HARMONIC SOCIETY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19166, 24 November 1927, Page 5

HARMONIC SOCIETY.

THIRD CONCERT. Last night, at tho Choral Hal], the Harmonic Society, conducted by Mr Victor 0. Peters, gave their third eoncert of the season. The large choir, the ladies in all the colours of the rainbow, made a charming picture among the flowers of the beautifully decorated stage. The programme consisted of a large variety of choral music, interspersed with solos, and was in the main well chosen. Very brightly they opened with the folksong, "Come Lasses and Lads,"'daintily buoyant in effect, but the little solos came from bashful throats. Severed from the Cantata, the chorus "The Challenge of Thor," from Elgar's "King Olaf," is too uniformly weighty to appeal in isolation. It may as well be said at this stage, that 11 the choral work of the programme nats been carefully and ably prepared. The point to be considered also is the balance of the voices. At present cho sopranos, including very strong, and some very lovely voices, often wipe out the harmony, neither altos nor tenors being audible. A little restraint imposed will _ mend matters. Conductors, to discover such flans, should frequently listen to their choirs at a distance. In their midst it is impossible. Dudley Buck's "Hymn to Music," and the ballad "King Arthur" by Robertson, may be appraised as very good numbers. For the second part Edward German's "My Bonnie Lass" was again distinguished for the delicacy and swing of its execution by the choir and very pretty tone-gradations occurred in '"'Moonlight," by Faning. As soloists appeared Miss Ella Skurr, Miss Nancy Bowden, and Mr Edward Mann. Miss Skurr's promising soprano was affected both by palpnble nervousness and an unsuitable choice of songs. She improved in her second, "To-day and Yesterday," by Spross. Always an effective singer is Miss Bowden, and experienced in her selections in this case of Rachmaninoff, Hugo Wolf, and Coleridge Taylor. She excelled in Wolf's beautiful "Secrecy," and "Thou hast Dewitched Me," by Coleridge Taylor. Mr Mann has plenty of temperament and a good voice. As his best, may bo named "The Lute Player," by Francis Allitsen. and the telling song "I am Fate," his voice gaining considerably at his second appearance. Several of the part-songs had to be repeated, and all the soloists earned similar honours from an appreciative audience. The concert will be repeated on Saturday night.