SONG AND PIANO RECITAL

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27496, 2 November 1954, Page 8

SONG AND PIANO RECITAL

MARY PRATT AND MAURICE TILL Mary Pratt and Maurice Till gave a concert last evening in the Hawarden Hall. An appreciative audience heard a varied but perfectly balanced programme of art songs and ballads, together with five works for piano solo. One does not often hear Miss Pratt sing songs of this nature: her infrequent appearances in Christchurch are usually in the larger works. It was therefore a delight to hear that superb voice singing works of a smaller and more intimate nature. That she would sing them perfectly was a matter of course: her performance proved once more her amazing versatility and flawless artistry of the songs by Handel, Purcell, Bridge, Grieg and others in the programme, one would single out her performance of “Come and Trip it," by Handel, and “O That It Was So,” by Bridge. In the former Miss Pratt surmounted the technincal difficulties with easy flow of tone and delicate control of nuance. The Bridge song, with flowing accompaniment, was remarkable for thq lightness and purity of voice quality with which Miss Pratt ended the vocal line. Miss Pratt must be considered extremely fortunate to have as her accompanist so accomplished a pianist as Mr Till. He was all that the good accompanist should be: the ensemble which existed between the performers was a tangible link, felt by everyone there. Mr Till performed wonders on a piano that was not entirely suitable for the nuances required. His performance of two Chopin etudes and the Ballade in G Minor, gave no hint of his difficulties, but were authoritative and meticulously played. The Adult Education tutor, Mr B. Smythe, who organised the concert, thanked the performers after the concert. He said that the possibility of future concerts in Hawarden by these artists and others of equal calibre depended on support of the local residents. —P.G.Z.