"STABAT MATER."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 277, 15 August 1908, Page 6

"STABAT MATER."

WELLINGTON CHORAL SOCIETY. A FINE PERFORMANCE. Rossini's "Stabat Mater" is a religious ■mass —a prayer. But in characteristic it is something more than a pioua supplica-. tion; it is a dramatic appeal of tho most intense description, conceived by a. master mind. ■ In attempting the production of-such a work, tho Wellington Choral Society set for itself and its principals a. very difficult task. That it achieved, at tho Town Hall last evening, a most finished performance is exceedingly complimentary to all concerned.

But there was a fly tho ointment, so to speak —a very largo fly ; most unfortunately, and quite unexpectedly, Mr. Charles Saunders, tho eminent English tenor, who achieved such a remarkable success in "Judas Maccabaeus" the previous evening, had contracted, during the day, an affection of tho throat which made •it quite impossible for him to attack the exacting work,scored for his part. Ho made a plucky attempt to carry out tho tenor work in tho quirtet music, but his condition, which was painfully obvious, compelled him to. desist; Tho splendid mass was therefore shorn of somo of its,striking features, but tho audience sympathetically swallowed its disappointment, and showed its appreciation of ( the performance, incomplete as it was, in unmistakable terms.

The work of the chorus and orchestra was particularly, good, tho chorus being well-nigh perfect, especially in the magnificent "Eia Mater," when the choir was associated with tho principal bass (Mr. John Prousc), and tho grand finale "In Sempiterna Sccula" ("To Him be Glory, etc."). The mass,' of course, was sung in Latin, the enunciation in the chorus work showing very careful preparation. Tlis orchestra, led: bv. Herr Max Hoppe, accomplished its somewhat intricate, task most creditably. •

In the "Stabat'Mater" the heaviest work falls upon the principals, and though tho quartet suffcrod by the loss of the tenor part, and, consequently, the absence of some of the proper "loads," there was very little to cavil at in the solo numbers. It is in tho quartet—No. 6—"Sancta Mater Istud.Agas" ("I have longed for thy Salvation") that the principals conccrned in the production of Rossini's Mater" are usually! called upon to. fight their Waterloo. Tho quartet is a.' most! involved and intricate one; this, number was indifferently sung, the soprano being somewhat weak. 1 -The ..loss of : the tenor seriously crippled tlie others Mrs. Gower-Burns ; as principal soprano, was in very good voice, and it-is a. ploasu'ro' to say, ungrudingly, that her work was really good. As principal soprano in "Judas Maocabaeus".sho mado a-rather disappointing, response to the exacting calls of the Handel oratorio;,,but Rossini's "Stabat Mater" stands' in', a;different' class. In'characteristics th« solos resemble those of tho Italian opera, and in music of this class Mrs. Gower-Burns is much more .at homo. Tho great : soprano solo of the " Stabat Mater." is the "Inflammatus et. A'ccensus," and sho sang pluckily and well, though with less power and dramatic feeling than such a passionate theme, passionately treated in its composition should-have-received. The "Inflammatus" : is of more than ordinary difficulty, especially in its final phase, where tho choral accompaniment, adds to the intricacy of the air. Her best effort, however, was unquestipnably in tho duet "Quis Est Hotno," in which she-was associated with Miss Clara Robson. The duet is a most beautiful one, depending for its successful interpretation, upon complete sympathy between tho singers. It was splendidly sung. , Miss .Clara. Robson, as second; soprano, scored a distinct triumph, her singing of the cavatina "Fac .ut Portom"("I will sing of Thy Great Mercy") being especially fine,, as also was' her work in tho duet already referred tO. . !

;Mr.; John Prouse, as principal bass,. was thoroughly enjoyable, his singing and his enunciation of tho Latin being, beyond criti-l,cism..ji'.j:"Pr.6,iPeccatiSj'.':iaSfSungi.hy-him, was one of the best efforts, of iho. v evening.' * *At tho conclusion of, the /'Sjafiat','Mater," which'is riot -a lengthiyWork)' a• short,' pro-' (pimmo of miscellaneous items was-given. Mr. Saunders was to have sung, by special request, "Sound an Alarm!" ("JudasMaccabaeus "), and also " On, Away! Awake, Be,loved" (Coleridge-Taylor's "Hiawatha"); tho audience thus experienced an additional: disappointment,' which was partly removed by the spirited rendering of "Arm, arm, ye Brave" ("Judas Maccabacus-") by Mr. John Prouse, who kindly filled the breach created by Mr. Sauuders's indisposition. Mrs. Gower-Burns appeared at her best in a bracket, a ballad from "Hinemoa" (Alfred Hill), and 'Helmund's delightful "May Time." With the, latter song she scored a great success, and gavo for an encore, . aing, Pretty.Bird" (Ganz). Miss' Clara Robson sang Handel's beautiful recitative from " Rinaldo," " Armida,. dispietata," with its accompanying "Lascia Ch'io pianga," 'and; for an encore,. Orlando Morgan's charming "Fairy Cradle Song.." Miss Robson is ,a most, cultured singer ,v and her vocal method should be-ail education to aspiring amateurs. Two-part songs, "O Hush Thee, My Baby" (Sullivan), and a pretty madrigal by Mr. Maughan Barnett, were beautifully , sung by -the choir, while the orchestra gave three, enjoyable numbers, " Valso Lente ". (Maughan Barnett), "Toreador .et Andalouse" (Rubinstein),' and Mendelssohn's "Cornelius March." Mr. Horace Hunt, Mus. Bac., presided at tho piano during the evening.