DUNEDIN PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY

Evening Star, Issue 18807, 4 December 1924, Page 6

DUNEDIN PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY

ORCHESTRA IN TOP FORM. Suppose- for a moment Hie impossible — that in the very large audience at His .Majesty’s Theatre last night for (he fourth concert of (he Dunedin Philharmonic Society’s twentieth season there was some person who, out of sheer malignancy, to wreak a private grudge, set himself to think out the most offensive criticism that cmild be upheld, the worst that he eonld say would be that most of Hie playing was from mewo-forle 1° forte, lacking the soft work that is desirable in an all-round test. Rut there is no chance of finding such an unfriendly critic. Our citizens arc. as they ought to he, well disposed towards (he Philharmonic, proud of its history, grateful for its consistent contributions to the. musical standard that is here set up; and, even if any of those present last- night endeavored to so far detach themselves from old associations as to lie able lo take a neutral attitude and judge the concert purely on its merits, the probabilities are that such a point ns is indicated above would he forgotten in the gratification as to Hie general results. Foilin' orchestra Hint Signor Sqnarise fathers and directs was in great form last night - well in tune, nicely balanced, and in perfect control, and the playing was full ii spirit. Tiie march ‘Fame and Glory 1 (by Matt) gave complete satisfaction and served to raise high expectations. Then came a brilliant success in Hie ‘ Frances-;! da Rimini ’ overture by Morlacchi, presented for the first, time in Dunedin. The programme informed the audience that this overtnro is inedilcd. That is a modest way of stating the facts. The onlv ropy existent, in Dunedin at any rate, is a little honk that was used for class teaching, and from it Signor Sqnariso has scored for the full orchestra. What was heard last night was therefore partly attributable to (be veteran conductor of the Philharmonic, and he must he allotted a large sham in the honors that follow the very fine performance of (he overture, since these were Hie outcome of the work of the orchestra as a whole, ami that fulness came from Hie full scoring. I lie accord of the first violins, the subdued organ (one of the bass, the fluency o( (lie clarinet solo, the variety of expression in all (he developments—-these were outstanding features in a. performance that was listened to with great pleasure. The morccau dc gendre ‘ Lise el Lucas,’ 1 y Mouton, was another most acceptable item. The'rich instrumentation received full justice by every section of the band, and the tnlti was’delightfully compact, being full bodied and yet invariably iefined. Reiter tone is seldom heard from an amateur orchestra. The conversations between (ho strings and (he reeds, acc-mii-nanied by subdued remarks from Hie brass, were most cleverly presented. The •wo Serbian dances by V. .Sistek, jflayed for the first time in Dunedin, must also be included in the Success of the evening. The appropriate sense of gaiety governed Hie presentation of (he (riple-finm ‘ Koslenka.’ and (he ‘ Banatanka ' was noticeiblc for the skill with which the inter'■opting solo passages were put in by (lute, darinot, and oboe. The reproduction ”f 'tnefana’s symphonic poem ‘ Vltava ’ was 'ally justified by the results. When first Presented this descriptive composition nade a good impression, and the perfnrm>i:cc last night convinced Hie subscribers Hint the poem is well worth keeping and bringing out again on some subsequent ■ccasion. The responsible work by the lutes came in for unstinted praise, and, ave for one perilous moment when the brass seemed likely to become ragged, the flaying of the orchestra as a whole was ■on.fideut and replete willi beautiful exire.ssion. The andante ‘Re Tk-is .Sucre, by Massenet, is a flute solo aceonmanied v piano, strings, and horn. It pleased he audience so much that they insisted on n encore. Mr .T. W. Stewart treated the ■o!o most gracefully, avid it was artisirn 11 v accompanied. The raise ‘Amour 'a(range ’ (by Simon), mostly for the fall ■rehestra, is wealthy in melody, and it vns played with nice variety, but somewhat heavilv. A Slavonic rhapsody by '-Tiedeman is built on folk songs in two novements. Here, again. Signor Sqnarise ■ml his colleagues secured very happy remits, the playing being animated and in -haracter.

The singers of the occasion were Mr .1. Gankin, whose accompaniments were olaver] bv Mrs Ernest. Drake, and Miss Molly Cullen, for whom Miss Mary Frazer went to the piano. Both debutantes did well. Miss Cullen has a musical voice of even qualitv, and she sings unaffectedly with good ‘judgment. Her chief success was in ‘ The Lament of Isis.’ Mr Rankin is a very promising young baritone, and will probably come on well as he gains experience. The audience liked his voice and his manner, and praise was heard cn all sides in regard to his treatment of the ITnndel-like song ‘ Bois Epais ’ (by Then, Marshals). Each of these singers was encored in the hearty manner which moans so much more than’ formal hand-clapping.