mr. Cyril Towsey capably sustained the pianoforte parts.