MALE VOICE CHOIR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25178, 8 May 1947, Page 3

MALE VOICE CHOIR

FIRST CONCERT OF SEASON

The programme for the Christchurch Male Voice Choir’s first concert of the season was wisely chosen. Excluding any extended works, the choir presented a wide selection of shorter, but, in the main, no less worthy compositions. Throughout the evening many sides of choral resource were tested and rarely found wanting. As a choir, the group of 30 singers achieved a satisfying balance, and as individual sections they maintained good, clean melodic line and pure tone. In diction and intonation there were few lapses. Mr Len Barnes, whose conducting was always purposeful and unobtrusive, kept . good control over his singers. Considerable study of the works resulted, with few exceptions, in a pleasing response to the baton. Also impressive was the good choir discipline during and between items. Opening the programme with A. M. Storch’s "Battle Prayer,” German’s "London Town,” and G. Lee William’s "Song of the Pedlar,” the choir evinced good tone and breadth of dynamic range immediately. The latter seemed to lack unity as a result of unsteady tempo towards the end. Brahms’s Gypsy Songs, with David Law and Hugh Findlay as soloists, lacked nothing. “Gypsy, Take Thy Lute” was particularly good. Unaccompanied singing of high order was heard in “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (arr. Arthur Warrell), with Leslie Denia as soloist, and Paul Edmonds’s “Triolet.” The sustained choral pianissimo accompaniment of the pleasing solo voice in the former was deservedly popular. Rutland Boughton’s “Quick March” and later in the programme "Cargoes” and "Sir tJglamore,” both by H. Balfour Gardiner, were given vigorous performances. The diction and tone suffered in these. Consistent

with the spirit of the music, s slower tempo might have rectified such faults. Corbett Sumsion's effective part-song, “The Emigrant,” demonstrated some fine bass tone. It was perhaps the most polished performance of the evening. Elgar's "Inside the Bar” and an arrangement by William Rigby of the Hebridean air, “Farewell,” concluded a very successful choral programme. Rhona Thomas (pianist) played "Dedication” (Schumann-Liszt), "Rondeau a Capriccio,” Op. 128 (Beethoven), “Rondeau Brilliant” (Weber), and Chopin’s "Prelude in B flat.” inaccuracies marred the first two works: but in a charming Sonata by Scarlatti a most polished performance was given. Colleen Crotty (soprsno) sang Frederick Kiel’s "The Mocking Fairy,” Hamilton Harty’s "Sea Wrack? and Schubert's “To be Sung on the Waters.” A male quartet (Messrs B. Mac Gibbon, W. Warren, H. J. Heath, and A. W. Hollingum) won deserved applause for their restrained performance of Franz Abt’s "niuringian Volkslied.” May Jackson, the accompanist for the choir and Min Crotty, was at all times equal to her task. —J.A.R.