ORGAN RECITAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1480, 1 July 1912, Page 6

ORGAN RECITAL.

J'here was a sparse audience at (he. oigan recital given by the City Organi-t (Mr. Barnett) at tlio Town Hall mi Saturday evpiiing, this being iluo to the. bitterly cold and exlremelv wet weather. Under (ho same, circumstances another enlerlAbmont would most probably liave been postponed, and this' course would have been justified on Saturday evening Tlio programme was quite a'delightful one, tastefully arranged, and combining admirably compositions for tho organ anil eoncert numbers adapted from excerpts from tlio grand operas, a trend in organ music Hint is serving to educate the public to an apprccijtion of operas which we are r.ot likely to see presented in (heir native form for many years to come, if tho history of the last decade is to bo repeated. Of this class of composition Mr. Hnrnett played that passage from tho lir.4 act of "Tann.hs.user," where Tannhauser, passing t hroiigh a bwmtiful vale, comes upon a youthful shepherd piping a lay to his sheep in the .sunlight, and, even a,s tho tune gladdens the scene, the deep, solemn chant of approachiug pilgrims is heard—a. fine sonorous elioralo Gregorian in character. As they appear, Tannhauser, the. penitent, falls on hif knees, and remains ?o until they have passed, when the shepherd again takes up the interrupted strain. It is a charming incident which Wagner uses to produce one nf those, extraordinary contrasts in tone 'moods which appeal so strongly to the imagination, and it has been faithfully adapted for the organ. The movement is exquisitely pastoral in character, and the almost harsh'effect of the pilgrims' chant limy be likened to a,shower passing over a sunny countryside.' . It is one of the happiest i,f the Wagnerian transcriptions, which as a rule sutler grievously liy tho absence of tlio strings. Mr. llnriictt also play-jd the choral prelude "Wir gluabe.u all au einen Ciott" of Bach. This'is a Homeric niovcmcnt, with an iiHli']:pnilcnt pedal movement, thunderin" its rolling melody under n brilliant thri'i'-p.irl fugue. The programme, included Ilirec movements—pastorale, adagio, and finale—from Widor's Eighth' Symphony for the organ.' The work is an exceedingly fine one, rich in beautiful ami uiiu-uiil harmonic effects, niul nlivo with dulcet melody. The adagio is nun of extreme li?nntr. Schubert's "A ve. Maria" and his "Momens Mnsieanx in P minor," and W. Wely's March in F. Flat were also included in the prolamine. The vocalist of tho evehing wns Miss Ilohiiah Sweeney, of Dunedin, who possese? a rather sweet soprano voice, which is somewhat lucking in expression. [Tor numbers wfre the Rwn.ince from "Mijnon" (Thomas), and the "Indian Desert Sons" of Amy Wnuilforcle VinoVn. Mr. Horace irunl w:.« the ;itrompnni«t. Another recidil is lei to given mi Saturday evening next.