ROYAL AUCKLAND CHOIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20419, 22 November 1929, Page 11

ROYAL AUCKLAND CHOIR.

THIRD' OONOEWT OF SEASON, The final concert of the year by the Royal Auckland Choir was given in the Town Hall last evening under the able conductorship of Dr. W. E. Thomas. The large audience present was rot slow to recognise the'many excellent features of-the programme, which showed the : singers to "particular advantage- The members of the choir were generally alert—some were, in fact, inclined lo anticipate' the conductor's beat in 1 the' opening part-song's—and attacked the various "leads'-' "with precision, while the tone transitions and light and shade effects were skilfully handled. Amcng the outstanding part-songs was Eifenhofer's "He Who Trusts in Ladies Fair." This obtained a fine interpretation, and the independent vocal parts stood out with requisite clearness. Candish's choral number. ""Who Sails With Drake" had the advantage of a pianoforte accompaniment, which introduced nautical ideas to good purpose, while the musical setting generally suited the timbre of the male voices. De Rille's "Village Wedding" was one of the popular "hits" of the concert, and the humorous lines were well exploited. J. , . _ , The choir may also be warmly commended for its light treatment of tho rapidly articulativo passages. Two numbers by Dudley Buck, "On tho Sea" and '"Chorus of Bishops," were delivered with close attention to the finer- points, while Sp.mgenberg's "Far Above the Stars," De Rille's "The Tattoo," Cooke's "Freely Blew," introducing solo and quartette -effects, Wagner's "Roman War Song," aiid Dudley Buck's "Ever of j Thee" all testified to painstaking . rei hearsal. .• ' ' | The closing number of the concert was I Buck's impressive "In Memoriain,' | which was sung as a tribute of respect to j the memory of the •chairman of the i {"society's committee,, tho late J\lr. Nisbet : I Mcßobie, who passed away ou September," ' 27 last. " ' . Miss Beryl Smith's contralto solos wero cordially received and encored. Her. first choico "was the great excerpt, "O, Don Fatale," from Verdi's "Don Carlos," s. number which proved somewhat taxing-in the higher Miss Smith was more congenially suited in her subsequent .' "A Feast of Lantorns" (Bontock), and in j her encore songs/ which were tastefully - rendered. ... . Master Harold Taberner, a young violin- , ist, showed remarkable technical facility "■ ; his solos, "Hejre Kati" (Hubav) and La Rondo des Lutins" (Bazwm). He wou J unanimous applause, which, r prising, and in one part °f P 3 had to respond to a d ° ab * e favonr . , Tvr.. Bfanlev Pntchard made a iavoui lai d s song, _- „ through lack of loses someTn the vocal schemeT although continuity m nlomen ts. Thess . 1 there °'l i hp' most of bv Mr. -Pritcbavd, were made tbe . . v italitv.'His other , who always . «. Tlie Mron Props programme r.ui f ~ as j, is additional \ ' IJ>%V S,o art4ticallv enunciated Tht^ Cyril Towsey, Eric Bell ana n.