MALE VOICE CHOIR

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23177, 14 November 1940, Page 3

MALE VOICE CHOIR

PROGRAMME OF PART SONGS Programmes of the Christchurch Male Voice Choir can contain pleasant surprises. Some of those last night, at their, recital in the Radiant Hail, were Benet’s “All Creatures Now are Merry Minded,” an early sixteenth century madrigal, three of Brahms's "Gipsy Songs” for tenor solo and male chorus, and an arrangement of Stephen Foster’s “Old Folks at Home,” made by Vaughan-Williams. To these various pieces, the choir, under the lead of their conductor, Dr. J. C. Bradshaw, brought excellent singing. The madrigal was full of life and zest, and as so often happens when real music is given well, the audience saw to it that it was repeated. Can early madrigals not be so popular nowadays, with the choir's audience? One, in a programme of 11 numbers by the choir, is a meagre ration; nor does a glance at the list printed last evening on the final page of the programme show so very many. When they are sung as well as this choir sings them, one could happily listen to a fresh batch at every recital. History books report that there are dozens of them available.

Brahms’s ‘‘Gipsy Songs,” soloist. Mr E. Rogers, were most enjoyable. They were firmly, directly sung. One might almost say that they show Brahms in holiday mood, were it not that the love of gipsy music plays such a large part in his own music. It would be interesting to hear a contemporary Hungarian’s opinion of them. VaughanWilliams’s management of Foster’s popular melody adds a most tragic, heart-breaking note to the song, rounded off with a simple, haunting cadence. It was sympathetically sung by the choir, with Mr R. Lake as soloist. Other part-songs included Macdowell’s “Hymn of the Pilgrim,” Charles Wood’s “When Thou Art Nigh,” Elgar’s “Zut! Zut!” Roberton’s arrangement of the Scottish air, “Scots. Wha Hae,” Dunhill's “Who is Silvia?” a brave attempt, Bishop’s “Breathe, My Harp,” Ernest Newton’s humorous part-song, “The Frog,” and a Welsh folk song, “In Merry Mood.” In the last-named, a quartet, Messrs E. Rogers, H. W. Findlay, R. Lake, and W. J. Richards, took part. Mrs Walter Ross sang “Elsa’s Dream,” from Wagner’s “Lohengrin," "Mother, You Know the Story,” from Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana," two songs by Granville Bantock, “A Feast of Lanterns” and “Raindrops.”'Frank Bridge’s “Love Went A-riding.” and Hubert Parry’s “Whether I Live.” When there are hundreds of songs to be sung, it is always a puzzle why singers will choose operatic excerpts for the concert platform; they invariably suffer from being torn from their context, in having their'full orchestral accompaniment reduced to a pianoforte. Of the songs, the Hubert Parry was the only one of any value, and this. Mrs Ross sang best of all. Her voice is clear, with an individual quality. She was accompanied most ably by Mr Noel Newson. Mr Ncwson accompanied the choir and contributed pianoforte solos, Brahms’s “Rhapsody in G minor,” Chopin’s “Impromptu in G flat,” which is so rarely heard in public, and Brahms’s “Intermezzo in C major.” As always, Mr Newson’s playing was fluent and agreeable, though he touched a deeper note in the Rhapsody. His faithful reading of the text, his way of letting the music speak for itself, is mighty pleasant to listen to. Members of the choir. Mr T.. G. Rogers and Mr A. W, Hollingum, sang solos. The former. Rubinstein’s "Fly Away, Nightingale,” the latter, “Roadways,” by Densmore. 1 F.J.P.