“A TALE OF OLD JAPAN”

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 53, 26 November 1928, Page 17

“A TALE OF OLD JAPAN”

DVORAK’S “NEW WORLD’ SYMPHONY ROYAL CHORAL UNION PERFORMANCE Saturday evening saw an innovation iu the programme of the Royal 'Wellington Choral Union. As a rule that society confines itself to the performance of an oratorio or opera of more or less note, relying for the orchestral accompaniment on an organisation that is brought together a week or so before the performance. As a general rule the assembling of the orchestra in recent years at any rate has been an increasingly difficult business, owing to the demand for players of the calibre necessary from other and more permanent sources of employment. So that when the unioij announced that it would not only sing Coleridge Taylor's “A Tale of Old Japan,” but would supplement it with a Wagnerian overture and the Dvorak “New World” symphony, surprise became mingled with eager expectation, “for the latter work, though well on iu years, had not previously been heard in Wellington, if in New Zealand; and. with the "New World” to come toppling on top of the Tsebaikowsky “Symphonic I’athetique” (recently done by the Wellington Symphony Cci iiestra), within a month of one auotl:< ■ ’was an unprecedented happening. It is making orchestral history in Wellington. The reason may be traced to Mr. John Bishop, who has set himself the big task of gathering round him an orchestra capable ot doing such work in a fairly efficient manner. Too much must not be expected, and though many considered the numbers set 'rather ambitious for n start, the manner in which the Dvorak was played radiated the hope that matters orchestral are going to be interesting in the immediate future, particularly if the material available is not divided into too many units, as threatens to he the case. The “New World” opened out a new world of music to many present. .It is an amazingly vivid work from beginning to end. Anton Dvorak, the gifted Bohemian composer, was tempted to visit America in pre-war times, and for tin ee years occupied the post of director of the New York Conservatory ot Music. Fecund in idea, individualistic, . highly imaginative, and always vital, his visit to this new world, so very different in every respect to h s beloved Prague and Vienna, gave him the inspiration for the symphony. In his score he gives some exquisitely beautiful mind pictures of tin's great country. The first movement is devoted to an expression of the might and potential wealth and importance o America, with its amazing resources and vast area, on the future of the world. All is vigour and growth, and in the mighty forests, rivers, the amazing Rockies, a sense of the bigness of things is created. The second movement, opened by the brass and bassoons, in solemn accord, leads to a melody of . haunting beauty given to the cor anglais, accompanied by muted strongs. It is a pastoral scene, arid the sweet, poignant air that steals upon the senses suggests the lament of the Indians at the coming of the white man; here occurs some attractive question and answer music between the wood winds and the muted strings, positively bewitching in its daintines and corelativity. The whole movement is a sheer delight, and its beauty would have been emphasised the more where it not for the peculiar tone of the cor anglais, which was quite blatant and toy-trumpet like nt times. In this third movement it may be taken that America has become settled—there is still the haunting Indian calls, but there can be traced the syncopation of the negroes in odd little bits of melody, whilst the grandeur and uplift of the final movement established the new world in .relation to the old. It would be preposterous to call the performance by any means perfect from a symphonic standard, but it was an amazing achievement for 'Wellington and for Mr. Bishop, who is certainly making his presence felt in our musical being, ft would be a rare treat if the union could repeat the symphony in the near future—one performance of a new symphony of such worth ever leaves one thirsting for closer acquaintance. The orchestra also played the overture to “The Meistersingers,” which was not at all well done. Wagner is always difficult, and this overture is not nearly as intricate as much of the master’s music, yet this performance lacked nearly everything in the way of beauty and suavity, and the strings very nearly dried up altogether in the prelude to the “Prize Song” theme, the loveliness of which was entirely lost in the weird cancatinntion of sound produced. After the showing in this overture, the artistic form displayed in the symphony was all the more surprising.

The union gave, as its second part. “A Tale of Old Japan,” the colourful cantata by Coleridge Taylor, written to graceful lyrics of Alfred Noyes. This is the fifth occasion on which this cantata has been sung in Wellington, so it is an old book to regular concert-goers. Still, the sentimental charm of the story, and the lovely, if somewhat reiterative music of Coleridge Taylor, makes a strong appeal to most people, and the performance was so uniformly good that it exerted its old charm from beginning.to end on Saturday evening, thanks in a very large measure, to the sound orchestral work. It is through the orchestra that Coleridge Tnjdor best expresses himself, and some of the little bits between choral and solo numbers, show Hint strength of character and poetic imagination which has established the works of this composer in the highest. favour. The work is largely choral, and a fine body of voices, not as evenly balanced as might be, sang the music with fine breadth and expression. With one exception, the principals wore happy in their work. The singing of Miss Naomi ’Whalley (of Palmerston North), left nothing to be desired. Mimi, the little Japanese maiden, who falls in love with Sa warn, the young artist, who could : "Fling a bird aloft: Splash a dragon in the sea." must be sung with sweet simplicity of the character, and in this. Miss IVlialley succeeded, without any vocal ostentation or temperamental extravagance., Mr. Leri Barnes was in fine voice, and sang the baritone music—mostly those lines allotted to old Tonko. the painter—witli force and expression. Mr.". W’ilfred Andrews helped artistically iq the recital of the narrative, her sympathetic mezzo-con-tralto voice being particularly valuable in the concerted numbers. The tissue tenuity: of Mr. Roy Hill's tone was responsible for Sawara's ineffective!!’’ is in both solo and concerted music. Again. Hie orchestra must be complimented for its sound work in accompaniment and symphonic interlude in the cantata. Its co-operation with the union is going to make for something worth while musically in this city. At the conclusion of the concert. Mr. Bishop, the orchestra, and the chorus, were given an ovation by a crowded house.