MALE CHOIR

Evening Star, Issue 22202, 3 December 1935, Page 7

MALE CHOIR

SECOND CONCERT OF SEASON PERFORMANCE OF DIVERSIFIED INTEREST The Royal Dunedin Male Choir concert in the Town Hall last evening followed, both in programriie and performance, a well-defined track in choral music. Two new : part'songs were given, but there was little of a challenging or provocative nature in, the composition ..of the-whole -bill. The great majority, of the choir’s army, of followers is probably not disposed .to be, critical of a repetition of past successes, but m the pursuance of that’ policy there always lies a potential danger of stodginess; And while- some- . of_ the choral works last, evening were finely, sung (one, in fact, <was a: masterpiece)] that impression did manifest .itself,: The approach of Christmas was ac-: knowledged in traditional fashion, and,, as is almost invariably the' case, a. judicious number of engaging , musical diversions were introduced to set off the’ choral programme. The concert opened with the Beethoven ‘Hallelujah! Power and Glory,’ and in this the remarkably fine aggregation of. bass voices was. heard at its. best. At the same time, there was some distinctly -lethargic singing in the middle passages. The 4 Sound an Alarm,’ from Handel’s ■■ ■* Judas Maccabeus,’ was attacked in invigorating style, with the tenors strengthening as they went on,- and an excellent climax was. reached. The most attractive, arrangement of ‘Shenandoah,’' by Bartholomew, was unquestionably the achievement of the evening] This was exquisitely • sung,, beautifully tempered by'Dr Galway and produced with a finesse that was captivating. The choir sang as one great' organ—which is the highest' tribute one can pay. This arresting performance was naturally repeated. ’ An’arrangement by Arnold Williams of ‘My Pretty Jane.’ the Bishop air so esteemed in Victorian and Edwardian drawing rooms, but now, unhappily,; never sung; was in the same style, but could not stand with that most haunting of sea shanties. Maunder’s,. vivid ‘ Song of. the Norsemen ’ obviously, caught the fancy of the huge audience once again. • Miss was the soloist, in Dr Stanley'Marchant’s inspiring . * Christmas Eve,’ and led the choir- with a simplicity, and clarity of melodic line that were delightful] The .choral music was obscure in passages.Mr R. A; Mitchell and Master Herbert Claridge were associated as soloists in the imperishable -‘ Good King Wenceslas,’ the choir following this up with Dr Galway’s own arrangement of ‘ When Christ was Born of Mary Free.’ These carols were very pleasantly sung. _ The time-honoured performance of ‘ Ring Out, Wild Bells ’- concluded the concert. ■ Miss .Giles, who has one of the most attractive voices in this city—a really winsome voice—unquestionably scored the hit of the evening with her very graceful interpretation of the Bishop ‘ Echo Song,’ a lovely old : ballad in which all great sopranos inevitably show off their vocal points. .A flute obbligato is . indispensable, ■of course, and here fl to was played hyp Mr R. Bell,Miss Giles‘sang with a captivating delicacy, and was immediately recalled to offer that jolly ‘ Love is Meant to Make Us Glad’, (‘ Merrie England’). This young lady must certainly appear more in future. . Miss Alison Tyrie generously appeared in place of Miss Margaret Beattie at very short notice,Her three contralto ballads—Hamish Macunn’s ‘ Lie There, My Lute,’ Albert Mallinson’s ‘We Sway Along the Ridges,’ and the old Scottish ‘Turn Ye to Me ’—Were admirable studies in production and interpretation. Many will remember the exciting Mallinson song as one of- Stella Power’s greatest successes. The soloists from the choir were Mr E. R. Beaton, a reliable and consistently fine artist, and Mr E. G. Johnstone, a newcomer with a baritone voice of resonant and attractive quality. Master Herbert Claridgealso - sahg Eastliope. Martin’s ‘ Holy Child,’ and in his recall (Haydn Wood’s ‘Brown Bird Singing ’) staggered the audience with his register. Miss Marjorie M'Dowell and Miss Ruth Moore, two experienced -and finelv-attuned pianists, played the waltz from the Tschaikowsky ‘ Nut Cracker ’ suite with a most agreeable fluency, and made much of its charming melody. The accompanist was Mr Colin Oliver.