VIOLIN RECITAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 68, 16 February 1935, Page 4

VIOLIN RECITAL

ZILLAH CASTLE’S ARTISTRY. Discerning lovers of the violin had an opportunity of enjoying excellent r music when Miss Zillaii Castle, - A.It.C.M., L.R.S.M. (London), an exhibitioner of the Royal. College of r Music, London, gave a recital in the r Roseo tearoom, last evening. Miss , Castle, who comes from Wellington, is - the possessor of a quiet, charming person a lit y and her playing held the admiration of the audience, which was of fair- dimensions. Several of Miss i Castle's presentations were of the lesser known type—possibly because of 1 their difficulty in technique, but the . violiriiste showed herself to bo a sym- , pathetic master ot the instrument. She , was called upon by her choice of numbers to demonstrate the full range of L her violin and made it speak in a poem , of sound. Abundant evidence of technique was , forthcoming in the first presentation, “Suite for Pianoforte and Violin, Op. • 11,” by Carl Goldmark. The compe- . sition is u highly melodious ono, lull , of piquant harmony and delicate rhythm, while skilled technical work . is required to give an adequate inter- ; pretation. The number gives ample , scope, too, for the pianoforte and in , that respect Ereda Cunningham showed why she has merited the confidence of some of the Dominion’s most outstanding artists. The opening .section of the work has a quaint appeal, the following section being of a much I slower tempo. The third movement I I takes the violin through its full range, closing with a scherzo-like section, the I finale being touched with a delight- i ful piquancy. The piece formed a very fine vehicle for Miss Castle to demonstrate how well she can control tone, while there was evident, in addition, that sympathy which makes the difference between playing wliat the composer meant and merely following the music lie wrote. Like the first number, which was played in the Dominion for the first time by M iss Castle at a recent recital in Wellington, tiro second presentation was also little known, being Max Bruch’s “Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 44.” This, one of the lesser known concertos, G. Minor being perhaps the best known, is difficult and abounds with technicalities which demonstrated lo those who were sufficiently conversant with the violin, how advanced Miss Castle’s technique is. ( Elgar’s “Sonata lor Violin and Pianoforte in E. Minor,. Op. 82” was beautifully rendered. The number is one requiring a natural interpretation and both vioiiniste and pianiste treated it very well. “The Lark Ascending,” by Vauglmn Williams, calls on the interpretative qualities of the player and tells a tale of the title, a lark soarI ing to the skies with its dainty song, to come floating down at the close of the piece. Tschaikowsky’s "Canzxi-n-etta from the Violin Concerto, Op. 35,” typically a Russian melody, lias, too, the opportunity of displaying fine tone, while the closing number on the programme, “Scotch Pastorale, Op. 130, No. 2,” is a typically Scotch folk song with a charming general air that brought forth much appreciation. As an encore number Miss Castle played “Te Deuni,” arranged by Hisch, and ' received well-merited applause.