RICHARD CROOKS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21908, 8 October 1936, Page 7

RICHARD CROOKS

final concert ; -y ,;-i A VARIED PROGRAMME

. Mk; Richard Crooks gave, his ; snal concert last night in the '•Theatre Royal. He certainly hasra fine voice and knows how to use it most effectively, but he seems altogether too ready to lavish these admirable and enviable qualities upon music that is thoroughly unworthy of him. But let this wait for the moment.

The recital made .an entirely satisfying opening, with three very acceptable Handel arias: “Wherever You Walk," “Alma mla,” Jnd “Tell My Beloved.” The singer’s use of pianissimo in the first two of these was altogether charming, and his consonant liaison from one word to the next was an admirable lesson in the art of super-legato melodic singing. One questions, however, some of his vowel sounds, particularly “fahn” lor “fan” <and other words illustrating the same vowel sound), for this sound is condemned by almost all English siriging methods, and it certainly is a distortion of ths speech sound, and therefore unnatural.

His third Handel song, “Tell My Beloved, ’ was notable for its robust treatment and its fine directness. The control of the florid sequential passages was excellent and highly enjoyable. His encores to this group were “Star Vincino” (Salvatore Rosa), and the lovely “Du bist die Rub” of Schubert, beautifully phrased, deeply felt, and exquisitely expressed, the contrast between the fortissimo, treatment of the ascending climax phrase and its pianissimo repetition being movinglv eloquent J

The pianist, Frederick Schauwecker, as at the tormer concert, charmed the audience with his musicianly playing. In addition to his work as accompanist, he played two groups of solos, Nocturne” (Glazounov), “Impressions” (Florent Schmitt), and “Piece Rococo” (Tay.or), .forming his first group, and a Chopin Nocturne bracketed with “Poeme Triste” (Sibelius) his second. The Glazounov “Nocturne” built jn waves of ever advancing tone, the Schmitt “Impressions” passed from a tonal opening into a strong final major melody, while the “Pi£ce Rococo” of Taylor hung upon a theme somewhat suggestive of a popular air. Fine, sombre, intense playing made the massive “Poeme Triste” of Sibelius an impressive number.

i Mr Crooks for his operatic aria sang the “Flower Song” from Carmen (Bizet), and by his fine feeling and shapely treatment of the music admirably conveyed the atmosphere of the operatic stage. “Spanish Serenade," rhythmically strong, and coloured in fine national style, made an appropriate first encore. Possibly a change of mood was at this moment a good point of programme design, but Hahn’s "L’heure exquise” would have been vastly preferable to “Angels Guard Thee,” if this were the particular colour the singer wished to present; and being a much worthier choice he probably would not have descended to Toselli’s “Serenata” for his next encore.

But the value of the programme was to sink much lower than this before it was through. Here is a singer who could by. his voice and artistry be a missionary in the cause of music, but in order to gain foot-applause as well as hand applause (there actually was some stamping) he chooses the easy task of singing superficial music that has no claim whatsoever to being art. After his selected group, “Clorinda” (Morgan), “Then You’ll Remember Me” (Balfe), “The Bell Man” (Forsyth), and “Yours is my Heart Alone" (Lehar), which are most certainly not recital numbers from any singer, came “Macushla” (STacmurrough), and then “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life” —even less so.

Dvorak’s beautiful “Sengs My Mother Taught Me" certainly was very much better. The singer obviously did not understand the reason for the applause which followed this gem, for he responded with “Because”! E.J.