INVERCARGILL MUSICAL UNION.

Southern Cross, Volume 10, Issue 31, 8 November 1902, Page 7

INVERCARGILL MUSICAL UNION.

The Theatre Royal was more than comfortably filled on Monday evening last, when the members of the Invercargill Musical Union gave the last of this season’s concerts. Shortly after eight o’clock, Mr Gray raised his baton to about ninety performers, and it must have been gratifying in the extreme to choristers, orchestra, and last but not least an able and worthy conductor, to note the sea of eager, expectant faces which awaited the result of their combined efforts. It spoke volumes for what the public has learned to expect and accept from the chief of our musical societies. The concert was a miscellaneous one —the programme opening with an overture by the orchestra. The piece chosen was Gounod’s “ Cinq Mars,” the music of which is introduced by a roll of drums that dies away and gives place to, among other things, a very pretty little clarionet solo. The rest of the first part of the programme was devoted to the rendering of “ The Erl King’s Daughter,” a cantata by Gade, which takes its origin from an old Danish ballad known in German literature as “ Erl-kooig’s Tocbter.” The Eller-konge or elf-king is represented as a being who exercised a malignant and fatal influence over men, and especially children, by alluring promises and visions. To this it will be necessary to add that the three principal actors in the piece are Sir Oluf, a knight who in the morning is to wed a fair lady, but who, despite all entreaties, rides out at dewy eventide to seek yet one more wedding guest. Sir Oluf’s mother, who directs all her persuasive powers towards preventing her headstrong son from setting out on this mad quest, and warns him of the danger he runs —“ Oh ride not forth,” she says, “ at this ’witching hour, weird troops through the forest are thronging,” the Erl King’s Daughter, and also the Brl-maidens, into whose very presence the luckless bridegroom rides. The rest of the story is summed up in the epilogue—- “ Then youths, if through the woods you ride, When night repose is bringing, Turn from the Erl-King’s mound aside, Though songs through the air be ringing. Danger will ever him betide Who heeds the Brl-maiden’s singing.” The solos were taken by Mesdames Blue and Forbes-Williams, and Mr B. B. McKay. How for a word or two about the cantata from a musical point of view. The prologue went evenly throughout, and the effect produced by close attention to crescendo, diminuendo, and swell passages was very fine. In the chorus beginning “ The sun in ocean seeks to rest,” the accompaniment was rather heavy, and it continued so throughout the opening solos allotted

to Oluf and Olof’s mother. Mr McKay’s solo, “ When thto’ the meadows,” was highly appreciated, and the effect was enchanced by the clarinet obligato at the end of each verse. At this juncture the performers seemed to enter more into the spirit of the piece, and Mr McKay’s attack on “ Bring forth my fleet, sure-footed steed ” was brilliant; he sustained his part well until he came to “My cheeks may well be ghastly white,” when his voice displayed symptoms of over-work. Mrs Williams as Sir Oluf’s mother left little to be desired —ease and sweetness and a genuine sympathy marked her singing throughout, and when she left the dais, it was to carry with her a floral tribute of appreciation Tbe difficult role of the title of the piece fell to Mrs Blue. True and bell-like her notes always are, and on this occasion they seemed to gain in silveriness as she welcomed Sir Oluf to join in the dance. Very faithfully did she pourtray the changing mood of the Erl-King’s daughter, as she hurled at Sir Oluf the maledictory “ Then’if thou wilt not dance with me. Pain and grief shall follow thee !” The “ Morning Hymn ” and the Epilogue were each worthy of the highest possible praise—in both instances all 90 performers were absolutely in tune and under the control of their conductor’s baton. Part two opened with a Madrigal, “Sweet Honey-sucking Bees” (John Wilbyel6o9). It was unaccompanied, as also was the Glee “ There is beauty on the Mountain.” In the former the contraltos deserve a special word of credit, and, but for a noticeable lack of smoothness here and there, the glee went well, and, indeed, culminated in a splendid finale. Miss Bastings made a most successful debut in “ The Sweet September.” The young lady has a full, clear, soprano voice, over which she holds an easy command, and has an enunciation so distinct that one cannot fail to catch every word of her song. It is not at all improbable that Miss Bastings felt a little nervous on her first appearance, and possibly that was the cause of her saying “ ayes ” for “ eyes ” and more than once “ mere ” for “ year,” and so on. Mr A. Thompson was happy in his choice of “ The Spring has Come,” for he earned for himself rounds and rounds of applause. He only bowed his acknowledgments however, and not even the one whistle of the evening, from the “ gods,” induced him to repeat the last verse. Among the gems of the concert must be included Mr F. J. Lillicrap’s clarionet solo, with orchestral accompaniment. In Adagio and BondoAllegro alike, it was a masterpiece of instrumentation. The last orchestral item was “ Herodiade ” the music of the four numbers rendered was as odd as it was fascinating. The pizzicato ending of “ Les Babyloniennes ” might be termed recherche ; the movements of “ Les Gauloises ” quaint throughout, while “ Les Phonicieunes ” resolved itself into a stately measure. Three part songs, “ Absence,” “On a Hill,” and Pinsuti’s “ Good night ” completed a highly enjoyable and much appreciated programme. Mr W. Ferguson was in his accustomed place as leader of the orchestra, and Misses Price and Bussell shared the piano accompaniments with Mr Gray.