HARMONIC SOCIETY’S CONCERT

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 39, 9 November 1938, Page 12

HARMONIC SOCIETY’S CONCERT

Excellent Part-Singing

TALENTED INSTRUMENTAL SOLOISTS

Excellent part-singing marked Hie Wellington Harmonic Society’s final concert of the season in the Concert Chamber of Hie Town Hall last night. This society has filled an honoured place among Wellington’s choral organizations for many years, and. thanks to its conductor, Mr. 11. Temple White, Hie standard is invariably well maintained year in and out, though the personnel of tlie choir may have been subjected to the usual inevitable changes. What is pleasing about the society’s concerts is the variety of numbers that is imported into the programmes. Last night’s selections were a case in point. They ranged from lively settings of old English ballads and negro spirituals to attractive part-songs by such composers as Dudley Buck. S. ColeridgeTaylor, and Hubert Parry, with a fitting and popular climax in a happy arrangement of numbers from Gounod’s opera, “Faust.” The programme opened with the well-modulated singing of Dudley Buck’s tine old "Hymn to Music,” which faithfully reflects the adoration the composer had for the art of which he was, in his day, such a capable exponent. Old English song was represented by a spirited setting of “The Bailiff’s Daughter of Islington,” and Scotland was remembered by a braw setting of “The Laird o’ Cockpen,” arranged for mixed voices by Sir Hugh Roberton. In tlie domain of negro spirituals tlie choir sang “Talk About a Child that Do Love Jesus,” by Williams L. Dawson, himself a negro musician and composer of good standing in America. Miss Lucy Jennings was the soloist in this measure. The choir gave full voice to “De Battle ob Jericho” (Sir Hugh Roberton), and gave tender expression to “Steel Away” (arranged by IT. T. Burleigh). Numbers of particular interest in tlie second half of the programme were "The Lee Shore” (Coleridge-Taylor), the atmospheric “Australian Up-coun-try Song,” of Percy Grainger, and, filially, the choral fantasia on the opera, “Faust” (Gounod). This fantasia included such well-known numbers as the choral dance of tlie first act. “The Calf of Gold” (male voices), the “Flower Song” (solo by Miss Marie Burgess), the drinking song, “The King of Thule” legend, “When Ail Was Young” (solo by Miss Ruth D. Sell), with the stirring “Soldiers’ Chorus” as a finale. Other numbers of excellent fancy were “The Pigtail,” a comic part song by E. Markham Lee, the Shakespearean song, “Tell Me Where is Fancy Bred” (a charming new setting by .Muriel Talbot Hodge), “Tlie Two Clocks” (James 11. Rogers), sung with a lively sense of humour by the women, and “Tell Ale, O Love” (Hubert Parry). Consonant witli Hie excellence of the programme was the outside talent employed. Mrs. Wilfred Andrews, the gifted contralto, sang with fine fervour Granville Bantock’s “Praise Ye tlie Lord,” and was even more effective in Tschaikowsky’s pessimistic but lovely song, “To the Forest.” Her encore was “Linden Lea.” In the second part Mrs. Andrews sang, with good expression, Brahms’s “Love Eternal” and “If My Songs Were Winged” (Hahn).

Of valuable assistance to the artistic success of the concert was Hie appearance of Misses Vivienne and Betty Blamires, who returned from their studies iu London quite recently. Miss Vivienne Blamires is an accomplished violinist, admirably equipped tedhnically, whose playing is invested with a line intellectuality. Her sister. Miss Betty Blamires, is an artistic pianist whose work was also much admired. Together, they gave an interesting interpretation of Grieg’s “Sonata in C Minor” I first movement). There may be opportunities later to hear these young players in the whole of this work. Miss Vivienne Blamires displayed her ability in more lively and difficult music in "Hejre Kati” (Hubay), whieh involves intricate work for both hands. She was also heard to advantage in Schubert’s “The Bee.” Her sister displayed her pianistie graces in Debussy's “Prelude” and Moselieles's “Study in G.’’ Airs. R. G. Caigou was accompanist to the choir in those numbers in which the pianoforte assisted.