STUDENTS' RECITAL

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 49, 21 November 1928, Page 6

STUDENTS' RECITAL

Mr. 11. Temple White and. his pupils made’ a valiant attempt to assist the National Art Gallery and Museum Fund last night by offering an operatic concert in the Concert Chamber, but the public was sadly unresponsive, and the fund is not likely to benefit materially by the effort. Mr. White essayed to give the public a purely operatic concert, but overlooked the fact that exalted grand operatic music is usually written for voices and artists of exceptional quality, and not for humble strugglers along the vocal way. For that reason a good many of the numbers scarcely “registered” the true measure of their innate beauty, which has to be coaxed into life by tonal excellence and interpretive mastery. The choir, a fairlj' wellbalanced body, sang two numbers from “11 Trovatore,” the “Anvil Chorus (taken at too quick a tempo), and the beautiful “Angelas” from “Marltana” (Wallace). Miss Myra Sawyer, who sang the lovely aria “I Am Titania, from “Mignon” (Thomas), was the outstanding singer, a true soprano of good tone, power, and facility. Mr. S. Duncan, who has a pleasant, nervous little tenor voice, made a creditable showing In the melodious “M’Appari” aria from Flotow’s “Martha.” The famous quartet from “Rigoletto” (Verdi) was essayed by Misses Sawyer and Doris Brady, and Messrs. Duncan and Daniell, but vocal breadth was lacking in the soaring climax. Similarly, the Gestelle from “Lucia” (Donizetti) was devoid of that vocal passion and abandon which is wont to “bring down the house.” Other numbers were the romance “Ah, Now I Feel the Burden,” from Meyerbeer’s “Dinorah” (Mr. Charles Hickmott), “She Alone Charmeth My Sadness,” from Gounod’s “Irene” (Mr. C. W. Svendson), “My Heart is Weary,” from Thomas’s “Nadescha” (Miss Doris Brady), Wolfram’s Soliloquy , from Wagner’s “Tannhauser” (Mr. Harry Pargetter), the flower song from Gounod’s “Faust” (Miss Moana Goodrill), “No, She Has Never Loved Me,” from Verdi’s “Don Carlos” (Mr. W. Boardman), “Shades of My Fathers,” from Ponchiolli’s “La Gloconda” (Mr. L. Daniell), and “Softly Awakes My Heart,” from Salnt-Saens’ “Samson and Delilah.” The accompanists were Mr. White and Mr. Eric Froggatt.