ORGAN RECITAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2523, 26 July 1915, Page 3

ORGAN RECITAL

Mr. Bernard Page gave another of his weekly organ recitals at the. Town Hall on. Saturday evening. The programme was of a quality quite beyond the'capacity of the average member, of the public to appreciate, and conceded nothing •to popular taste. Mr. Page has his ideals, ;an-l he holds to them as a religion, but can it be re-ally said that by that loyalty to those ideals lie is elevating the public taste in music ? If tho public refuse to attend these recitals, as they do, how can they • possibly be elevated?' A better plan would be to train the public into liking the best niusic by giving them music which has a more popular appeal, something relies on melody,, in':tligfpure,.js'stead of [intricate elaborations''and:' fugal' myswhich, "owing 1 to the peculiar acoustical properties of the hall" . (to quote Mr. Pago's own programme note), become a mere jangle of sound without coherent method or, melody. The programme' on Saturday evening included aii interesting Sonata by Salome, the first and second movements of Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony," tho "Toccata- and Fugue in D- Minor"- of, Bach, a "Pastel" bv Karg-Elert, aild the "Finale in B Flat" of, Cesar Franck. A Pastorale by Clanssmnnn and the "Elegie" of Rachmaninoff were also skilfully played. I