ORGAN RECITAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2607, 1 November 1915, Page 3

ORGAN RECITAL

If it were only to arrive at a truer realisation of Mr. Bernard Page's art one wishes devoutly that the attendances at the Saturday evening recitals ttere greater than thoy .are. It was thought, that with the introduction of the universal Saturday half-holiday the audiences would increase in size, but this has not been the case. The same gallant two hundred turn up and thoroughly enjoy the magnificent playing of tfie City Organist, but two hundred people in a hall capable'of seating nearly three thousand has no appreciable cffect on the acoustics. On the other hand these properties are almost perfect when there are two or three thousand people present. This thought struck the writer whilst listening to Mr. Page's brilliant playing of the great Toccana and Fugue of Bach, a mightv work that cannot be heard without being uplifted by its structural grandness and dramatic energy. The beauties of the work as interpreted by the organist could not be realised when the full powers of tho pedal organ were exerted owing to the chaos of sound caused by the double echo, but there were other passages, notably the fiery fugue, with crashing chords marking the sections, that were played with consummate skill and elan. _ Mr. Page also gave admirable expression to the profound glories of tho Symphony Pathetique" "second movement and finale) of Tschaikovsky. Ho again played tho Debussy bracket of the previous bracket, and the daintily melodious Prelude to "L'Enfant Prodigue," had to bo repeated. The programme also included p.e Beethoven overture "Prometheus," a pleasant and melodious "Barcarolle" by Edwin Lemare, and a very fine "Rbapsodie" of Saint-Saens.