REMUERA MUSICAL SOCIETY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13279, 11 September 1906, Page 3

REMUERA MUSICAL SOCIETY.

Notwithstanding the unpropitious state of the weather, there was a good attendance at St. Mark's Hall, Remuera, last night, when'.: the Remuera '■ Musical Society gave . their) second concert of- this season. Two works were'get down for performance, i these being Liza LehmannV charming song cycle, " The Daisy Chain," and Gade's cantata, " Comala." Lateness of arrival on the part of some of. the performers ..resulted in the programme being commenced some 20 minutes late. This delay was, however, compensated for by the ensuing cantata being proceeded with minus the usual interval. The participants in "The Daisy Chain" were Miss Gillingham (soprano), Mrs. Sutherland (contralto), Mr. W. J. Cousins (tenor), and Mr. H. B. Coney (baritone). Though on the whole the voices blended fairly well in the conceited numbers, better results were obtained 'in the solo items. In the opening quartette, \ "Foreign Children, the soprano's intona- j tion was not always reliable. " Seeing the World" was an improvement on the first numoer, the voices being in sympathetic accord, and the lights and shades being carefully realised. .The quartette, "Thank You Very Much Indeed,' showed evidences of careful rehearsal, and the impression conveyed was pleasant to the artistic sense. Most enjoyable was the rendition of the final, "Blind Man's Bull',' and though a slight contretemps occurred the first time of singing it, this state of things was not repeated on the selection being encored. Of the solo numbers in the song cycle, men-, tion may be made of Miss Gillingham's efforts. The lady possesses considerable intellectuality in regard to her interpretations, and her vocal production, on her higher notes in particular, is well managed. If she sang the dainty lyric, "If No One Ever Marries Me," in an appropriate manner, her tasteful vocalisation in "The Swing" was even better, the octave skips and intervals generally being cleanly negotiated. The item was deservedly recalled. Mrs. Sutherland gave a pleasing* rendering of "Fairies," considerable attention being paid to the marks of expression, while an amount of breadth was infused into her singing of "The Ship That Saiied into the Sun." Mr. Cousins, who was suffering from a bad cold, scarcely did himself justice in his tenor contributions, "Stars," and "The Moon," nevertheless his intonation and phrasing were satisfactory as usual. Mr. 11. B. Coney was in good voice, and much might be w.d of his telling interpretations of " Keepsake Mill " (with its murmurando accompaniment) and the quaint " Mustard and Cress." None of the points in these were unrecognised by the vocalist, and his second item was strenuously redeman'ded. Though Gade's setting of the dramatic poem, " Cornahti," can scarcely be classified as one of his most notable achievements, the work contains much to interest, though this is not always evenly .sustained. The male chorus work is vigorously written, while the two full choruses, " Our Pathway is the Storm" and "In the Darkness of Clouds," raaik very high in merit. Comala' music was sung by Miss Gertrude Hunt, and her somewhat onerous task «as accomplished with a goodly measure of success. Though obviously nervous in her opening recitative, she warmed no to her work a*, the programme proceeded, and in the solo, "Stilled is the Fight," her more dramaitic phrases were appropriately declaimed. Mrs. Sutherland and Mrs. Hope Lewis, as Melicoma and Dersagrena respectively, sang their lines with taste, and Mr. C. E. Kksling was responsible for some good work as Fingal. his chief solo, " Let Me Quae on My Beloved," being a meritorious effort. The male voice I choruses. "Up, Sound Ye the Horn,'' "Un lor the Fight," and "For Fled is the Foe," , were given resolutely and with good volume in the more forte passages, while the subdued singing was carefully handled. Some splendid work was done by the full chorus in the telling number. "Our Pathway is the Storm," the crescendo* by the basses giving a realistic effect. In the choruses for female voices, some pleasing effects were presented, rand the whole result of the cantata reflects considerable credit on the training of Mr. H. Connell, the society's conductor. A fully adequate orchestra was ably led by Miss Edith Whitelaw. L..t.A.M., while the accompanists for the evening were: Miss Alice Law, L.R.A.M., in "The Daisy Chain," and Mrs. Petrie in " Comala." "."'