EROICA CLUB

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22429, 16 June 1938, Page 4

EROICA CLUB

FIRST RECITAL OF SEASON AN ENJOYABLE EVENING An attractive selection of ‘ pianoforte compositions was-made by the members of the Eroica Club for their first recital of the season in the Jellicoe Hall last night. Six pianists played, yet the planning of the programme was so satisfying that it made of their individual items a unified , design such as one might expect in the recital of one player. This, together with right judgment as to length of programme, went a long way towards makmg the evening fully enjoyable. ' Pianoforte playing unfortunately is often little more than an interesting skill, and all too rarely does it really become a means of music-ma King. Frequently it even hides from the listener the meaning of the music, so much is there for the pianist to do in the way of mechanical manipulation of keys and pedals. Generalising from Igst night s performances, one feels that the chief omissions are that the music is not given a sufficiency of shapely breathing spaces for the sentences to reach the listener in a manner that conveys intelligent meaning, and that players either ' do" not feel vividly enough or do not work to find the means of ensuring that the listeners get their emotional meaning. There was definitely a shirking from big feeling on the part of the players last night, a failure to convey the harsher emotions, the snarl, the bitterness, the tragedy Five of the six pieces played were in minor keys, ahd these keys were chosen by the composers because of their emotional colouring. This, and the effect of each modulation, and the meaning of every well-placed discord must be sensed keenly by the player—so keenly, ip fact, that he is compelled to seek the technical device that will make others see what he is eager that they should see. It, is not wrong to feel, and audiences desire to be made to feel. The programme opened with the Bach-Szanto Organ Prelude and Fugue in G minor, played with good fullness of tone, and with melodic (more than rhythmic) interest by Mr Peter Cooper. Miss Ella Thomson came next with the Schumann G minor Sonata (Op. 22) played a little too reservedly in mood until she came to the Scherzo movement. Thera was good technical control throughout and some interesting melody making in the Cantabile sections of the work-

Dphnanyi’s “Rhapsodie in . F sharp minor” was Miss Vera Yager’s contribution to this programme. There was good work here again, but it was not till the second half of the piece that the mood conveyed really agreed with the nature of the melody and with the form of accompaniment the composer was using beneath that melody. Another Dohnanyl composition, “Intermezzo in E minor” (Op, 2 No. 2) was played by Mrs D. F. Dennehy. Her technical dexterity was good, but not always absolutely cleaf. Mood was certainly expressed, but some unrelated tones at times broke into and cut the continuity of some of the phrases Mr Major Lurnmis chose items that were quite contrasted in mood from the rest of the programme, for he played Schutt’s "Tendre Aveu” and Schumann’s “Devotion” (arranged by Liszt). The interpretations were '••hauely and well felt.

Miss Merle Cunningham played the final item on this programme, the Grieg piano sonata fE minor. Op. 7> She nlayed with good rhythm, and used the pedal for punctuation purpose' very effectively. The Minuet moVe nient employed some attractive timin devices that were just free enough from the regular beat to convey an intensified rhythm, for rhythm can »-areJy be obtained by strictness of time The majestic climax to this work gave a feeling of completion to the whole evening’s recital. Apart from the work of the pianists which was the main interest in this recital. variety was obtained by the violin solo “Praeludium and Allegro” (Pugnani-Kreisler) played with directness and strength by Miss Doris Beck accompanied by Miss Alison Allsop, and by the vocal solos which Miss Dorothy Liabert sang to the accompaniments of Miss Gwen McLeod. These were Schubert’s “The Wanderer.” Gretchaninoff’s “The Little Green House.” and York Bowen’s “The Moonlight Night.” of which the last t\vo admirably suited her Voice, the full rich tone obtained in the broad melody of “The Moonlight Night” being very enjoyable. (EJ.)