CAROL CONCERT.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20736, 22 December 1932, Page 7

CAROL CONCERT.

THE HARMONIC SOCIETY, LAST NIGHT'S PERFORMANCE. Christmas music is somewhat limited in scope, and, without the inclusion of a number of the always-acceptable oxcerpts from Handel's "Messiah," choir conductors would find difficulty in arranging a progiammo of sufficient variety and intercut. Bearing this i" mind. Mr Victor C. Peters called upon the modems as well as the ancients for the carols which his Harmonic Society presented in the Civic Theatre last night. With the name of Handel appealin- t'tfur times on the programme, the choir contrived to make the concert decidcdlv interesting, many of tn carols being of great musical beaut}. Miss Eunice Meredith, soprano soloist, was warmly received. Her first so o was "Rejoice, Greatly," and in this she achieved a pure tone and a true oratorio stvle. As an encore she sang "Come Unto Him." another .Messiah " excerpt, with an excellent regard for the necessity to preserve a restraint and yet convey, musically, the meaning of the words. Liddlea On Earth Peace," she followed with the ancient carol, "Sleep, Holy Babe/' and again sang very well. The more declamatory "Morning Hmyn ' (Hcnschel) was her last offering, and again she was asked to respond to a recall. Mr J. L. Tennent, bass soloist, sang Bach's "Mighty Lord and King AH Glorious," with fine feeling and displayed a valuable range. Master .loua Claydon was to have co-operated with Mr James Shaw in the solo parts of the old carol, "Good King Wenceslas. He had a cold, however, and his place was taken by Miss Ellis I-'raser. Both sang well and the interesting descant introduced with the chorus made the number an appealing one. In order that the audience might p>ay some part in the musical celebration of Christmas, it was invited to join m the singing of Scars' "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," arranged bv Dunhill, Mendelssohn's "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," and the traditional carol, "The first Lowell." Among the other carols were Parry's loth Century " Welcome Yule," the Boughton arrangement of "0 Come, All Ye Faithful," "Remember, O Thou Man" (Lang), Pearsail's ' "In dulci jubilo," and Elgar's "I Sing the Birth." J. B. Dale's difficult nine-part "Cradle Song," with Miss Dorothy Wiltshire as soloist, was sung in a sweetly-flowing style, and in the WBth Psalm, "Lord, Who hast tnade us Tor Thine own.," arranged by Hoist, a re-, markable tone was obtained. Percy Fletcher's festival carol,- "Ring Out, Wild Bells," an intricate mass of brilliant part-singing and uncommon chords, was the choir's best offering. As in other numbers, the conductor's strong control was emphasised by the contrast between this and the preceding "I Saw Three Ships" (Staiuer) wHh all its delicacy of movement and treatment. The stirring "Hallelujah Chorus" (the "Messiah") concluded the programme. All- Peters achieves unusual success with his introduction of descants into many of the choir's works, and the result is distinctly pleasing to the audience as well as being valuable to the choir in achieving a departure from set style. Many of the carols were accompanied by organ and piano. Miss Blanche Atkinson was the accompanist, and displayed her usual grace, while ,Mr W. Melville Lawrv was at the organ. Mr Lawry was somewhat hampered through a mechanical defect in the instrument, but during the second part of the programme was able to give a finished performance of Handel's "Pastoral Symphony. v

MSUVBRY.