MALE VOICE CHOIR.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18462, 17 August 1925, Page 7

MALE VOICE CHOIR.

A SUCCESSFUL CONCERT. The stage-setting of the Choral Hall was much improved in decorative Effect for Saturday night's'concert of the Male Voice Choir, who faced a full and more than usually receptive house, and'the singers, under Dr. Bradshaw's artistic and exacting guidance, gave their best, sectoring on several occasions much more than automatic honours. In point of balance the tenors were hardly as satisfactorily efficient as last season, but tlie co-operation of the Cathedral Choristers opened again a J wider field of choice in the composition, of the programme. An admirable impression was made at once with the first part song, Coleridge-Taylor's beautiful "Drake's Drum," with its lovely sonorous harmony, excellently sung. In Morlcv's madrigal, "My Bonny Lass She Smiled," its.dainty grace was well conveyed with no small share of credit to the boys participating and, in their own rights, with the Scottish melody, "The Flowers of the Forest," it wasthe soloists, Masters Joynt and Taylor, who could claim the highest praises. Quaintly • original and clever, Elgar's "Tut Tut!" found vivid interpretation, and a good attempt was made to reflect the "romantic spirit of Thomas Moore's exquisite poem, "J)own in YOll Summer Vale," in the melodious setting of Charles Wood. It is amazing how' little English composers draw upon their wonderful store of great I poetry. For beauty of tone, both or men and boys, the Irish •»«, "How Dear to Me," in Stanford's fine version was the most distinguished number. The -boys' -unison song, 4i The Crew of the Albion," by Clianes Macpherson, is also entitled to special and favourable comment. With a very eood soloist, Mr P. Angus, ' Spin, Snin " the Swedish song found again a place, and Mr A. E. Ward led we the quaint sailors' chanty. ihrougli all their numbers the Choir upheld 'their standard of efficiency and faithful workmanship so often appraised. . Something of an excitement was caused bv the reappearance of Madame Winnie "Eraser after an absence of several years. She had, before her departure, attained to prominence, among Kf foremost New Zealand singers. Now. she came before us with t u results of extended study in the O d World and from the school of wide fce t and weighing than there is « letter A few moments sufficed to Sahms and in "Dcfw'tlie beauty and power of her 'Twee £reSpecifically brought V °l it vvas in the subtler inflections 0 H in the word-painting requisite for aUd w„„i?,h soiU, particularly for , r English son s, fl) Bwien You Are Old", that her I-iirv and refined conception were Proved V"v charmingly she also sang pioveci. . AriT" bv Puccini. carried the audience SSTr St"»s. y and scored .» u»,U Wislfto'r3 roritatio. Mr T. r vLeis presented Gounod s rmta- ■' aria "Lend Me lour Aid, tive' and ana, Mo bile," as an but fl seemed little suitable for his encore, seen . pcnfold is a singer V f ,ee \ Jioreciartd for expressive and a ! Wa -Ktf Jleliverv, and his two songs, thoughtful dei «« Inv ictus," sus'<Mine Knemj an'i ta w ed d ! at work most of the evening. Hard at the lnghme nt M / S ,l accompaniments with unvary0f iMI and refinement, inspiring coning sklll . n eJ er ' v singer and responding fidcnce m