COMPLIMENTARY CONCERT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1698, 14 March 1913, Page 6

COMPLIMENTARY CONCERT.

TO Ml I. J. M AUG HAN BAKNETT.

Last evening the Wellington public - j marked the passing onward of a '.good | musician. Mr. J. llaughan Barnett, a ■ skilful and cultured exponent of his art, ' and one ivho has left his mark in niusic . ! in Wellington, is leaving shortly for Auckland, and there are few who will s;iy that Wellington, is not a loser. He has, 1 ! during his long stay here, been a very live influence for good in more than one phase of the art 110 cultivates. As a pianist, organist, and conductor of voices 'and orchestra, lie quickly established himself in the forefront of musical leaders. It was fitting that lie should he publicly honoured, and appropriate that the lead should have been taken by tile Royal Wellington Choral Society, whose destinies lie has" so skilfully shaped during the last decade. The audience was large, particularly downstairs, and enthusiasm was not wanting, but whether it was that people have not. yet recovered from tho holiday season, or whether there uernicated the Town Halt a feeling altin to sadness, at Mr. Burnett's departure, the fact was that there was apparent a sense of flatness about the concert which one can only describs as atmospheric. The programme was far from uninteresting, tmd embraced' a fair range of talent, but that electric sympathy betweep audience and the artisly concerned was not established throughout the evening. Wellington is becoming rather tired, of Elgar's setting of "God Save the King," which the . society has made a standing opening number, and does not relish over mupli ! ho, five "minute!)' stand il; involves, j Miss Aturiel Bennett was just a little overtaxed in the florid solo part. . The same young lady quite redeemed herself in a charming interpretation of "Hush, My Little Ono' (Berighani), in which she used her dulcet mczza-voce in the upper register most effectively. Miss Dora Read sang "My Ships," and ai« ail cncora "A Summer Night" (Goring Thomas), the latter bsing particularly well sung. Mr. John Piouse's tuneful baritone was raised in "Vit'toniv Vittoria" (Carrissimi), and he gai;e spirited expression to the "area ".Si il Rigor;" from Halevy's forgotten opera, "Lit Jitivc." ■ Mis Agnes Sogricf's well-tutored contralto was hardly big enough in tone to do justice to Handel's recitative and air, "Ombrci.Mai Fu" (Largo), and her reading of "Home, Sweet Home," selected as ail encore, was very f sad, almost lugubriously so. Mr. Hamilton Hodges was iri.mudi better voice than 110 has been for. some time past, and tang "Mine Encmv" really well, and thoroughly deserved the insistent "bis" which followed. The Choyal Society's chorus,, somewhat attenuated in tho male divisions, eang j\lr. Barnstfs pretty "Madrigal" very well indeed, and the "Hallelujah Chorus" by way of a grand finale. Tho Municipal Orchestra played Brahm's "Hungarian Dances," "Loin du Bal" (Gillet), and the "Trepak" from Tschaikowski's "Nutcracker Suite." The orchestra also' participated 111 the quaint 'l'oy Symphony, tho three movements of which were composed and conducted Ijji Messrs. Lawrence Watkins,' Horace Hunt, and Maughaii' Barnett. As a novelty more than, anything else, Messrs. Barnett uiul Hunt played as'an orean duet (the iinsl. attempted on the grand organ in Wellington) the Andante and Allegro movements (from the 1) minor "Sonata of Merkel. The Andante movement was rather attractive, but the allegro was noisy, involved, and timnelodious to a degroe. Mr. Barnett, who was vigorously applauded on several occasions during tho evening, played with tine suavity and. dignity the great "Toccato and Fujjue" in D minor (Bach), and Schubert's hauntingly sweet "Am Meer.".