STUDENT RECITAL

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 69, 15 December 1931, Page 2

STUDENT RECITAL

Many Violin Solos MR. MEIER’S PUPILS Many violin solos, some orchestral works, a quintet and a quartet were heard at the Concert Chamber last evening at the annual recital by students of Mr.- Eric L. Meier. Much of the playing was of a high standard, particularly during the latter part of the programme, and all the pupils showed the effects of sound teaching. " • . . .' The orchestra began the programme with two minuets by Beethoven, There was a large body of violinists, and the tone and attack was commendable. Mr. Meier had the .players well under control and only once or twice was there a suspicion of faltering. At the end of the evening the orchestra was even better in the minuet from Mozart’s “Symphony in G minor,” the andante con moto from Beethoven’s “Symphony in G” and Brahms's wild “Hungarian Dance, No.

In the middle of theprogramme the ! first two movements of Mozart’s clarinet quintet were played by Mr. 4V. Thompson (first violin), Mr. W. Areas (second violin), Mr. E. Meier (viola), Miss Ormi Reid (’cello),.and Mr. R. Bowman (clarinet). It is a fine work, and its performance last evening was quite up to standard. The “clarinettist was particularly good. The most ambitious violin solo was Achron’s arrangement of “On Wings of Song,” by Mendelssohn. It was played extremely well by Mr. Frank Hopkins, who had plenty of confidence and was equal to the many difficulties which the piece presents. The sixths and tenths and the long passage of double stopping toward the end were well managed and the whole was played with pleasant, if not very strong, tone. Miss Ormi Reid played the difficult accompaniment efficiently. Miss Margaret Pilcher is an impressive young violinist, with a splendid tone and a keen musical sense. She was heard first in the well-known Bach "Aria,” played generally on the fourth string, and was accompanied by Mrs. M. Dawn, Mr.’ A. Arcus and Mr. E. Meier, playing the other instruments of a quartet. Miss Pilcher’s interpretation of the air itself was a pleasant one. Immediately afterward she played Wieniawski’s “Legende,” a somewhat difficult piece, and showed that she has a particular gift for the violin. In his playing of Grieg's “To Spring” and Poldini’s "Poupee Valsante,” arranged by Kreisler, Master E. Sharp gave a promising performance, particularly in the, Kreisler arrangement, in which he kept splendid intonation in the small pieces of passage work which occur.

Mr. G. Austin played a prelude by Corelli, a Siciliano by J. S. Bach, and a gavotte by Gluck in pleasant, musicianly fashion, although with no great variation of (one or nuance. In Brahms's •‘Hungarian Dance, No. 2,” Mr W. Thompson gave a bright and vigorous performance, although the tempo was a little slow. Pierne’s . “Serenata” was played with plenty of colour by Miss J. Power-Collins.

Other violin solos, by rather younger performers, were as follow: ‘'Tarantella” (Cooper), Alex Scott ; “Londonderry Air” Gordon Sims; “La Cinquantine” (Gabriel Marie), Allan Lawton; “Mazurka' (Saint-Amory). Harry Pettit; “Intermezzo” (Mascagni). G. Hyman: “False Moderne” (D’Ambrosio), R. Shakes; “Humoresques” (Dvorak), Dick Armstrong; “Moment Musical” (Schubert). Miss M Meier and Master R. Armstrong The accompanists were Miss Ormi Reid. Mr. Dudley Pilcher and Mr. John Parkin.