ORGAN RECITAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1700, 17 March 1913, Page 6

ORGAN RECITAL.

——<h— As. the departure of Mr. J. Maughan Barnott" for Auckland grows nearer, an appreciable increase in the attendances at his concluding organ recitals is, perceptible.; Although it is early in the •year- for 'concerts, the average attendances 'afthe recitals given since the New Year j;have.been,o.good deal, larger than those I of. last season. Although these audiences are small compared to the size of the hall, neither the organist 'nor publio should gather tlie x falso impression that this shows 'an'unusual lack of- appreciation. As a ( matter of fact lovers of grand orfjan I music in any city are a-small quantity, and those in Wellington who understand : Bach's fugues sufficiently to really enjoy their technical perfection and rolling 'grandeur are still fewer. Still, many m this city are indebted to Mr. Barnett'for a clearer insight into tho magical mys- . .teries of some of the great masters whose works may be "too classical" to the general public. He has acquired an extensive repertoire of classical and more popular concert orgnn music, during his long sojourn in Wellington, and has refreshed tho ear not only with the music of Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Liszt, Mozart, Eubin- ' stein, and the more modern Widor, Dvorak, Rheinberger, Saint-Saens, Debbes and Debussy, but in his transcriptions he has brought home to us the'massivo beauties of the Wagnerian operas. If more transcription work of the kind were done with regard to the operas of Pucoml, Charpentier, Massenet, Debussy, and * Ferrari, a pleasant diversity m programmes would result. Saturday's programme was a well-bal-anced selection, well calculated to interest the average music-lover.' Mr. Barnett played Max Roger's sprightly "Toccata in D minor," and a melodious "Ave Maria" by the same composer. Schubert was represented by his ever-lovely "Serenade," and Wagner by an important bracket embracing tho overture to "Tannhauser," the romance "0 Star of Eve," from the same opera; the "Preislied" 1 from "The Meistersingers," and the fam--1 'ons "Ride of the Valkyries," from "Die Walkure." Mr. Horace Hunt was associated with Mr. Barnett in a dual performance of two movements from Mer--1 kel's "Sonata" for two performers. Miss Gertrude Hunt, whose vocal tone is losing that unsteadiness which marked 1 her earlier efforts, sang with ease and daintiness Felicia Needhsm's charmin? song "Fairy's Lullaby" (encored), and later Mallinson's "My True Love Has My , Heart" and "The Rosebud."

Mr.. Barnett's final organrecital will take place on Good-Friday night.