COUNTRY NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 19102, 21 November 1923, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS

GORE. (From our own correspondent.) CHURCH PARADE. The Friendly Societies of Gore held a church parade on Sunday morning, the lodges participating being the Rechabites, Druids, Foresters and Oddfellows (Manchester Unity and American Constitution). Headed by the Qore Municipal Band the parade marched to the Methodist Church, where Rev. William H. Hocking delivered a suitable sermon from the text—“ And He is before all things, and by Him all things subsist,’* from Colossians, 1, 17. ORCHESTRAL CONCERT. INGLIS W. TODD’S ORCHESTRA. Mr Inglis W. Todd’s orchestra gave the first concert of its 1923-24 season in the Princess Theatre on Monday evening. The attendance of the public, while satisfactory, was not in proportion to the merit of the entertainment. The orchestra plays good music, and as a rule, plays it well. But it also seems as if the music were too good for the public of Gore, which seems to prefer lighter fare than the works of Wagner, Beethoven, Handel, and other great masters. The orchestral numbers, of which there were five, were such as to test the ability of the orchestra, and in the earlier part of the programme there was a certain amount of unevenness noticeable in the renditions. The overture, “Stradella” (Flotow), was dissappointing, and not up to the standard set by this combination at their previous concerts. The next selection, “Eastern Romance” (Haines), opened weakly, and was inclined to be ragged throughout. The artistry which made the “Ballet Egyptian” so popular at the last concert, was sadly lacking, and the rendering was featureless. The third number, Elgar’s Melodie, “Serenade Lydique,” was, however, a distinct improvement, both in technique and interpretation, and the audience expressed its pleasure by demanding an encore. Wagner’s “Grand March,” which opened the second part of the programme, found the instrumentalists in even better form. The spirit of this fine overture was caught admirably. The concert concluded with No 4 and No. 1 of Moszkowski’s Spanish Dances. The work of the orchestra, while not up to the standard of previous performances, was generally pleasing, and reflected the greatest credit upon Mr I. W. Todd, who, as conductor and extra leading violin, was a tower of strength. The programme was rather an ambitious one, and some sections of the orchestra were hardly equal to the tasks imposed upon them. The basses were not always satisfactory, while the wood-wind section's otherwise excellent work was spoilt by a weak link. The violas, ’cellos, and basses were uniformly good. The orchestra, under the guidance of its talented conductor is working on the right lines, and should continue to give pleasure to the music-lovers of the town for many seasons. An excellent item was a quartette by Mr I. W. Todd, Miss J. Ferguson, Miss Bowler and Miss V. V. C. Todd, who gave an admirable interpretation of Schubert’s “Marche Militaire.” Another quartette, consisting of Miss J. Ferguson, Miss O. Ferguson, Miss E. Tayles and Mr I. Greenfield, gave Sullivan's “The Lost Chord.” Mr I. W. Todd’s violin solos are always enjoyable. He sang “Ave Maria,” and in response to an insistent encore, gave Bohm’s “Gavotte.” Miss J. Ferguson also gave a voilin solo, “Serenade.” The vocalists were Mr G. W. Johnstone and Miss Irene Horniblow, of Dunedin. Miss Horniblow has a sweet voice, and pleased with all her contributions. Her programme numbers were “Then Shall the Eyes” and “He Shall Feed His Flock,” in the first part of the programme, and “A Lullaby” and “Sanctuary,” in the second part. As encores she gave “Lavander Days,” “Good-night, Dasies,” and “Birth of Morn.” Mr Johnstone, gave Beethoven’s “Hymn to Creation,” “Myself when Young” and “The Master Knot,” and as encores, “The Arrow and the Song” and “If you would love me.” Mr Johnstone has a fine bass-baritone voice, which was heard to particular advantage in the “Hymn to Creation.” Mr Johnstone and Miss Horniblow also sang as a duet “The Day is Dying in the West,” and as an encore, “I will give you the keys of Heaven,” which were well received. Miss Bowler played the accompaniments in her usual capable manner. MAGISTRATE’S COURT. At the Gore Magistrate’s Court, before Mr H. J. Dixon, S.M., C. Bowmast was charged with allowing a chimney in his shop in the Mrin street to catch fire. He was fined, 10s, with costs 7s. For cycling after dark without lights, M. Doyle was fined Is and costs 7s, and J. Doyle was convicted and discharged on a similar charge. W. D. Greenwood was fined 20s and 7s costs for driving a car after dark without lights.