DUNEDIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22212, 15 March 1934, Page 10

DUNEDIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

FIRST CONCERT OF SEASON BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE OF EMPEROR CONCERTO. The high reputation which the Duncdjn Symphony Orchestra has won for itself in the past by reason of the authoritative and exceedingly competent character of its work should be considerably enhanced as the result of its first concert of the season, or the eleventh since the formation of the combination, which was presented before a large audience in the Town Hall Concert Chamber last evening. Obviously not content with merely maintaining the high standard achieved by, the orchestra under his control last season, M. de Rose has put into practice a determination to raise it to still high altitudes of interpretative and executive brilliance, and the success attending his efforts received enthusiastic testimony from last night's audience. It would be too much to expect, however, that the orchestra's performance should be entirely perfect, buthe slight lapses on the part of one section or another of the combination were quickly retrieved, and occurred so seldom that little appreciable effect on the value of the performance as a whole was noticeable, tne general atmosphere of the concert being one of satisfying competence and a complete unity of endeavour on the part of instrumentalists and conductor. During the opening bars of the bright and colourful overture to "The Barber of Seville," with which the concert was commenced, the string tone was slightly uneven, but thig fault was rapidly overcome, and the orchestra settled down to present a virile and spirited interpretation. Throughout this lively work the balance of the combination was exceptionally good, the brasses providing a rich and full-toned background to the crisp, even work of the strings. It was an excellent performance, and one which fully merited the generous measure of applause which greeted its conclusion. One of the major works of the evening was Mozart's Symphony in G minor,, a massive and complex composition which taxed the resources of the orchestra to the full. Of a deeply emotional character, this work requires a complete understanding of its moods to ensure an authoritative interpretation, and the marked confidence with which the orchestra attacked its heavy task'argued a full appreciation of the conductor's thorough insight into the requirements of, the Composition. Although there are brief flashes of the grace and charm which are .so intimately associated with the , majority of Mozart's writings, the pervading atmosphere of this work is one of sadness, even gloom, and the fact that the orchestra succeeded in capturing this mood and yet gave a performance which was followed with the closest attention was a sufficiently convincing indication of the high quality of the presentation from both the executive and interpretative viewpoints. The first movement from Beethoven's famous Emperor Concerto in E flat major, the second major work of the concert, was an exhilarating and brilliant number, the solo pianoforte part being played with delightful artistry by Miss Louise Tonkin. Although in the first portion of the movement Miss Tonkin did not appear to possess the power necessary to give the solo part its rightful prominence ,-in the performance, her flawless technique, artistic phrasing, and mature interpretative skill carried her through with - the highest credit, and certainly no fault could be found with her performance of the florid and extremely difficult passages which occur during the latter portion of the movement. Grace and delicacy of treatment were the dominant features of her work, and in this she was given excellent support by the orchestra, which, always under perfect control, provided a richly melodic background, full of light and shade, and always in attractive accord with the soloist. On the whole, it was one of the finest performances achieved at a Symphony Orchestra concert, and the delight of the audience was 'demonstrated in so vigorous a fashion that the last portion of the movement was repeated. A bracket of Wagnerian selections, the introduction to Act 111 from " The Mastersingers," and " The Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla," from Rhemgold," gave the orchestra every opportunity of displaying its flexibility and the fine tone of its component sections. ■ In the first number the prominence which Wagner has given the brasses in so many of his compositions allowed this department of the orchestra to display the fine tone of which it is capable, while the string quality was uniformly rich and smobth. It was an impressive work, recapturing to perfection the atmosphere which pervades this fine Wagnerian opera The selection from "Rheingold is cast in more heroic mould, and contains some of the great composer's most graphic writings. The climax which comes when, to the accompaniment of a, tremendous thunder clap, the home of *&« anc j en * fi^, J ! exnosed to view, was developed with great spirit and power, Uhe brasses being responsible for a fine Performance and the subsequent scene depicting theL slow procession of the cods across the smnrng arch to the giant castle, was handled with commendable attention to atmosphere. Tschaikowsky's dramatic and strongly national "Marche Slave," which concluded the orchestral portion of the concert, was eiven a presentation which was full or character and colour, the various sections of the orchestra combining to create an excellent finale to a. recital which was one of the most attractive orchestral offerings heard in this city for many ye Miss Andri Bevin, a contralto of considerable artistio attainments, was the vocalist of the evening. Her rich voice, remarkable for its resonance throughout its unusual range, and the delicacy anrt culture of her interpretative artistry, immediately won the high, appreciation of the audience, and in addition to her programme numbers, Miss Bevin was caiiect upon to provide two encores. Her; nrst presentation was the lovely and pathetic lamentation of Orpheus on the death Of Eurydice, "Che faro senza Eurydice. from Gluck's " Orfeo ed Eurydice' which, although taken at an unusually slow tempo, was a delightfully artistic performance. Miss Bevin's wealth of expressioual colouring and rich tone quality stamping her as a vocalist of very considerable qualifications. She was no less successful in a bracket consisting of Beethoven's "Creation Hymn," Brahms.s lively and melodious " Der Jaeger," Der Schmeid" by the same composer, and the lovely Strauss "Zueignung. The pianoforte accompaniments were competently and sympathetically played by Miss Marjorie M'Dowell.