UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY

Evening Star, Issue 18044, 11 August 1922, Page 8

UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY

, 'THE MAY QUEEN.'

The Musical Society that foams one of the social organisations in connection with the Otago University is-obviously prospering. It produced l a large choir and a number of competent individual performers for the concert held 1 in Allen Hall last night, and the 'musical results were such as to indicate wise control and thorough preparation. Wo do not remember any period at .which the society was in better I form. It was noticeable that the singers paid strict obedience to the conductor, I Professor T. D. Adams. They -kept their | eyes on him, using the books only for I reference, and ho secured not merely ob- | servanoe of the beat,_ but an eager response • to his passing directions. , The chief contribution was Sir W. Sterncf*K- Bennett’s ‘May Queen,’ beloved of our fathers and mothers in the days when musical folk were tiring of tlhe old compositions, but were not ready for Wagner, and would ha.ve drawn back aghast if they could have been shown beforehand) any such twisty stuff as has since been projected by Coleridge-Taylor and Elgar. ‘ The May Queen ’ will never go oul of the common people’s affections. Unfashionable it may become—perhaps already is—but it will remain endeared in our thoughts, being so sweetly English and so rich in suavo melody. The performance last night was somewhat on the robust side, and those present may have wished for occasional -softness: but it was endowed) with movement and vitality, and the singing was conspicuously true, also of full body. Trebles gave a Hue lead, good as to quality and accordance,, and the bass part was consistently firm and l sure ; contraltos a little light;’ tenors good and not_ so good l , a fault (common in amateur musical societies) being that sonic of the men forced weight with the open throat. On the whole it was an efficient -and unusually strong choir, and all the choruses proved dose study. Miss Media Paine sang the part of the May Queen very well; Mrs I Wilfrid Andrews put in the little finishing touches belonging, to the Queen with considerable skill; Mr C. C. Scotts pine tenor voice suited the music allotted to the Lover, and he would make quite a success in the part if he would accent less vio!ent/!v; whilst Mr Robinson E. Hal! surprised everybody by his dramatic suggestions as the Forester, and made a decided hit with his singing, though apparently handicapped by a little hoarseness. The groat success in the cantata was the trio ‘The hawthorn in the glade,’ this being delivered with fine effect, and the duet between the May Queen «>'id the Lover was ailso well sung—very well indeed, being invested with refreshing spontaneity. An orchestra led by Miss Stella Bayles played the accompaniments -with unfailing certainly, but at times rather overpowered the principals. The first part consisted of miscellaneous concert items. principally choruses. Breadth a.nd firmness characterised the delivery of ‘Creation’s Hymn,’ the men’s voices of splendid value, ChnJlinoi’s ‘ls My Lover on the Sea- ’ could be adorned with more expression. * The Lee Shore.' by Coleridge-Taylor, very difficult on account of the complexity of the parts, may be set down as a big success in a real test. ‘ Weyla’s Song,’ given at full weight, but not noisily, so pleased the audience as to produce an encore ; Elgar’s 1 The Snow ’ was sung descriptively; a. madrigal by Palestrina gave pleasure, because of the way in which the singers disclosed the rollicking old style of treatment; an Italian folk song by the ladies’ voices had to be repeated); and a Dutch battle song of the seventeenth century was .perhaps the greatest treat the choir gave during the eveningj the martial character being a leading ingredient in the most capable vocalisation. The solus in this part included some two or three absolute triumphs. Miss Paine fairly electrified the audience with an exposition of the waltz song from Gerninn’s ‘Tom Jones that was quite marvellous. To every singer in turn comes some moment, of exaltation. That was Miss Paine's good fortune in this waltz song. It must have been a joy to the singer—it certainly was to the audience. There was not a. shaky note nor a questionable idea in the song from first to last. Mrs Andrews also came to the top of her form. It is perfectly exhilarating to hear this accomplished lady sing '‘Break o'j Day,’ and probably there is no other i singer in Dunedin who can so truly get to the inside of that lender song ‘ The Bird with the Broken Wing.’ The other soloist was Mr A. A. Levi, flautist, who was sincerely (hanked for his honest and valiant dash at the terrific variations on ‘The Carnival of Venice.’ Mrs R. T. Little played the pianoforte accompaniments, and did so in a'way that helped. The concert is to be repeated- to-morrow evening. Those who attend will bo pleased.