Invercargilll Musical Union

Southland Times, Issue 14788, 3 November 1900, Page 3

Invercargilll Musical Union

With a praiseworthy endeavour to attract the general music-loving portion of the community, and to gain popularity and prestige for itself, the Union decided on presenting for their second concert a miscellaneous programme sufficiently diverse in its items to please the taste of those who prefer the lighter vein as well as of others who take a delight in the more hidden mysteries of the higher cult. That their choice was a wise one was most effectively shown by the full house that attended, as well as by the general satisfaction very freely expressed after the performance, and it must be a great satisfaction to each individual member who contributed his or her quota of assistance, to find their efforts so well appreciated, and will no doubt in some measure compensate them for the time they have given up to attendance at the various practices. While touching on this point it will be probably only voicing the desire of the conductor if the necessity of continuous practice, as far as possible unbroken, were strongly urged, as, if such is not followed up, it means a portion of the Union being much ahead of others, and besides giving double trouble to the conductor causes an unevenness of balance that is vety undesirable. The concert opened with a transcription for orchestra " Tannhauser "' (Wagner), which was played throughout with a dash and finish which was most praiseworthy; Mr W. Ferguson, who lias now assumed the position of leader of the orchestra, proved himself thoroughly up to his work, taking his leads without hesitation, and, in fact, as regards the first violins, doing the lion's share of the work, making up for a support from his co-plaj-ers which was somewhat lacking in effectiveness, there appearing to be in one or two cases a want of thorough practice; members of an orchestra should never lose sight of the fact that to play effectively they must play as a body and not as separate individuals, and that the leader is not there merelj' as a name. The 2nd violins, under the spirited leadership of Mks Mabel Crofts, played much more evenly, having evidently made themselves thoroughly conversant with the music. The cellos seemed to suffer from a slight want of decision, and they were also a little lacking in attack; any slight defects however were not very prominent and did not appreciably mar the general effect ; the cello is a most effective instrument and is worthy of every effort to thoroughly become master of it, and no doubt there will be a decided improvement by the time the next performance is given. In " Tannhauser," as well as the other selection, the clarionet did not have much opportunity, but was played in Mr Lillicrap's customary good style, while the brass instruments were well together throughout. The remainder of the first portion of the programme was devoted to the rendering of the ballad ''The Erl-King's Daughter"' ((Jade) The soloists were Mrs Blue, Mrs Williams, and Mr E. B. McKay- Mrs Blue has considerably improved in her style, imparting a dash anil verve to her singing which considerably enhanced her performance, her final effort : " Ride home to thy Sweetheart," being a very meritorious one. Mrs Williams had a very heavy part allotted to her, requiring deep and arduous study, but her rendering was absolutely faultless ; she has a wonderfully clear enunciation, which alone makes it a treat to listen a well modulated voice whichshe thoroughly knows how to use, a mode of expression which is admirable, and a commanding stage presence which is always a most desirable adjunct. In all her efforts [she sang with au intensity of feeling which invested the music and the words with a most subtle charm. Mr E. B. McKay had also a difficult role to fill, and he is always a reliable and conscientious singer. In more than one instance however he was markedly out of tune, which, considering that he is usually so correct was the more a matter of suprise ; his time also was occasionally faulty, at times bringing forth an ominous sound from the conductor's baton ; still the solos were by no means easy and possibly the errors were more the result of being a little careless than anything else. Exception' must also be taken to the playing of the orchestra throughout his solos, it being far too loud : in solo singing the orchestra should not be in evidence. The choruses deserve very high praise and denoted careful stud} 1 , the attacks were all that could be desired, the phrasing excellent, and the general tone good. The tenors were numerically weak but really did well, and perhaps might have done better if the basses had effaced themselves a little more considering the balance of power. Only once was there a symptom of a ronirtttmp* when the basses tried to run away from the baton but were speedily brought to order. The orchestral suite " Rural Scenes" were pretty and characteristic tone studies interpreted with rare delicacy ; while the unaccompanied part singing of "Daybreak" was one of the gems of the evening, almost, but not quite, equalled by " The sea hath its Pearls." The dramatic scene "Liberty" (Eaton Fanning) was a further diversion in the programme, giving plenty of scope for the soloist, Mrs Blue, as well as enabling the chorus to show their variety of powers, the music exemplifying the words in a very striking manner, thoroughly characteristic of the author. A concert of this character would not have been complete without adding a little ballad-singing thrown in as a relief to the heavier items, and Miss S. Murray captivated her heaters by her very delicate handling of the song " She wandered down the mountain side" (Clay). She is possessed of a fairly powerful soprano voice in the upper register, and only requires a little more confidence and sustaining power to become a prominent singer. Miss Winnie Royds is a general favourite, and her song "It is morn" (Aylward), suited her voice ' to perfection, and was given with exquisite taste. Mr J. Porteous essayed " The King's Highway " (Molloy), and sang it with every correctness. His voice is an undeniably good one, but it has a very common failing — lack of feeling and expression which should be overcome with practice. A laughable choral Fantasia orr National Melodies brought the concert to a conclusion at a convenient hour, the punctuality with which it was gone through being highly commendable. Miss Findlay acted as accompanist and had a very arduous duty to perform, but her execution is so thorough that her unqualified success goes without saying. Mr Charles Gray is so able a conductor that comment is almost superfluous ; yet not to speak of his ability would be to leave out the first upon which the success of the whole concert hung. That it was a success is undeniable, and the Union can go on its way with renewed vigour, and full of promise that it 6 future prospects are assured.