Notable Song Recital By Janet Kenny

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30279, 4 November 1963, Page 15

Notable Song Recital By Janet Kenny

It is a great pity that Mrs' Janet Kenny's recital ini Begg's Concert Hall on Saturday evening did not attract) a much larger audience. Accompanied by Mr Maurice Till, she sang a most interesting and worth-while pro-; gramme, and did so with musical integrity and thought-compelling artistry. A programme such as she gave us demanded long and iniense study—all most faithfully carried out—and also provided an all too rare opportunity for important and seldom heard works to be experienced. It was a poor return for her labours that her work should be so ignored. In Schoenberg's Fifteen Songs from “The Book of the Hanging Gardens" she gave a brilliant series of interpretations of dramatically intense and elusive music. Constantly changing atmospheres were convincingly conveyed with impelling cincenty. From brooding and eerie music of dark colours, from lyrical and warmly consoling lovely lines of melody, to powerfully dramatic and angular themes she not only mastered the many formidable technical difficulties, but brought each song to life with vitality and experienced understanding. She also kept a never-failing unity throughout the cycle. In sustaining interest and artistic completeness, the work of Mr Maurice Till was outstanding. He matched the singer's every mood completely and gave the full atmospheric and dramatic force which the accompaniments demand without overshadowing the vocal line, which the rich harmonic resources of the piano part might so easily do. This performance of Schoenberg’s songs would have attracted respectful attention in any company.

Three excerpts from Handel's operas, “Muzio Scevola” and “Julius Caesar in Egypt.” Here also sung with excellently controlled agility and brightly ringing tone. They were stylishly performed with all ‘heir dramatic force given full rein. In these and in J. C. Bach’s “Midst Silent Shades" and in Mozart’s aria ’Come Scoglio” all the florid technical difficulties were overcome with confident security. A clear and evenly produced line of vowels gave opportunity for varied colourings. At the beginning of the programme Mrs Kenny sang two folk songs from Auvergne by Joseph Cantel-

oube and two serenades by Gounod and Brahms. They were followed by well-con-trasted lieder by Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Hugo Wolf. All the interpretations were thoroughly interesting, with intelligent phrasing and well-applied expression. Frequently, however, there was a rather disturbing tendency to allow the voice to fall back towards a throaty production with inevitable vowel distortion anfi loss of tonal colour resulting. Also too much power, even to the extent of forcing the voice beyond the safety line in resonance (and certainly beyond what the hall needed), together with rather too frequent calls upon the extreme upper limits of vocal range were injudicious when the lasting qualities of a very fine natural voice are considered. Manuel de Falla s “Seven Spanish Popular Songs” were sung with excellent and telling effect. The richness of Mrs Kenny’s lower notes was heard to splendid advantage and she produced very beautiful shadings of tone in her fiery and dramatic interpretations. —C.F.B.