RETURNED SOLDIERS’ CHOIR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21648, 19 May 1932, Page 9

RETURNED SOLDIERS’ CHOIR

AN ATTRACTIVE PROGRAMME The Concert Chamber of the Town Hall was well filled last evening for the first concert of the season of the Returned Soldiers’ Choir. An attractive programme of generous variety and excellent balance was presented to a noticeably appreciative audience, and a commendably high standard of performance was maintained throughout. The character of some of the numbers included in the programme, and the manner of their interpretation, bespoke careful and painstaking preparation and rehearsal. In this respect the conductor (Mr J. T. Leech) may take to himself no small measure of credit for the able and masterly direction which he must have exercised in the arrangement and preparation of the programme. Following on the New Zealand anthem, “ God Defend New Zealand,” the opening number was “Tar’s Song” (Hatton), sung with genuine spirit and vigour. Mr W. Strang acquitted himself creditably, although somewhat uncertainly, in “ The Mighty Builder” (Michael Caske Day) to give an encore. “ The Long Day Closes” (Sullivan) found suitably delicate and restrained handling, and pleased the audience to the extent that it demanded an encore rendering of this beautiful, melodious number. Miss Dorothy Stentiford’s charming contralto voice proved very much to the liking of her hearers, who applauded her warmly for her singing of “ Johneen ” (Williams), and were no less pleased with “ Lindy,” a bright and sparkling little ballad which she rendered as an encore. The part song “Wanderer’s Night Song” (Schubert) suited the choir fairly well, but they were much more at home in the fullthroated robustness of the “ Anvil Chorus” from ‘MI Trovatore,” a number in which they gave a very satisfying interpretation. The recall rendering of the same chorus was, if anything, even more impressively done. The cantata “To the Sons of Art” (Mendelssohn) presented more difficulties than anything else in the programme, but the occasional evidences of roughness of tone and disturbed balance were not Serious enough to detract unduly from the genuine character of a very creditable performance. A quartet comprising Messrs D. Lyons, T. Harvey, T. D. White, and S. R. Collins was not always comfortable, but on the whole gave a good account of itself. “ The Village Blacksmith” (Bell) was an attractive number in which the choir displayed unusual cohesion and interpretative skill. Mr George Crawford found many admirers of his rendering of “ Linden Lea” (Vaughan Williams) and had to give two encores. The exquisitely charming little lyric “Sylvia” (Oley Speaks) was managed ■ with, nice restraint and appropriate expression, and “ Softly, Softly, O’er the Sea” (Percival) was equally well done. Miss Stentiford’s second appearance, first in “ Ships of Araby” (Michael Head) and then in “ Love is Meant to Make Us Glad ” (German), was a real pleasure. The first number was sung with exceptional artistry and real expression, while the second provided a pleasing contrast of lively, airy joyousness. The final number, “Come to the Fair” (Easthope Martin), with Mr S. Jeffs in the solo part, was robustly and competently treated and found ready acceptance. Undoubtedly one of the features of the evening was the playing of Mr Maitland M'Cutcheon, whose musicianly skill and rarely expressive interpretative genius were remarkably demonstrated fn a series of violin solos, for every one of which he was accorded an ovation. In “ Valse Triste” (Sibelius) he was superb, drawing from his instrument an intensity of vivid colour and realism that presented for his audience all the shadowy sadness and dolor of that poignantly eloquent work. Kreisler’s “ Liebeefreud ” followed and proved to be a striking exhibition of flexible style and faultless technique. “Ballet Musik” (Schubert) captivated hie audience again, and even -after he had played Kreisler’s arrangement of “ Gavotte ” (Bach) more was still/expected of him. The accompanist of the evening was Mr T. J. Kirk-Burnnand.