HARMONIC SOCIETY

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 233, 30 June 1939, Page 5

HARMONIC SOCIETY

“The Beggar’s Opera” Abridged ENJOYABLE RECITAL The Wellington Harmonic Society opened its winter season in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall last night with a programme of well-select-ed. part songs, concluding with an abridgement of “The Beggar’s Opera,” which gave ample range of mood and. colour to the evening. Of the .more pretentious part songs,

the fancy was caught particularly by Cyril Jenkins’s "The Storm’s Triumph,” a little gem, fairly well sung by the choir; “I’m Seventeen Come

Sunday,” a glorious, rollicking Lincoln-

shire folk song, which Percy Grainger lias set to swinging measure, and which .was admirably) sung; and Coleridge Taylor’s exquisite part song “Summer Is Gone.” ,

In considering the maimer of the performance of these part songs, one can only sigh for half a dozen good tenors, as this essential to four-part harmony was lacking. Other accept-

able part songs were "A Morning Madrigal” (Percy Fletcher) ; “The Turtle Dove,” a folk song arranged by It. Vaughan Williams; “Awake, Awake,” a roun'delay in which Sir Granville Bantock misses the spirit of the lyric; “To Morning,” a much better effort by the same composer, calling for much delicacy and vocal finesses; the hymn-like “Non Nobis, Domine,” a chorus composed by Roger Quilter to Kipling’s lines and sung during the Pageant of Parliament presented in Albert Hall, London, in 1924; “Jesus Walked the Lonesome Valley,” a tender little negro spiritual by Wm. L. Dawson, the negro composer; “I Love All Beauteous Things” (Clements); an'd the rhythmical "Marry Me, Mary Veen,” a Manx traditional song arranged by James Lyon.

As a finale the choir sang an abridged version of “The Beggar's Opera,” that .quaint musical satire on the underworld life of "London. This work, with melodies from all early eighteenth century sources, was first offered to Colley Cibber when he was manager of Drury Lane Theatre, London, and was refused. The arranger and the writer (Jol>n Gay) offered if to John Rich, then conducting the Lincoln's {-Inn Fields Theatre, London, and it was produced by him with overwhelming success. Since then the opera has been revived on many occasions, and always with success. It has been said that "The Beggar’s Opera” made Gay Rich and Rich Gay. The opera is not very well ruited to small choir performance, as one misses the flippant spirit of the piece, and the beauty of the solos. Still, one has to be thankful for small mercies, and the choir sang the sweet old melodies with some show of understanding. The society was assisted last evening by two talented young women, Misses Betty and Vivienne Blamires, who showed nice versatility and artistic insight in all they did. Hitherto the public has known them as pianoforte and violin players. Miss Vivienne Blamires essayed character songs in costume, and succeeded in amusing her audience 'by the lively spirit of her performance. A deeper impression was made by Miss Betty Blamires, whose talent as a reciter offers no question. In perfect poise, with good command, and a lively intelligence; she held the audience with a recital of the final scene of John Drinkwater's play, “Abraham Lincoln,” in which the President is shot by John Wilkes Booth, and then caused laughter by her sprightly delivery of A. P. Herbert’s humorous lines. “The Poodle and the Pug.” Miss Betty Blamires also played with delicacy and taste the pianoforte solos, “Sonata in B Flat” (Scarlatti), “Fairy Tale” (Pouisnoff),. and "Toccata” (Saint Saens). Miss Vivienne Blamires’s violin solos were “Bagatelle” (Ireland),. “Guitarre” (Moszkowski), and “Wicklow Fair” (Dalmaine). As an encore she played with admirable clarity and musical truth an unaccompanied Bach composition. As usual, the society's choir was conducted by Mr. 11. Temple White, its creator and mentor through the years. Mrs. Esther Caigou accompanied with her customary competence.