ROYAL MUSICAL SOCIETY

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27499, 5 November 1954, Page 8

ROYAL MUSICAL SOCIETY

MUSIC BY BRAHMS AND PARRY -

The Royal Christchurch Musical Society, conducted toy Mr R. Field - Dodgson, and accompanied by the ,-3 YA Orchestra, sang “The Song of Destiny” and “The German Requiem,” by Brahms, and “Blest Pair of Sirens,” by Parry, in the Civic Theatre last evening. The standard of work merited a larger audience. In “The Song of Destiny” the balance between the orchestra and the choir was often not happy. There seemed to be two different ideas about the amount of tone required at the various .levels of expression. This meant that in the opening much of the delicacy of the work of the choir was lost. The well-shaded endings to the choral phrases were damped out by wood-wind players whose weight in. pianissimos equalled the choir’s mezzo-pianos, and Whose lack of flexibility in nuance kept this, the best part of the work, at a rather dull level of expression. Nor was the intonation above question. The second and more robust section was much more successful, and the tone of the choir and the precision was highly praiseworthy. The string section of the orchestra, led by May Hannan, played expressively and with an artistic sense of phrasing. The situation was very much better in Parry’s “Blest Pair of Sirens.” Here the soft singing of the choir was heard to good advantage, and balance and tonal sfiadings were very beautifully controlled. The words were clearly enunciated, the rhythm always maintained, and the expression aptly applied. This is the best piece of eight-part writing that came from an English composer in the nineteenth century. The climaxes came with thrilling effect, and were well prepared by gradual building up of tone. Thpre was a rich quality in the voices, and the work was presented with sensitive understanding. This performance of Brahms's “German Requiem” was a very much better one than the last one the society gave. There were a fuller understanding and a very high degree of technical competence. The opening chorus lost some of its effectiveness through lack of adequate orchestral resources. In the chorus. “All Flesh Doth Perish,” the choir sang with exquisite expression, and the firm unison passages came out with rich effect. The section beginning “Be. Patient, my Brethren” was sung most tenderly, and with a nicely contrasted change in tempo. “Surely the Lord’s Word Bideth” came forth with thrilling tone, and the fugal section, “And the ransomed of the Lord,” was precise, excellently controlled, and clearly delineated. In the three big fugues the choir was at its very best, and the singing of them was really splendid in all respects. Particular mention must be made also of the excellent dramatic quality of such passages as “On the Morn the Last Trumpet Soundeth” and “Then shall Sound the Trumpet and We snail All be Raised.” Some of the loveliest singing was heard in the chorus pares which go with the soprano solo. “Ye Who Now Sorrow.” This most beautiful solo was sung by Margaret Ward Jenkinson with a rare delicacy of feeling and a technique which mastered all its difficulties in splendid fashion. Mr Winston-Sharp sang the baritone solos with considerably more than competence. His unfailing rhythmical sense, his clarity of words, and excellent phrasing made his contribution to the evening both interesting and enjoyable. , , , This work needed a large orchestra for its fullest sonority to be realised, but congratulations must be given to the orchestra for the way in which it rose to the symphonic demands made programme notes said that “Blest Pair of Sirens” “may properly be included in that immortal category which claims the ‘Passion Music, the ‘B minor Mass.' ‘The Messiah, and ‘The Dream of Gerontius. Many may feel that, although the Party is undoubtedly a great work, nevertheless such a claim may be putting it rather too high. —C.F.B.