Mr McKellar earns ovation

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33064, 3 November 1972, Page 10

Mr McKellar earns ovation

Mr Kenneth McKellar has been a very popular singer on several visits to Christchurch, and last evening his enthusiastic audience filled the Town Hall. His popularity will be enhanced by last evening’s excellent concert, where he earned the ovation he received.

Mr McKellar’s accompanist, Mr Alfred Furnish, began the programme playing the new Steinway. His crisp touch, his rhythmic verve, and the clearly singing nature of his tone made his work immediately acceptable. Rita Morris, a coloratura soprano with an agile voice and an excellent command of trills, made a good impression. If she would take care to avoid an unwanted accent on the last syllable of a two-syllable word, her flow would improve. In addition to a voice of brilliant quality of tone, Mrs Morris has a bright and dynamic personality on the stage, which makes an instant and powerful impact on the audience. Mr McKellar began with Handel’s “Where’er You Walk” — one of the best of all love songs. His vibrant and resonant voice had no difficulty in being heard to fine advantage in the large hall. How greatly a singer is helped if he has taken the trouble to develop a line of clear vowels, placed forward in production, on well-sup-ported resonance.

Grieg’s “I Love Thee” was sung with warm timbre, and Merikanto’s “Fairy Story by the Fire” recalled the charm of John McCormack’s singing of it.

He cleverly captured a Russian atmposhere in his stylish singing of “Kalinka,” a most attractive song.

Operatic atmosphere In the duet, “O Suave Fanciulla,” from “La Boheme.” both Mr McKellar and Mrs Morris created operatic atmosphere well, and gave a splendidly stylish performance. They were also successful in a duet setting of "Plaisir d’Amour."

Herbert Hughes’s setting of ’The Star of the County Down.” and the lovely “She Moved through the Fair" showed that Mr McKellar has a mastery over the Irish songs as well as over the

Scottish. The last one, sung unaccompanied, created a magical atmosphere. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” made a stirring end to the first part of the programme. Mr Furnish, who throughout the evening was an imaginative and sympathetic accompanist, began the second part of the programme by playing a jolly Allegretto Scherzando by John Field. His touch has a heartening joyousness. Mrs Morris sang dramatically some operatic arias, with excellent control. She showed her control of voice by finding very quickly the particular resonant qualities of the hall, singing into them, and making them her friends. She knows also how to move gracefully about a stage and captivated her audience. Programme deficiency

It would help if Mrs Morris’s songs and Mr Furnish’s piano items were published in the programme, for it was not possible to hear clearly what they announced. Mr McKellar, suitably dressed in a splendid kilt, then sang a goodly selection of the Scottish songs many people in the very large audience had come to hear. He began with “The March of the Cameron Men,” and “The Rowan Tree.” It would be hard to imagine a more satisfying performance of the “Eriskay Love Song” than the one he gave. He ended the programme with a moving rendering of “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose.”

Inevitably “Scotland the Brave,” headed the list of encores, which included the gem “Ay Fond Kiss.” This was a grand recital of its kind. Mr McKellar spoke in warmest terms of the Town Hall, mentioned many another modern one he has visited recently in various parts of the world, and said that this is the most fantastic auditorium he has ever sung in. —C.F.B.