ORCHESTRAL CONCERT

Southland Times, Issue 18078, 3 May 1919, Page 6

ORCHESTRAL CONCERT

SEASON’S FIRST CONCERT. It is indeed an eloquent tribute to the musicians of the town and to the untiring enthusiasm of Mr W. J. Ferguson that despite the effect of the war call on its ranks the Invercargill Orchestral Society should be able to give such an excellent concert as that given in the Victoria Hall last night. The Society has now been in existence for 10 years, and each of the last four seasons has seen some of its best 'instrumentalists temporarily taken from its membership. Nevertheless, the Society has surmounted all difficulties, and even those who have attended these functions for years cannot remember an occasion upon which the success of last night’s effort has been surpassed. The orchestra was never better balanced, never more responsive to the baton, and never was there a more complete harmony. Only once during the evening, in the overture, Beethoven’s “King Stephen” was there a suggestion of a fault of this nature. A quick recovery was made and all was well with the remainder of the selection. In Schubert’s "The Erl King” the orchestra was most successful. The timing was excellent and every instrument worked for the effect of the wonderful tone picture. The overture to Mozart’s last opera—“ The Magic- Flute” —was happily chosen to open part two of the programme. This gave Mr E. Lepetit an opening for some good flute work. A touch of novelty was lent by the introduction of Debussey’s suite “The Children's Corner.” Two numbers “Jumbo’s Lullaby” and “The Snow is Dancing,” were given. They were well played, but the form of music was new to the audience who, apparently, found the celebrated French composer’s works the least interesting on the programme. The first number depends on the double basses and bassoons for its opening, and in the Second the violins have full play. It is—or rather was, for the composer is lately dead— idea that opera music did not require to be connected, he believing in beauty of expression unhampered by precedence or sequence. It is a music to which one must become educated before appreciating, and Mr Ferguson did well to choose a selection from this very recent and exquisite opera. Rachmaninoff’s best known Prelude was one of the treats of the evening, and it had to be repeated in part before the audience were satisfied. In its selection of soloists the Society was very fortunate. Mr Howard Foster and Miss M. Gilmore were the vocalists, and Mr A. Wills played trombone selections. Mr Foster was in splendid voice, and if he had any faults they lay with his enunciation. Wilbery’s “Allah” was his first song, which he gave with just the required restraint. For an encore he sang “A Birthday” (Bowen), in which he was just as successful. “Prince Ivan’s Song” (Allitsen) was later a great success, and he had to respond with “Sometimes a Summer.” Mr Foster possesses the happy knowledge of knowing a song that* suits him. In her opening “Song of Holiday” (Bryden-Brown) Miss M. Gilmore appeared to be slightly nervous, and there was a lack of trueness about her notes. She was encored and sang “Sea Pearls” (Daisy McGeoch), but it was not until her last programme item that she seemed to be really at home. She sang “At Dawning” (Nelle Richmond Eberhant) and “Obstination” (Francois Cappel) very well, but her encore number “Fleurette” was her best effort. It is a pretty song and Miss Gilmore gave it plenty of expression in a way that delighted the audience. Mr A. Wills was scarcely up to form in his trombone effort “O Solo Mio (E. De Cafua). He was more successful in Tosti’s “Good Bye”—an encore—although neither was quite up to his usual high standard.