ORGAN RECITAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2902, 27 October 1909, Page 68

ORGAN RECITAL.

The weather on the 22nd had no effect in detering a very lao-ge number from attending the organ recital given by Mr Jesse Timson in First Church, and the fact that so many were present on such a wet night "was a very high - compliment- to ■Mr •Timson's; playing. .The attraction of the recital was added to'by v the c pi«eeaice of the combine-d choirs of the Central Mission, Green Island, and First Churches, the singers totalling 120, and no doubt it was to hear these as well as to listen to the organ playing that many attended. Mr Timson opened the recrtal with Best's "Ma>rcb/in D," which was spiritedly played, ■and into which some fine . &offe effects 'w«re introduced. ' This was followed'by'Lemare's^ "Cantique d' Amour," a very beautiful, peaceful theme, .which was treated with excellent taste. The combined choirs, under the baton of Mr W. R. Don, contributed the anthem " Praise the Lord, O my soul," by Goss, in a way that; was distinctly creditable, even with obvious weakness in the male voices, due to th^ comparatively small number of gentlemen providing the tenor a.nd bass parts. The item was -warmly applauded. A very tuneful spring song by Hollins was brightly played, and •some exceedingly pretty musical effects» produced by a skilful use of the stops or the organ. Lemmen's " Fanfare " was brilliantly performed by Mr Timson, a-nd ranked among the finest of fcha solos played 1 by him, a fact that was not lost sight of by the auidience. The second item of the chairs was a much move even performance than the first, the parts being far more evenly balanced, and it had to be repeated. It was Dyke's hymn "St. Aelred "—" Fierce raged the tempest,"— and the conception of its ~ interpretation, as imparted to the choirs by the conductor (Mr G. Mirams) -was admirable. The takim? gavotte from the_ opera of '" Mignon '' was exquisitively | pla-yed by Mr Tims&n, and evokad the | warmest demonstration of the evenimg, a no less . pvetty - and dainty little, pieoa cf music taking its place in response to the encorj accorded. Guilmant's " Grand chorus in E flat," a florid composition of great majesty, was in its earlier stages given withbrlliancy and vierour, fcutirs perfoismj ance was not uniformly ircod. It was. pei 1 - I haps, rather the stirring- nature of Ihe music than the manner of its performance that secured for " Th.=> soldiers' chorus" from Gounod's " Faust " the imperative demnnd for a repetition. Ladies voices are not adapted for giving such a chorus with anything like telling effect. They havenot the robustness necessary, and this, apart from .in.y other deficiencies, was sufficient to qualify -success. Mr Timson's nlaving of Lemars's exceedingly pretty andante in D flat, driven by request, was a favourite number with tho audience, and hns remaining contributions were Buck's "At evenj ing" and a toccata by Callaerts.