HARMONIC SOCIETY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 134, 7 June 1940, Page 10

HARMONIC SOCIETY

ENJOYABLE PROGRAMME

The Harmonic Society! conducted by; Mr. Temple White, gave its first subscription concert last evening in the Concert Chamber. The - programme submitted was of exceptional interest and merit and promised well for the 1940 season. Mr. White handled his forces—somewhat weak in numbers as to men—with consummate art, the singers responding in a workmanlike manner, with precision and fine shadings of expression and usually with subtle gradations in tone colouring. The works undertaken had evidently received full and careful preparation with due regard paid to poetic beauties. The concert began with "Jerusalem," a setting by Hubert Parry of the poem of that name by the mystic William Blake. It was sung' by choir and audience (as to the second verse) all standing and with the respecft-aei corded to the National Anthem. fj& brilliant singing of Rutland Boughton?i choral dance "Pan" . followed "Jeriisalem," and then by way df contrast and relief a humorous part rsqng qf the nursery rhyme, "There was a Bjfctle man and he had a little gun,"'wife realistic "quack, quacks!" runhiriie through the song. Rather difficult-po-sing was Granville Bantock's settioi of the "Mercy Speech" from, the."lyfetchant of Venice." It was diffibult;;fo say, from the point of perfeetiori^in part singing, which was the- fittest choral effort of the evening,■ "Annie Laurie," or a choral Rhapsody ' foh. Welsh airs. The former was enhanced by the sympathetic singing of thesonjs1 itself by Miss Myra Sawyer,- the lattljD by the admirable manner in which Mr. Harold Whittle performed the pianoforte part in this number. The choir sang with spirit and a fine sense of the significance of both numbers. -Other choral items were "London' Town;" a setting by Edward; German oS a poem of John Masefield; "Evening Stars" and "The Challenge of Thpr^ (Elgar). Special mention must be made of "Achilles! New Zealand Salutes," a spirited song with a good'swing to it, composed by Mr. Temple White and. sung at the reception to the officers and men of H.M.S. Achilles in' their welcome at the Exhibition. The words are by I. Finlay Campbell: The solo part was taken with sincerity «:and understanding by ; Mr. W. . Bpardman. A gem in the programme was the three part song for women's voices- "Waken, Lords and Ladies" (W. Griffiths) to words by Scott. . J ' '

Miss Jocelyn Walker, a brilliant young pianist, proved immensely popular in her soio numbers, "Theme and Variations," by Padarewski, "Butterflies" (Grieg), "Cakewalk" and "Habanera" (Debussy) ■, and concert paraphrase of1 the "Fledermaus" waits (Strauss). Miss Walker deeply in£ pressed with her vitality, and dynamic and high technical attainments. Mr. Lawrence North, baritone, gave great support, to the programme in his lieder singing and by his robust and spirited, singing of "Yeomen of England" and "The Lute Player." His other songs included "Sapphic Ode" and "Sunday" (Brahms), "One Note" (Cornelius) and "Ostination" sung in French. To aitfagreeable and cultured voice Mr. North added insight into the purport of all he sang. Mr. Whittle's ' accompanjp ments as always were" a joy to listen? tO. • • ■ ■ , \v-'