FINE CONCERT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 260, 16 October 1933, Page 8

FINE CONCERT

BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY THIRD OF THE SERIES MOST ENJOYABLE PROGRAMME The third of the exceptionally enjoyable series of concerts begun by the Hastings branch of the British Music Society some time ago was given m the Hawke’s Bay Farmers' tea-rooms on Saturday evening in the presence ot a large audience. As is well known by now, or should be, the principal aim of the society, and ot couise of the Hastings branch as a member ot it, is to foster the development of music, especially of British music, by enabling the general public to hear the works of the best composers performed by talented amateurs and the local

teachers, and to revive what was an apparently dying affection for music either as a performer or as a listener. The essence of these concerts is that they are a departure from the usual type of recital in that they are in aid of nothing and nobody but the development of musical taste and are arranged for the artistic pleasure of those who listen and ot those who perform. Saturday evening’s programme was particularly enjoyable, the first half consisting ot works by British composers and the second half of a selection of the classicists. Whether or not it is odious to the society to make comparisons we do not know, but it seems to us to be only just to refer especially to the singing of Miss .Marion Steele, who has not only a beautiful voice but an artistic intelligence that is not to be found in one amateur in ten ; and to the string quartette, the members of which are A. Briasco, V. E. Etheridge, P. W. Tombs and R. Knott Miss Steele had the good sense and the consideration for her audience to make some very interesting explanatory comment on her first three songs, two ot which were tradition 11 airs, and the third a musical version, by Granville Bantoek, of three short songs from the Greek Anthology. To hear one who was quite obviously familiar with the Scottish idiom and with the spirit of Scottish art explain the significance of what she was singing added much to the pleasure of the music, and it would appear reasonable to expect that, the aims of the society being what they are, Miss Steele’s example might well be followed by others. She sang her songs exquisitely, but excelled her first performance with her singing ot “Might I Linger A near Thee” (Salvator Rosa) and “Pastorale” (Veracini).

The string quartette played ‘‘Adagio Cantabile”, from Haydn’s Quartette m C, Op. 76, No .3, and Mozart’s String Quartette in G No. 12 (allegretto, nunuetto, andante, allegro). The playing of the quartette was easy, eloquent, and well-balanced, and there was fine, incisiveness and spiritedness when those qualities were called for. The cello part in the Haydn number was splendidly played, and there was a finish about the whole performance that was very delightful The sepulchral voice of the leader, however, might have been locked a little more securely in its tomb. It is a fine thing to grow excited about music, but such promptings are not in the score. G. Grant. H. Norton, and P. Greenwood,,contributed three miniature trios by Frank Bridge, “Valse Russe”, “Romance” and “Saltarello”, and A. Briasco, C. Fitzwater and W. McCarthy played Purcell’s “Golden Sonata” for two violins and piano. Both performances were excellent, and it was made evident to the audience that Mr Norton is steadily, developing into a violinist of very fine quality. His bowing sometimes lacks fluency a little, but his perfoimance on Saturday evening was, as we have said, proof of his increasing powers as a musician. Miss Winifred McCarthy, whose playing is always a pleasure to listen to, played “April”, bv Frank Bridge, Eugene Gossens’ “The Hurdy-Gurdy Man", and the first movement of Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 31, No. 1. The audience thoroughly enjoyed these three numbers, and gave Miss McCarthy much well-deserved applause. Mr A. Christie, who played a minor part as the performer of a flute obligato to one of Miss Steele’s songs, deserves mention for playing a difficult piece with much skill and understanding-