MUSIC FESTIVAL

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25244, 24 July 1947, Page 8

MUSIC FESTIVAL

ORCHESTRAL AND CHORAL PROGRAMME

Last night’s concert, the fourth in the Civic Music Festival, was held in the Civic Theatre before a large audience. The programme was given by the Canterbury College Orchestra, Anita Ritchie, soprano, the Ashburton Vocal Study Group, and the Timaru Choral Society. The Canterbury College Orchestra, under the conductorship of Mr Francis Bate, has made marked improvement this year. The string section has gained more confidence, their bowing is even and regular and their intonation is. for the most part good. Some of the players still have a regrettable tendency to hurry passages, but this may have been due, in part, to the overcrowding of the miserably small stage, with consequent difficulty in seeing the conductor. The brass were, at times, excellent, the horns were always good, the trumpets lost pitch occasionally, and the trombones, except for one or two raw tones, were most efficient. The fortissimo passages sometimes were too heavy but they also produced some rich, full effects. The woodwind playing was marred by very uncertain intonation and lack of rhythmic precision. Their first number was the Shepherd King overture by Mozart and this was followed by Haydn’s London Symphony. Frankly, this orchestra is not ready to play either Mozart or Haydn. The delicate gracefulness required in the phrasing, the subtlety of nuance and perfect precision demanded make these apparently simple works actually of very great difficulty. There were some good climaxes in the first movement but the second movement found their weaknesses. After a slightly ragged start in the Minuetto, there was some good, vigorous playing. The trio lacked cohesion as did the last movement. Any faulty playing in Mozart or Haydn stands out with distressing clearness. Vaughan Williams’s Folk Song Suite was a much better choice, and this is the type of work upon which the orchestra should, at present, concentrate. They were really good in the first and last movement. Anita Ritchie has a voice of true soprano quality with pienty of brilliance of tone and excellent control throughout her extensive range. Her enunciation is always perfectly natural and clear. She sings with a fine sense of rhythm and nicely balanced judgment in phrasing. Her songs were “Blow. Blow Thou Winter Wind” and “The Fairy Lullaby.” by Quilter. “The Shepherd.” bv Th ; man. and “Love’s Philosophy,” by Delius. The*, tempo of the last song was rather too fast. Mr Wainwright Morgan accompanied with great skill.

The Ashburton Vocal Study Group, conducted by Gertrude Smith, are old and ever-welcome friends here. Ashburton is fortunate in having Mrs Smith to give such excellent training to its young singers and the musical life of Canterbury is the" richer for having such a delightful small choir. Their work is marked by beautifully controlled tone, a freedom of rhythmic vitality and most commendable clarity of enunciation. Their command of expressive nuance is the result of long and hard study. Arrangements of solos for two or more parts must be carefully done if the original atmosphere is not to be lost. Most of them came off well, but the arrangement of Schubert’s “Laughing and Weeping,” so altered the character of the song that it seemed to belong to an earlier classical period of composition. Elgar’s “Shepherd’s Song” lost some of its effect by the rallentandi being overdone.

The Timaru Choral Society is a comparatively new society and this was its first visit to Christchurch. It is well balanced and. the voices are all well produced. The tone is well controlled and they have a fine range of expression. Their work has been carefully studied and their attention to the conductor’s lead is deserving of high praise. Mr A. C Mclnnes has splendid control over this fine choir and Timaru can be justly proud of its choral society and their excellent conductor. The tenors and basses in particular are magnificent and thev were heard to great advantage in “The Old Woman," by Roberton. The song is sentimental clap-trap, but it was certainly well sung.

The arrangement of visits of choirs from other towns in the province is cne of the most valuable services which the festival can render. This was a delightful concert and we are to have a visit from six other societies on Friday night. —C.F.B.