ROYAL AUCKLAND CHOIR

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 671, 24 May 1929, Page 17

ROYAL AUCKLAND CHOIR

SEASON’S FIRST CONCERT FINE MUSIC AT TOWN HALL The first concert of the Royal Auckland Choir’s thirty-eighth season was given in the Town Ilall last evening before a large audience, which applauded enthusiastically, and demanded many encores. The choir, conducted by Dr. W. E. Thomas, opened the programme with ,T. H. Maunder’s “To Arms.” They gave a fine performance of this spirited piece, opening with a well concerted attack, and producing fine pianissimo and crescendo effects. At first the diminuendo work was a little shaky, but as they singers settled down both 'the diminuendoes and the consequent pianissimos came out perfectly—not with the effect of loud voices hushed, but with the effect of very faint voices at full strength. Following the choir came Miss Naomi Whalley, who sang Butterfly’s solo, “One Fine Day,” from Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly.” A fine, full, effortless voice is Miss Whalley’s, and she made the florid passages of the song ring out clearly and sharply to the very limits of the hall. She was greatly applauded, and granted an encore. Do Rilie’s “Evening Song,” almost an experiment in vocal orchestration, was given by the choir. Parts of it were excellent, especially tlie last verse, when the underparts took up the horn motif. A Spanish dance, “Romanza Andaluza,” from Pablo de Sarasate’s Opus 22, was played as a violin solo by Mr. Ronald C. Muston. It was a difficult piece, and w*ell played. “Sword of Ferrara,” by F. F. Bullard, sung by the choir, was most successful full advantage being taken of the contrast between the thunderous opening refrain and the melodious first verse. _ Trevor L. Thomas, of TYanganui. sang * Liza Lehman’s setting of the verses from “The Persian Garden, beginning -Myself Wheu Young.” followed by "The Lute Player, by Frances Allitsen. His voice :is well trained, and very capable, and he was heard to good advantage particularly in the former. In Allitsen's very tine song Mr. Thomas did not mark the contrast as well as could have been desired particularly the poignant passage “In Time of Snowdrops They Were Wed ” In a later song, Tschaikowsky’s “To the Forest,” and “Mandalay, he overcame this fault, singing them well. A trio in the choir —Messrs. I ogarty, McHougall, and Bellam sang Mynheer Van Dunck,” by Bishop. An amusing song, and sung, from a technicalpoint of view, almost faultiest, it " Miss' 3 'whalley folllowed with three songs—“ The Night Wind.” toy Roland Farley: "A Pastoral.'' by Florence Turner-Maley; and “The Big Brown Bear” bv Mana-Zueca. These were sung' with nice expresison. “It sounds very difficult, said Alice, after reading the poem “Jabberwocky, and Chadwick's setting certainly did not make it any easier. But the choir made a great success of it, singin„ almost the best, and certainly the most amusing, number of the whole oven - ID Two other part songs were given by the choir —Franz Abt’s "Vineta, in which tine pianissimo was obtained, and Cantor's arrangement of The Banks of Allan Water.” Mr. Muston nlaved the Schubert-Friedberg violin solo, "Rondo,” being so well received by the audience that he was compelled to grant two encores. Mr. Muston certainly shows great promise. Miss Whalley concluded her share of the programme with the well known •“Jewel Song” from Gounod s Faust, and her full, powerful voice, ideal for operatic music, made the music worth llf Finallv. in memory of the late Mr. Martin Trenwitb, a member of the choir since its inception, the audience stood as the choir sang Sullivan s CA'rfl Towsey°p*ayed the accompaniments in a way that brought tut I the full beauty of the songs. His ac companiment in “The Lute Player” was artistic to a degree, the fine lute ! notes in the introduction being strik-

ingly emphasised. The artistry of Professor Thomas was always in evidence, the work of the choir being always clean and well finished.