AMUSEMENTS.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12497, 25 March 1909, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS.

THE ROYAL WELSH MALE CHOIR A REVELATION IN CHORAL WORK. . Criticising the opening performance in Sj'dney of the famous choristers who are.to appear at. theTheatro Roy-r ( al on Saturday evening next under 'the direction. of Mesrs J. and N. Tait, =the - : "Sydney News" says:— "The large audience that assembled in the Town Hall on the opening . night to hear the Royal Welsh Male Choir spent a delightful couplo of hours. This fino body of singers, under the inspiring, baton of Mr William Thomas, has reached a very high degree of perfection in the art of blending vocal sounds, and has also brought itself so well under control that in r the rendering of music, martial^ national, descriptive, or romantic the. picture is propelled directly into the minds of the audience. Choral mUsis is frequently sung, so as to please the listeners but it is another : thing to show by souhd gradations and intensely of feeling the exact- intention- of a com- . position. In this respect the Welsh visitors succeeded admirably in convincing their first' Sydney audience that' the_ reputation which they brought with them was not over estimated. By way of contrast two of the programme numbers may be mentioned,. "The Song of the Northmen," (Maunder), and Price's part song, "Cwsg." The former was sung with a veritable martial effect, the spirit of tho music and -the words ringing through every phrase, "and stirring the audience to something like enthusiasm. ' 'Cwsg' ' was sung unaccompanied. Of course, everybody knows what .the word means and how to pronounce "it. Tft is therefore quite unnecessary to say that it signifies sleep. The song was rendered in Welsh, and it would be hard to imagine a more beautiful blending of male voices inpianisr Biiho passages. The.melocly was go appropriate to thesubject, too." that instinctively the audience :guesed its purport. The extra chorus was "Ashgrove," this, too,, being sung in Welsh. "The March of the Men of Harloch" was also contributed as an encore." -The rendering of the old hymn tunes" :is extremely beautiful, whilst in solo and duet, trio and quartettes, the choir numbers some fine ex-, porients. The box plan is now opened at Jackson's wiere 3s day sales are also procurable. . . ■