JUNIOR ORCHESTRA

Evening Star, Issue 21569, 15 November 1933, Page 13

JUNIOR ORCHESTRA

FINAL CONCERT &F YEAR MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE Definitely established as a valuable musical organisation that is a credit to the city, the Dunedin Junior-Orchestra performed for the second time this year in the Town Hall Concert Chamber last evening. This youthful orchestra owes its formation and development to the personal enthusiasm of Mr Roy Spackman, and the audience at this concert united in paying him the tribute he so richly deserves. The warm, spontaneous applause indicated a recognition and appreciation of the splendid artistic service he has instituted, and it must have heartened him greatly. Since the first concert earlier in the year Mr Spackman , has effected a marked improvement in strength, quality. and balance. There were near).\ ninety players in the orchestra last night, and it is clear that the Concert Chamber platform will not hold them next year.. For that matter, it is equally apparent that more extensive accommodation will be required for future audiences.

Mr Spackman has every reason to feel proud of his orchestra. Its. members seem to be quite as keen as he is, and obviously thoroughly enjoy playing under him. And through him they have achieved a unified standard that is remarkable. It is no exaggeration to say that in several respects the playing here definitely surpassed that of adult orchestras we have heard in Dunedin before. Even the most hardened conoertgoer, prepared to offer an indulgent allowance, must have been pleasantly surprised, Unity and quality were both clearly proved, and as a concerted force the orchestra was generally highly effective. It was admirably balanced and kept that balance. And the tone was the most gratu,' ■ of all its features. It is something of an achievement for such a host of young violinists to have achieved the fullness and smoothness they did produce. One is apt to associate a decidedly unsettling rawness in the playing of the young student of this instrument, but here any such scraping had no place. Mr Spackman exercised wisdom in his choice of music. Without being complex, the selections w T ere far from easy. The concert opened witn the ‘ Coronation March ’ from ‘ Le Prophete,’ by Meyerbeer, and the pomp and ceremony that it suggests were convincingly represented. An orchestral transcription of the lovely Brahms' ‘ Lullaby ’ was sympathetically played by the strings, and was followed by the wild ‘ Gopak 1 of Moussorgsky,.the difficult rhythm of which was nicely accentuated. Three dances from the ‘ Henry VHL’ suite by Sir Edward German and the ‘ Pilgrims’ Chorus ’ from 1 Tannhauser ’ came next, The crescendo that leads into the full brass introduction in the latter was effectively managed, and the brass tone from there was remarkably fine indeed. Mr Spaceman then submitted his own attractivearrangement of a number of sea-chan-ties, and these were played with ton-.', spicuous spirit. The famous sextette' from ‘ Lucia di Lammermoor, 1 a selection from ‘ The Pirates of Penzance (the only weak item of the concert), and the ‘ Grand March ’ from ‘ Tantihauser were the other offerings. The soloists were Miss Bessie (fallen,„ Miss Elsie Green, and Mr Walter Pric-, tor, nil of whom were very warmly received. Violin and flute obbligatos weroi «by Miss Mavis M'Cormack and irtley Joel, the piano accompaniments being provided by Miss Kathleen Whelan and Miss Joan Stewart. .

It is a pleasant duty to record that at the final rehearsal of the orchestra on Monday evening the members surprised Mr Spackman by presenting him with a silver-mounted inscribed walking stick as an expression of .their regard for him—a gesture that typifies the cordialiiy of their relations and their interest in their music.