ORPHEUS CHOIR CONCERT
GOOD CHORAL SINGING
The Orpheus Choir, which has been formed comparatively recently, has, to judge by the concert it gave in the Radiant Hall last evening, many of the merits of youth. The choir sings with enthusiasm, each member pulling his or her weight. Individually, there are some good voices in the choir, as the soloists who came from the ranks last night proved. Perhaps the choir gave its best in the opening “Challenge of Thor,” from Elgar’s “King Olaf.” and in the three songs from Elgar’s “Fringes of the Fleet,” for in these they sang straightforwardly and gave a good account of the music. Particular mention should be made of the second of the “Fleet” songs, “Submarines,” with its poetical accompaniment, well realised by the choir’s accompanist, Mr Noel Newson. In quiet work, the choir’s conductor, Mr F. C. Penfold, secured a fine quality of tone. Roberton’s “Eriskay Love Lilt”—soloist, Mr J. H. Cocks, who has exactly the right voice for the solo in this—and German’s “O Peaceful Night” were most pleasantly sung. _ The partsong by Edward German is happily written; it is not surprising to come across the opinion, held by those whose opinions are to be respected, that German’s melodic gifts have not yet received their due. Of the singing of Holst’s “Wassail SOng” (whether an arrangement or not the -programme did riot say) it can only be said that one hopes the choir will hring out more such singable partsongs, stamped with sincerity, as this. An arrangement of Dvorak’s “Songs My Mother Taught Me,” and of a chunk of the slow movement of the “New’ World” Symphony, set to the words, “Coin’ Home”—the programme could have been more explicit about this—were also given. The melody of "Songs My Mother Taught Me” is so fine that every opportunity of hearing it should be welcomed. It sounds grudging to say of this version that it is heavy-footed. The choir also sang an arrangement of Dowland’s “Weep Ye No More, Sad Fountains,” Tchaikowsky’s “The Nightingale” (soloist, Mr Ernest Rogers), “The Cruiskeen Lawn” (soloist, Mr Robert Allison). “Love Divine. All Loves Excelling” (by Haydn Morris), and a border ballad which did anything but maunder. . Mr Noel Newson, who accompanied the choir and the soloists most capably,' played three solos —Liszt’s Sixth Hungarian Rhapsody, Smetana’s “Bohemian Dance,” and a pleasant trifle, Palmgren’s “Rococo.” His playing of the Liszt Rhapsody was admirably clean and polished: the famous concluding octave passage was played in great style. Mrs Lillian Pethybridge sang “Qui la Voce,” from Bellini’s “I Purilani.” and Grieg’s “A Dream” fluently. The latter part of the Bellini aria was smoothly and musically sung. Miss Nellie Lowe sang Giordani’s “Caro Mio Ben” and Tschai-
kowsky’s “None but the Desolate”; her voice has a genuine contralto quality and is always well controlled. Mr
Robert Allison sang, tastefully, the Prologue from Leoncavallo’s “I A quartet. Misses Jean Scott and Marjorie Nelson, Messrs Allison and Cocks, blended their voices in Hatton's “Softly Falls the Shades of
Evening.” A final word of congratulation should be added about the excellent length ot the choir's programme, neither overlong, nor overladen with too many encores. (F.J.P.)
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Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22508, 16 September 1938, Page 7
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529ORPHEUS CHOIR CONCERT Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22508, 16 September 1938, Page 7
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