ROYAL MUSICAL SOCIETY

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28129, 19 November 1956, Page 2

ROYAL MUSICAL SOCIETY

VARIED PROGRAMME AT CONCERT

CONDUCTOR’S CONFIDENT DIRECTION

Mr Victor Ellena was the conductor of the Royal Musical Society in its concert in the Civic Theatre on Saturday evening. He directed the choir with confidence and gave interesting and sensitive interpretations. Quite apart from the fact that it was his first appearance in major works his performance was deserving of the highest praise and the choir also deserves commendation for the way in which it followed his clear direction. All the work had been thoroughly well prepared and there were no loose ends or any sign of choral untidiness. The first work was “The Requiem,” by Gabriel Faure. It was a movingly beautiful performance of a work whose apparent simplicity is deceptive. Choir, soloists, and orchestra all created an authentic and sincere atmosphere. Tonally the choir was in excellent form and the tone of the sopranos in particular showed improvement. In mezzo voce passages the tenors’ tone was disappointing but was bright and full in heavier work. The 3YA Qrchestra. led by Nan Armstrong, played splendidly in this work, giving the choir adequate support but also allowing the expressive finesse in the singing to come through unimpaired. The orchestral part itself was well balanced and the tone was very good indeed. While the whole work held together well, special mention must be made of the opening which was noble and impressive, the sonority in the Hosanna and in the “Libera M 6” chorus and the tenderly beautiful “In Parqdisum.” Mr Winston Sharp sang his solos clearly but a voice of richer timbre in its lower register is required in this work. Mrs Ritchie, in the solo “Pie Jesu Domine," developed rather a strong tremolo. This portion of the work is somewhat too romantic. Throughout the Requiem the clarity of the words was much appreciated. Contrasting Selections 1 After the interval. Miss Alison Edgar played Cesar Franck’s “Prelude. Choral, and Fugue.” This was a happy choice for bridging the* gap between the sombre nature of the first work and the gaiety of Bach’s “Peasant Cantata.’*’ Miss Edgar gave a confident performance. Just at the beginning the figuration geemed to be a little obscured and the tone rather harsh and unyielding, but the middle section was much better and her fugal playing was admirably clear. She gave a powerful building up of tone at the end. This was grand playing. The Peasant Cantata was not as successful as the first work. The chorus work was good. The tone was bright and pleasant for the most part, although “Spring Comes Laughing” was a bit heavy-footed; the rhythm was well marked,* and the words were clear. Furthermore, the style of the period was maintained. The main flaw in the performance was the lack of cohesion and clarity in the orchestral part. It is by no means an easy work to accompany and it sounded as though it needed more rehearsal. Both Mrs Ritchie and Mr Sharp sang well in the solos. Mrs Ritchie sang charmingly in "Of Flowers the Fairest” and Mr Sharp brought an atmosphere of rollicking good cheer to “Good Fellows be Merry.” Unfortunately, the orchestra was too heavy in "Fifty Florins Seems a Lot.” The splendidly controlled diminuendo in the last chorus was quite delightful. —C.F.B.