MALE VOICE CHOIR

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22250, 15 November 1937, Page 5

MALE VOICE CHOIR

THIRD CONCERT OF

SEASON

ENJOYABLE SINGING

The Christchurch Male Voice Choir under the sure direction of Dr. J. C. Bradshaw. were in excellent voice on Saturday night, when they gave their third concert of the season, in the Radiant Hail.

Gernsheim's Cantata "Salamis" —a song of victory—with its clean, straightforward harmonisation and its direct and energetic rhythm made an arresting opening item. Several folk-song arrangements, a national song (Ford's "Since First I saw Your Face"), and Schubert's fine song "On Lonely Heights" (arranged by Bairstow) made up the rest of the chorus work of the first half of the programme. The folk-song settings, namely "In Merry Mood (Charles Wood), "The TurtleDove" (Vaughan Williams), and "Swansea Town" (Hoist) were an interesting and a wcii-coni.rasi.ed set, expressing respectively the tripping, the serious, and the rollicking.

Quite a different type of song selection made up part two of the programme. This opened with a glee, Pearsall's well-written "When AUan-a-dale went a-Hunting," a bright, contrapuntal number deVi&Yi\i\i\\y treated, bv the choir. Wagner's "PU&rims' Chorus" from "Tannhauser" followed. The solo work of Mr R. Lake, the sustained singing, the climax building, and the processional treatment made this a very effective and popular number. Very pleasant good humour was expressed in "Strike it up Tabor," an air for three voices by Thomas Weelkes. This item was taken by trio and chorus alternating the sections of the piece, the trio consisting of Messrs Gainsford, Livcsey* and Richards. Solo items by members of the choir, by Miss Cecily Audibert (soprano), and by Mr Francis Bate ('cellist) were given in each half of the programme. Mr D. H. Law, in his song. Schubert's "The Wanderer," and in his encore "I Did Not Know," covered a wide range of tonal qualities, choosing them admirably to suit the moods of his songs. His fine use of pianissimo singing intensified his climaxes and made them doubly effective. Mr W. J. Richards, too, in his energetic song "Love Leads to Battle" (Buononcini) did not overlqok the effectiveness of pianissimo contrasting phrases, which, together with his good, direct rhythm produced a satisfying interpretation of this stirring song. Mr Richards, for his encore, sang "The Windmill."

Miss Cecily Audibert sang two lovely Bach arias. "If Thou Art Near," and "It is Fulfilled." and three delightful Irish folk-songs, "At the Mid-hour of Night," "How Deep in Love Am I." and "I Know Where I'm Going." arranged by Herbert Hughes. In all she captured and sensitively expressed mood and meaning, as well as delighting the ear with her tone quality and clarity of diction. Her encore item to follow the Bach arias was "O That it is Passing Sweet," from the same composer's "Peasant Cantata," while to follow the Irish songs she sang "Bunches of Grapes," by Armstrong Gibbs. Mr Francis Bate selected both his 'cello solos from Haydn, giving in the first half an air with variations, and in the second the adagio from Haydn's D major Concerto. These solos explored many of the possibilities of the 'cello, giving the soloist fine opportunity for melodic tone production in both upper and lower registers, for technical facility, and for shapely and delicate moulding of phrases. For his encores Mr Bate played Schumann's "Evensong" and Debussy's "Romance." The pianist. Mr Noel Newson. had a full evening's work as accompanist, and everything, whether part-song, cantata, vocal, or instrumental item, was enhanced by his careful, musicianly playing -