MUSIC FESTIVAL OPENS

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24987, 23 September 1946, Page 6

MUSIC FESTIVAL OPENS

“THE CREATION” FINE PERFORMANCE BY COMBINED CHOIRS Of all the erroneous ideas about culture, one of the most fundamentally wrong is that it belongs only to esoteric groups of leisured The truth is that its roots lie in the life and work of the community; and, in so far as communities differ from each other in. (for example) their history, their environment, and the degree of their direct contact with agriculture, so there will be essential differences between their various cultures. The music-making in a community is an expression of community culture. It has a civic importance. Introducing the Mayor (Mr E. H. Andrews) at the opening performance of the Christchurch Music Festival Committee’s 1946 Festival of Music, Mr J. L. Hay, chairman of the executive, mentioned the City Council’s co-opera-tion; and the Mayor, declaring the festival open, appealed strongly for wholehearted support of the undertaking from all those in Canterbury who had at heart the best interests of the public welfare. The festival began with a very fine performance of “The Creation” (Haydn) by the combined choirs of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society and the Christchurch Harmonic Society under the inspiring conductorship of Mr Victor Peters. The great choruses were sung with an effect which was particularly thrilling in “The Heavens Are Telling,” “Achieved is the Glorious Work,” and ‘‘Sing the Lord, Ye Voices All.” The well-balanced choir, excellently trained and controlled, was equal to all demands mBde upon it. In tonal quality, vitality of rhythm, and dynamic range, the choral work was quite outstanding. The soloists were Valerie Peppier (soprano), Thomas E. West (tenor), and Gerald Christeller (bass). Singing always with the beautiful, unforced tone, the easy phrasing, and the clear diction of the well-trained, sensitive musician, Miss Peppier maintained a very high standard throughout. Mr West, whose every phrase showed a mature and experienced musicianship, used with good control a voice which is naturally more robust than that of either of his colleagues; and Mr Christeller’s performance was notable for a clarity of fiction, an artistry concealing- art in the delineation of phrases, and a tone which, though rather light for the part, was always beautiful. These three sang delightfully -also in the various trios; and there must be special mention of the duet passages in part three, in which the voices of Miss Peppier and Mr Christeller were admirably balanced. The augmented 3YA orchestra showed a marked improvement in ite accompaniment to the oratorio. There was no sign of that tendency to play out of tune which has marred the work of the wood-wind in previous performances; in fact, this section provided some delightful colour, especially in the aria “On Mighty Pens” and the trio, “On Thee Each Living Soul Awaits.” Fine effects were achieved by the brass section; and, on this as on other occasions, one’s attention was drawn to the excellent work of the orchestra’s timpanist. Alertly led by Miss Lesley Anderson, the strings were generally good, but they were not well placed for seeing the conductor’s beat and there was some raggedness in consequence. At the piano, Mr Maurice Till accompanied efficiently and unobtrusively. The difficult task of accommodating so large a choir on the Civic Theatre stage was successfully accomplished by Mr W. G. Tonks and his associates.

The performance owed a very great deal to the personality and skill of Mr Victor Peters, a conductor who can gain at will the enthusiasm of, and the maximum degree of whole-hearted cooperation from the forces under his control. His influence has been powerful in the development of choral music-making in New Zealand during the last 20 years. V.G. TO-NIGHT’S CONCERT The second concert of the festival will take place in the Radiant Theatre to-night. The programme is one of chamber music, the music of the intimate home circle and of friends. The works selected are all attractive, and they include Beethoven’s Trio Serenade (Lesley Anderson, Mascot Blake, and Valmai Moffett), Mendelssohn’s Trio in D minor (J. F. Skeddon, Maitland McCutcheon, and Lloyd Hunter), and Smetana’s Trio in G minor (Gladys Vincent. Francis Bate, and Ernest Jenner). The soloists will be Mrs Claude Davies (Schubert songs) and Mr J. E. Mason (songs by Vaughan Williams). No one who is in any way interested in music should miss this concert. To those who have yet to hear their first chamber music performance it will give a very pleasant introduction to one of the most delightful ways of music-making. Christchurch is fortunate to have musicians skilled in this art, one of those which brought new hope and courage to many in Britain during the war.