ROYAL MALE CHOIR

Evening Star, Issue 22084, 18 July 1935, Page 11

ROYAL MALE CHOIR

The one hundred and eighty-ninth concert of: the Royal Dunedin Male Choir, in. this, the fiftieth year erf its existence, bids fair to be equal to its best efforts of the past. The choristers have been consistent in their attendances at rehearsal and with a wellchosen programme and good work put in by the conductor, Dr V. E. Galway, they should give a good account of themselves next Monday evening at the Town Hall. The programme will open with Dudley Buck’s glorious * Hymn to Music ’ (arranged by Purcell J. Mansfield), Mr R. A. Mitchell (tenor) will follow with ‘ Macushla,’ by Dormot Macmummgh. He has a clear, ringing tone, and should be worth hearing. An old Irish folk song, ‘ County Clare Song ’ (arranged by S. E. Gaines) and a jolly sea song, ‘ The Arethusa ’ (arranged by Frank M. Jephson) by the choir, which are new to Dunedin audiences, will lead to a presentation of two numbers by a soprano who has lately won recognition here, Miss Betty Pocock, ‘ To Music ’ and ‘ The Wind in the Chimney ’ (Sanderson). The singing by the choir of the beautiful and touching melody of negro spirituals, with the solo by Mr John Kennedy, ‘ Deep River ’ (another of Purcell Mansfield’s) will be followed by a ’cello solo by an ex-In-vercargill instrumentalist, Mr Victor A. Le Petit, and the first part closes with a scene from ‘ The , Miracle ’ (Humperdinck), with an organ accompaniment by Dr Galway, and with the help of a ladies’ choir under the conductorship of Mr Walmsley, the male choir being led by Mr W. R. Sinclair (deputy-conductor). The second half is said to be equally good. The choir will begin with the choral work, ‘ Recognition of Land ’ (Greig), the incidental solo being taken by Mr Edward Benton, and a duet by Messrs J. Kennedy and Cecil S. Hawes, ‘ Poet and Peasant ’ (Bonheur) and West’s ‘ Little Sandman ’—always a popular number by the choir—will follow. Miss Pocock’s next contribution will be ‘ Rose Softly Blooming ’ (Spohr), and then the men will sing Robertson’s lovely meflody, ‘ All in the April Evening.’ Mr J. D. M'Kechnie will be heard in ‘ The Owl is Abroad ’ (Purcell 1680) and 1 The White Owl ’ (Lavater). Mr V. A. Le Petit will present.' ‘.Gavotte’ (Pepper), and the evening’s entertainment will be concluded by the ballad, ‘ Captain Strathon’s Fancy ’ (Jenkins), the solo of which is entrusted to Mr G. S. Thomson. The box plan wili open at Begg’s i to-morrow morning.