QUARTET GIVES FINAL CONCERT AT CHORAL HALL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17864, 4 June 1926, Page 7

QUARTET GIVES FINAL CONCERT AT CHORAL HALL.

The Kendall String Quartet gave its final concert of the Christchurch .season in the Choral Hall last night. There was a good house, which showed its appreciation of the programme in the most marked fashion—by asking for more. At the conclusion one bright encore number was provided in “Molly on the Shore.” The programme was opened with the Quartette in G minor, “The Frog” (Haydn). This is a gay and pleasing piece, embracing allegro, adagio and scherzo movements, with the allegro the most prominent. It received its title probably from the leaps the music takes in its moods. The quartet worked splendidly in concert, the ’cello doing very well. The spirit of obvious gaiety was kept refined to a degree. One of the best pieces of the evening was Dohnanyi’s Quartet in D flat, which combines the best features of the classical and romantic schools, for form and emotion both have expression. The quartet begins with an andante passage as an introduction, and continues this several times in the first movement. The ’cello opened the presto with rare expression, which was carried on in the beautiful tremolo section by the second violins. The splendid molto adagio movement leading to the lively climax was executed with fine musical perception. It was a most pleasing item. Request numbers occupied a good proportion of the programme. The first violin was hoard to advantage in the andante cantabile from Tschaikowsky's Quartet in D, and was very effective at the finish. The scherzo adagio, from Schumann’s Quartet in A minor, lost nothing of its beautiful rhythm, and the slow movement with the peculiar accompaniment was mastered in pleasing style.