MUSIC IN LIFE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 80, 2 October 1944, Page 7

MUSIC IN LIFE

YOUTH SHOWS THE WAY

What is .the place of music in this age of high speed and machines? Students of. the Hutt Valley Memorial Technical College gave the answer at: the Town-Hall on Saturday night. Itwas. this: tlie. place of an honoured friend ia any and every family. Over 300-young singers and some-130 instrumentalists, conducted by Mr. Rudolph E. "MdEay,": emphasised the point andi drove it home.- At, any rate, that ap-: peare"d v to "be the* impression made Dn' the", great audience present at the- concert, -Singing by school .children is. -often itiofehea'rty than agreeable, and, to many who' hear it savours of the blackboard end classroom. It ;wa's not so with -'--the- Hutt students: They entered with spirit and evident interest int6" all they '"sahg, paying- due respect io v 'J.ime'aiid;enuifciati'on,. and responding promptly ■ and. intelligently. to the conductor's calls for fine gradations in light and shade.' They sang, too, as ii tftey. thoroughly" enjoyed it. The ; excellence of the. choral singing as well as the-instrumental numbers in the programme, it seeiried, came to many as a pleasant surprise. Moreover, the performance showed plainly enough that success had been bought at the price of.thorough rehearsal. The concert began with the full orchestra playing the National Anthem,; followed by the march from "Tannhouscr" (Wagner), and a tuneful. "Eastern Dance" (Chas.. Woodhouse). Then came two well-known hymns to their well-known tunes, "O God, Our Help in Ages Past," and "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven." These hymns, sung in four parts by the boys and girls, whetted the appetite of the audience for more, which came later, when wa'_ sung "And the dory of the Lord," from "The Messiah" (Handel), and this had to be repeated to placate the audience. This chorus was re-: markable for the suggestion of pro* . f undity by the boy basses.- Time was perfect; tone rich in colour; every word and note was clear-cut; and a magnificent climax was attained. Equally successful were the massed choruses in the hymn, "Turn Back, O Man," and in : "Loch Lomond" and .other secular numbers. Girl singers distinguished themselves in "Lord, Who Hast Made Us," set to an old Germn hymn tune and arranged by Gustav Hoist. The girl singers were also delightful to hear in "Drink to Me Only" and "Golden Slumbers." The settings of most of the choruses for parts and descants, with organ accompaniments, were by Vernon Griffiths. The orchestra gave a most creditable, account of itself as a body and through its individual players in solo parts and .details.; Offerings were the andante movement from Schubert's C Major Symphony—in which the passage for solo oboe was beautifully played; a suite for strings by Purcell (one of the gems in the concert); a suite of three arias from "Orfeo" and "Iphegeriie" (Gluek); a phantasy for solo clarinet on the minuet in Mozart's quintet for clarinet (transcribed lay Mr. McLay), the solo being capably -played by D. Barclay. An orchestral item of particular interest was a symphonic suite in four brief movements, composed by Mr. MeLay. It was orthodox in iorm and attractively lyrical, and was accorded a .highly appreciative hearing. The orchestral numbers generally were carefully and artistically rendered, with conspicuous- sincerity on the part of players in giving their best. The composition of the orchestra was noteworthy for the preponderance of violins —some 72 of them—for the fine, admirable playing of the wood wind section,-and in particular for the unaggressive and fine tone of the brass. The organist, Mr. Albert Bryant, contributed much to the success of the concert, especially in the chorus from "The Messiah." He also furnished seme pianoforte accompaniments. Their Excellencies Sir Cyril and Lady Newall and the Mayor of Wellington, Mr. Will Appleton, and Mrs.. Appleton were present. Arrangements in the "front of the house" were admirable, for it was a very large crowd to handle and place. The concert began on time and ended a little after 10 o'clock, without a hitch, and never a dull item or moment throughout the evening. .