ASHBURTON LADIES’ CHOIR

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24981, 16 September 1946, Page 3

ASHBURTON LADIES’ CHOIR

CANTERBURY COLLEGE RECITAL The final evening concert of the year was held on Saturday at Canterbury College, where the Ashburton ladles’ choir, conducted by Mm Gertrude Smith, presented an interesting programme of part-songs. The standard attained by this organisation was surprisingly good, and if it is typical of what is taking plaqp in the smaller provincial centres, it augurs well for the musical development of Canterbury. The entire programme was memorised, no mean feat, and showed much careful preparation. Particularly pleasing was the beauty and refinement of tone, no forcing in an effort to obtain metallic fortes, but buoyancy and lightness so suited to toe acoustics of the much-maligned College Hall. The choir adopted an unconventional stage formation which gave an air of pleasant informality. On the other hand, this arrangement is not conductve precision of attack, definite entries, at contrapuntal clarity. Tlie first group of part songs included “Our Youth, Like Springtime. Soon Must Pass,” and .“Happy Flock,* both by Bach, followed by two Handel arrangements, “O Let the Merry Bellsand “Here Amid the Shady Woods." These works, wisely chosen, revealed a nicely-balanced cnoir, singing .with purity of tone and a sense of fitness. In the “O Let the Merry Bells” there was a certain untidiness and smudglness which might not have been present with a more compact grouping. The second group consisted of “Tiw Snow” and “Fly, Singing Bird,” both by Elgar, "The Chase” (Stenfortß, and “Five Eyes” (Armstrong Gibbe). The choir gave praiseworthy performances. Maurice Till played commendabfar the Brahms Sonata in F minor. This is a big work in the widest sense of the word. It is symphonic in scope, orchestral in idiom, transcending the limits of a keyboard. Mr Till has mastered the technical problems of the work, the hurtling octaves, the unpianistic awkwardness of much of Brahms, obvious only to those vrtio attempt it. His playing is now approaching a maturity which is most promising. Six songs by contemporary British composers were sung by Sadie Davies, with Claude Davies at the piano. Outstanding was the Martin Shaw "The Melodies You Sing,” which was sung with a lightness of tone seldom heard in contraltos. The Frsmk Bridge setting of "Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind,” offered a fine contrast with its lusty exuberance, so unlike the wistful Quilter "Wind from the South* A seldom-heard work was the Man-cello-Verdi Sonata for viola and piano, played by Joseph Mercer and Maurice Till. Joseph Mercer’s full viola tone was heard with effect in the largos of the work. He followed this with two Bach Choral Preludes and a Gavotte, all arranged by Forbes and Richardson. A slight tendency to hurry rather obscured the serenity of the Bach movement. It is hoped that we shall hear some more of these arrangements. The quality of the concert is testimony to the far-sighted policy of the music department in arranging these recitals. —W.T.