Instrumental school

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32958, 3 July 1972, Page 14

Instrumental school

The Christchurch School of Instrumental Music presented a concert in the Ngaio Marsh Theatre yesterday afternoon. Six groups performed—orchestras 111 and V, wind orchestras B and C, and two chamber music groups. All the performers reflected credit on their teachers, and on the Instrumental School which presented them.

Orchestras 111 and V, conducted by F. E. Dennis and Trevor Nalder respectively, played interesting items with generally good cohesion, intonation, and style. Both groups were well disciplined, except for a tendency to hurry, which could be checked by even greater attention to the conductor. The performances by Orchestra 111 of “Dance of the Tumblers” by Rimsky-Korsakov and “Le Petit Ballet” were notable for their secure handling of rhythmic complexities. The Mannheim Trio —Sally Langley (violin), Maryke van Leuven (cello), and Jacqueline Kane (piano)—played securely, but did not quite achieve a balance between the instruments. The Bayo Quartet —Belinda Bunt (violin), Sarah Yffer (violin), Nicola Austin (viola), and Brigid O’Meeghan (cello) — was impressive in the first movement of Beethoven’s string Quartet Opus 18 No. 1. Technically secure and very much at home together, the quartet played with a sense

of style and refinement far beyond expectation. The two wind orchestras, conducted by Thomas Brown, were well drilled and responded well to their conductor’s directions. A notable feature of the concert was the efficiency of the stage management. Large numbers of children, chairs, and music stands were marshalled quickly and without fuss, so that not a minute was wasted.—S.R.A.T.