THE SHEFFIELD CHOIR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10196, 4 July 1911, Page 1

THE SHEFFIELD CHOIR.

FIRST CONCERT. The first recital of the Sheffield' Choir attracted an enormous audience at the Drill Shed last night, and if many of those who were present came away reserving judgment this was not the fault of the clioir. It was due, rather, to an unfortuitous combination of circumstances. The Drill Hall i.s frankly not suited to such functions. It.s acoustic properties are not by any means of the best, and although no expense had been spared to make it as comfortable as possible, the cold raw night fought its way in at every crevice, and the concert was given in almost semi-fogginess. The execrable management, at the doors delayed the o]>ening until twenty minutes past eight, and in the meantime those foolish virgins who had not trimmed their water bottles sat and shivered disconsolately. This helped to dampen the initial enthusiasm, and . the fact that a large proportion of the choir itself sang in overcoats and opera cloaks did not tend to add to either the brilliance or the impmssiveness of the performance. Even the jewel of song requires an appropriate setting, but last night it was mounted only in the rough. Quite enough has been written and. said of the Imperialistic spirit which has moved the Sheffield Choir to invade the ends of the earth in a generous desire; to teach the outlying posts of the Empire that the meaning of song is deep. But at the moment Christchurch is less concerned with their responsibilities in this respect than with their singing. Their politics and their business relations ought, of course, to be a primary consideration, but these may be safely left to the tender charge of the Mayor and other shining lights of public bodies. To that vague quantity, "the mail at tho street corner,'' it is their music that counts. People have, from long experience, grown used to discounting the enthusiasms of those who '' run in front'' of enterprises of this sort, and a dubious public that pays a guinea is always satisfied fourteen shillings of it returned in kind. A good deal of the glamour which has surrounded the advent of the Sheffield Choir has been fictitious. and it is not easy to dissociate its admirable objects from its admirable singing. In a large measure it meets its managerial contracts, for its singing is a justification of that " speech of God whoso breath of life is song."

After sopping the Cerberus of its title with the National Anthem, it gave a free and broad rendering, richly sung, of Sir Frederick Bridge's "Coronation Ode." It then .settled to a discussion of the set programme of the evening—El gar's dramatic " Dream of Gerontius." Despite the initial disabilities the presentation of tliis composition was delightful,, and almost persuaded the audience that it was suffering from no physical discomforts. Aided by an excellent programme. which embodied a discursive series of quotations from the analytical notes upon the composition by Mr A. J.- Jaegar, the audience was enabled to follow the music with easy appreciativeness. The notes were, perhaps, a little technical for the average comprehension, but they were sufficiently illuminative t-o add largely to the enjoyment of tho evening. In defiance of precedent, and although " The Dream" is rich in solo work, it is the choir that calls for earliest mention. Its work was always artistic, although it was more emotional than dramatic. The balance was almost perfect—if anything a shade 011 the side of the sopranos—and tho intonation throughout was a. revelation to local choirs. There was never any tendency to hang, and with a magnificent set of basses, an army of brilliant sopranos.'the support of an ex! ceptionally fine set of tenors and a sweet, mellow contingent of contraltos, Dr Henry Coward had no difficulty iu emphasising the truth that song is the tone of feeling. There was a general perfection of production that was beyond all praise, and the choral work had been polished to a degree of excellence that is quite unusual. Technically speaking, it would bo difficult to improve the performance. It is not necessary to follow the choruses one by one, but among the most beafitiful were the " Kyrie," the chorus of Priests and assistants, " Praise to the Holiest" and the concluding chorally accompanied solo "Softly and Gently." The one disappointment was the chorus of demons, an intensely dramatic number wkicli was sung by this amiable party of good-tempered North of Englanders 111 a manner which would not have disturbed the equanimity of the inmates of a creche, and which once more justified the assumption that its forte is emotional rather than dramatic singing.

Turning, to the soloists. the tenor, Mr Henry Turnpenny, had to bear the burden of the work. His singing was admirable. He has a fine, clear tonor, and his enunciation and his phrasing were always perfect. His singing was marked by a delightful appreciation of the character of the music, and it is doubtful if n more cultured voice has ever been heard in Christcliurch. Mr Robert Churlesworth also scored an emphatic success in the bass part. His voice gave the impression that it is more of a deep baritone in quality than a bass, but his expressive singing and his rich quality of tone made his performance one of the features of the performance. Miss Alice Heeley, who sang the contralto music, was not so satisfactory. She adds a pronounced tremolo to an obvious lisp, and tb© volume of her lower register is not impressive. Otherwise her singing was sweet and expressive. The orche.v tra was admirablo throughout, and thp work of the conductor, Dr Henry Coward, was undoubtedly a revelation in the art of holding in hand a large body of musicians. The recital closed with a beautiful singing of the " Evening Hymn " from Sullivan's "Golden Legend." The number was unaccompanied, and it probably appealed more to the audience than any other portion of the concert. To-night. the second recital will be given. Tt will include Dr Haniss's symphonic choral idyll Pan" (conducted by the composer). Sir Hubert Parry's ode. " Blest Pair of Sirens," Bach's choral motet " Sing ye to the Lord," and a series of part songs.