Lunch-hour concert

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33655, 3 October 1974, Page 14

Lunch-hour concert

A concert, commendable for its appropriate and varied programme, was given to a good audience in the Canterbury Society of Arts gallery yesterday afternoon. Bridget O’Meeghan played Bach’s Sonata in G for unaccompanied ’cello with vibrant tone and very good intonation in the prelude, creating a meditative and confident atmosphere. She had the command which lifted this difficult music beyond the merely technical display. The allemande was very like the prelude in performance. and the courante had sprightly liveliness. Margaret Daly, ably and artistically accompanied by Wallace Woodley, sang Dvorak’s “Seven Gipsy Songs” with approriate fervour. Her mezzo-soprano voice has warm and carrying tone, well controlled so that she can keep gentle timbre on high notes, well appreciated in “Silent Woods” and in “Songs My Mother Taught Me” — both splendidly sung. “Tune My Fiddle. Gipsy” and the “Height of Tatara” were brightly sung, with telling power and brightness. Schubert’s “Laughing and Weeping” and “Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel” were sung with splendid appreciation of atmosphere and style. “Abendroth” was movingly beautiful. Miss Daly gave perofrmances of high quality with never a harsh sound. Jenny Long (violin), Gaye Tadcroft (’cello), and Clare Newburgh (piano), played the :econd movement from Menielssohn’s Trio in D minor, vith exemplary care for >alance. timbre, and expresion. Their phrasing and larity were both very good I nd their appreciation of : tyle showed commendable < inderstanding. The perform- < nee was artistic and beauti- ’ ul. I — C.F.B. <