ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22067, 25 September 1933, Page 3

ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY

THIRD CONCERT AN IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE. The third concert of the Dunedin Orchestral Society's forty-sixth season, which was presented in the Town Hall Concert Chamber on Saturday evening, attracted considerable interest by reason of the fact that it marked the first public performance by the orchestra since Mr T. Vernon Griffiths assumed the dutiPß of conductor. Mr Griffiths's wide knowledge of orchestral work was immediately apparent in the work of the combination, which played with vigour and confidence, maintaining a balance and cohesion which gave striking evidence of the capable manner in which the conductor had welded the individual sections of the orchestra into a well-balanced whole. His control of the combination, its confidence in and obedience to his directions, and the presence of such refinements as rich modulation, fine tonal balance, crispness in attack and release, and general virility of treatment, made the orchestra's performance as a whole one which must he acknowledged to be one of its best for some considerable time. There was nothing of a very ambitious nature selected for Inclusion in the programme, with the result that the charm of simplicity was allied to a competence of performance which was particularly attractive, the one composition that stood above tho others in the matter of; spectacular construction being the magnificent Mendelssohn Concerto in G minor, for pianoforte and orchestra. In this beautiful work the pianoforte part was played by Mrs H. 0. Campbell, whose work can be classed as being of a very high order. The lovely melodies which run through the concerto were interpreted by the pianist with great delicacy of treatment, her performance being all the more notable for the fact that despite the complex nature of her duties, she dispensed with the pianoforte score and played entirely without the assistance of music. Other features of Mrs Campbell's performance were her sustained power and the \ accuracy of her • execution, The orchestral accompaniment was played with grace and interpretative colouring, the various departments of the orchestra combining perfectly to present an impressive and extremely enjoyable performance. Token as a whole the eoncortowas a magnificent work, and the warm applause which greeted its conclusion was a genuine and well-deserved tribute ,to pianist and orchestra alike. The concert was opened with M'Kenzie's nautical overture "Britannia," a vigorous and vital work, which received attractive treatment. The unity of attack, general balance and cohesion, the fine tone of the strings, led by Miss Ethel Wallace, and the full quality of the brasses, which were prominent in several rousing passages, made this performance an excellent introduction to a memorable recital. A humorous and cleverly arranged series of symphonic variations on " Three Blind Mice," by Joseph Holbrooke, gave the orchestra a splendid opportunity of displaying its versatility, the swiftly changing moods of the variatipns, the delightful humour of their orchestral treatment, and the verve and dash of their presentation winning the audience's, highest ap* proval. It was an excellent performance, The well-known, and universally popular ," In the Hall of the Mountain King," from Grieg's "Peer Gynt" suite wag another very attractive presentation. The opening passages by the basses were somewhat lacking in character, but as tho performance progressed a steady improvement was noticeable, and the finale to the movement was achieved with great dash and spirit, the crisp attack and splendid balance achieved more than overshadowing the deficiencies of the earlier part of the number. Elgar's majestic " Imperial March", which brought the orchestral side of the concert to a conclusion, was a'finely shaded and full-toned presentation, the general balance and. cohesion achieved being most creditable. An instrumental trio, consisting of Mr Griffiths (pianoforte), Mr W. Lang {violin), and Mr H. 0. M'Farlane ('cello), presented Frank Bridge's "Miniatures," consisting of three movements, a minuet, a gayotte, and an allegretto, the simplicity and charm of which were reproduced with considerable fidelity. The violin • was occasionally somewhat uncertain in intonation, but the general effect was extremely pleasing. Later in the evening the same instrumentalists played M'Dowcll's "To a Wild Rose," apd Cyril Scott's " Vesterale," in which the strings scarcely seemed to exhibit full confidence, and the first movement of C. B. Rootham's. "Trio," an interesting composition which was somewhat marred by indifferent work by the violin, Mr Griffiths and Mrs H. (3. Campbell were also associated in a pianoforte duet, Debussy's "Petite Suite," from which two of the movements, "Cortege" and "Ballet" were selected for performance. The colourful and strongly descriptive character of these movements was reproduced with confidence and close attention tq interpretative shading, but there was a hardness about the general tone which in some instances produced an almost mechanical impression. The vocal soloists were Miss Margaret Beattie, a mezzq of even quality, who sang Robertson's " A Grecian Picture," Martin Shaw's well-known " Cuckoo," and Graham Peel's "Go Down to Kew in Lilac Time," with fair artistry, and Mr Alan Highet, a tepor of pleasing quality, whose selections " Songs of Araby" (Clay) and "Now Sleeps the Crimson' Petal," were carefully and accurately sung. Both soloists had to respond to requests for encores. The pianoforte accompaniments were played by Miss Meda Paihe and Mrs H. C. Campbell.