ROYAL MUSICAL SOCIETY

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23447, 30 September 1941, Page 3

ROYAL MUSICAL SOCIETY

BACH AND HOLST The Royal Musical Society, conducted by Mr Frederick Bullock, sang Bach’s "Peasant Cantata” in the Civic Theatre on Saturday evening. The work is ideally adapted to the needs of our societies —there are but a soprano and a bass for soloists, some lilting and some rumbustious choruses, and an orchestra of strings, small woodwind, and piano. .... As this small orchestra is about the best our city can manage, our societies must think of works that require modest forces. Fortunately there are not a few of them. Bach’s cantatas and motets, for instance, could all be entrusted to Mr Bullock who knows his Bach, with much of later composers as well. A report in a recent issue of "The Times speaks warmly of a performance of Dvorak s Stabat Mater,” and of Arthur Bliss s Pastoral,” which incidentally it calls "one of the loveliest if the most diffi ( cult choral works of modern times, at the Royal College of Music. Apparently the choir suffered from the lack of men, as do our choirs in these times and of the necessary orchestral nlavers which is a chrome state with Sr b i; T to T s, r r„s s audience, must , Musith l could le give W us k the "Stabat Matin” Snd Sach's “Jesu. Joy and Treasure.” Pleasantly as they sang the "Peasant Ca3” one cannot help but feel hat come assiduous practice m tne sing in 2 of Bach would benefit our choirs enormously, not only in the Bach but in such> choruses as those from Handel’s “Alexanders neasi, tha? 1 were included in the programme to Mrs Lillian Pethybridge and Mr Len Barnes were the soloists in the cantata Mrs Francis Bate led the orchestra ’ a nd Miss Victoria Butler played the piano part. Mrs Pethybridge has rarely sung better than in. the recitatives and arias of the cantata..Her voice was clear and most beautifully used Mr Len Barnes sang with plenty of “go.” The choir sang ruffe happily the praises of drinking. Mr Foster Browne conducted the Cathedral choristers in short songs, Maughan Barnett’s arrangement of Nursery Rhymes, 2 Bsch lullsDy. Arne’s “Lass with the Delicate Air, and an evening song by Handel. The boys sang these sweetly; all sounded so simple and natural. Their enunciation and phrasing showed what care had been put into their work. Mr Frederick Page played Debussy s “Delphic Dancers.” “Girl With the Flaxen Hair,” “The Engulfed Cathedral” “Reflections in the Water, and two little Schubert waltzes. Finally. Holst’s setting of Psalm 148 was sung. This programme was well balanced ana of excellent length.