ROYAL AUCKLAND CHOIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18495, 4 September 1923, Page 9

ROYAL AUCKLAND CHOIR.

SUCCESSFUL CONCERT.

The special concert given by the Royal Auckland Choir at the Town Hall last evening was very largely attended, there being only a' small number of unoccupied seats in the spacious auditorium at 8 p.m. The male choir mustered in full force, under the capable ;, baton of Dr. W. E. Thomas, and submitted ■. for The most part inspiring readings of their music, But few of the items given at Thursday's function appeared upon the programme, a notable exception.being the male voice arrangement "of the famous Hallelujah." chorus from"." Beethoven's " Mount of Olives." After the vigorous pianoforte introduction by Mr. Cyril -Towsey. the voluminous opening " Hallelujah's" were decisively given.: The imitative passages at the '" Allegro," " Praise ; the Lord." were worked out with sureness, and from here onwards the body of the vocalists thoroughly entered into, the spirit ;of the telling music. The pitch of the ' music in the Dutch " Prayer of Thanksgiving" well suited the voices, •' which rose and fell in thrilling', unisons, while in quite another vein was the humorous number, "Quibble's Cocoa," with its message, expressed in many catchy phrases arid mock chanting effects. Other part-songs which found ready favour were:'' De Rille's spirited " To Arms," Mornington's."When For the World's Repose," and Cooke's popular "Strike the Lyre." t . Much interest. was naturally centred in the second appearance of the Australian lyric soprano, Miss Ethel Osborn, -whose interpretation made such a favourable im- ; pression at last week's concert: Her limitations in expressing .adequately the possibilities of an operatic aria were somewhat marked in the famous "Mad Scene," from "Donizetti's " Lucia di Lammermoor." Tho flute accompaniment of Mr. : Geo. Poore found '■ that musician ' exercising his accustomed vigilance during one or two anxious moments'. Miss Osborn charmed her hearers in "The Herdsman's Sonpf," and the daintily-expressed : Old English Pastorale,'' while later the f soprano captured the popular fancv in the' fantasy, " To One Who Walked Whistling Through tho Night" (Williams), " Tip-toes"' (Molly Carew), and the closing " Bells of Brittany." ■ Miss Osborn responded with many artistic encore songs during the evening.' ; ' ; ■'■.' " '.' ' ' '''' ~ "■■''. ; .•'-'/•' . Miss Dorothy Baker, violinist, gave attractive'readings of the violin solos "Andante" (Wiernawski),: and La Gitana" (Kriesler),' while Mr. R. Simmers disclosed a well-produced bass-baritone voice of even quality in . bis enjoyable songs. " Sea Fever" (Ireland), and "Oh, Could I But ' Express in" Song" (Malashkin). Both these artists were again in demand. The many pianoforte'.accompaniments' to be placed to Mr. Cyril Towsev's credit contributed materially to the effect of the solo items. ' . ' ' . .