UNUSUAL CONCERT

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 36, 6 November 1933, Page 11

UNUSUAL CONCERT

Well-disciplined Singing WELLINGTON BOYS’ CHOIR Au opportunity of hearing something new in the way of musical entertainment was afforded a Wellington audience on Saturday evening at the Town Hall, when Mr. H. Temple White presented the Wellington Boys’ Choir in a well-varied programme of ensemble and solo numbers. The choir, some fifty voices strong, showed evidence of careful training; its tone was sweet, ot good volume, aud quite free from any suspicion of forcing. In fact, every item was an example of well-disciplined choral singing. Not all the numbers on the programme were entirely suited to boys’ voices. One or two require a greater range of expression than boys are naturally able to give if the numbers are to be presented with full effect. Handel’s “Where’er You Walk” is a case in point. On the other hand, there were many items perfectly appropriate Pursell’.s sprightly “Nymphs and Shopherds” and the joyous Bach, “My Heart. Ever Faithful,” suited the choir splendidly, and both were very well sung. Other numbers equally effective were those of the traditional or semifolk song type, such as “Drink to Me Only,”, sung in Roger Quilter’s arrangement, “The Lass of Richmond Hill,” “Here's Health Unto His Majesty,” and Horn’s “Cherry Ripe.” Another one. the beautiful Londonderry air, was particularly good, sung as it was with a delightful treble descant. Bach’s wonderful arrangement of the chorale “.Testi, .Toy of Man’s Desiring, was also well sung to organ accompaniment, with a flowing counterpoint on the piano. . The only modern work attempted by the choir was Armstrong’Gibbs’s amusing “Five Eyes,” very effective in its two-part setting. It is to be hoped, now that the choir is well established and has won public approval, as was clearly evidenced from the applause on Saturday evening, that it will do many more modern English works. There is plenty of material available well suited to its purpose, for many modern composers have written works, both unison aud two-part, especially for boys’ voices—Dr. C. B. Rootham’s “A Boy’s Song” is an example, and there are many more like it. The. assisting artists at the concert were Miss Dorothy Steutiford, a Dunedin contralto, and an organist, Mr. W. A. Gatheridge. Miss Stentiford has a voice of most pleasing quality, very evenly produced throughout a good range, but a shade lacking in variety of expression. Her songs were Michael Head’s “Ships of Arcady,” “Thou Standest Like a Flower,” by Schumann, and Stanford's “johneen.” Her encores included Schubert’s. “Hedgeroses” and a delightful song by Sir Edward German. Mr. Gatheridge made full use of the organ’s expressive powers in the Prelude to Act 111 of Wagner’s "Loliengriin” and in Hollins’s “Grand Chocur, No. 2.” . . . . The soloists from the choir were Erie, de Manny, who sang very pleasantly Erie Coates’s setting of “Who is Sylvia?” Bruce Maxwell, who sang and also recited a couple of humorous pieces, and lan and Jim Galloway, whose voices blended excellently in vocal duets. Their second number, Handel’s “When Flocks Do-Sport,” .suited them especially well. lan Galloway also got the most out of Taylor’s “Bugler Allen” in an elocutionary number. Special mention must be made of the splendid work at the piano of Madame Evelyn de Manny, who accompanied all the choral and vocal solo items.