SCOTTISH CONCERT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 104, 27 January 1919, Page 9

SCOTTISH CONCERT

•BURNS'NIGHT AT THE TOWN HALL It is so. ioiijj since Scottish concerts, of iinv pretension were given.in -Wellington that llio memory of them is faint and blurred by the passage of time. There wore days when Wellington boasted a Macduff Boyd; n John M'Glashan, the gifted Newton family, and others who specialised, in .Scots entertain-- . ments, but that was over so long ago.. ■It was therefore interesting to see on Saturday. e,voning that there are big audiences for eucli concerts,and hearts that beat high at the mention of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, the most appealing- of the natural poets, whose muse trod the p.iths of melody with lightsome feet. The big Town Hall was filled to its.utmost capacity on Saturday evening, when a delightful ptogrammc was submitted under the auspices of the Wellington Scottish Society. The pipers, in the flamboyant garb of ,old- Ganl, were there ah' a' an' a', and that something smacking o£ "Caledonia stern and wild" wns in the air was shrilly proclaimed by skirls on the pipes long before it was announced that every eeat was occupied. The programme was as comprehensive as it was long. To those who came froni. north of the Tweed the feature of the programme was the Highland dancing by a double quartet of ekilled juvenile dancers, whose little neatly-shod feet twinkled with airy lightness and proper "point" in the intricacies of the fling, tha beautiful scan truibliais, the whirling reel o' • Tulloch, and sword dance. The fine degree of finish achieved .by these children augurs well for the maintenance of Highland dancing in Wellington in the future. The Wellington Pipe Band blew wild tunes of the heather and glen in fine style, and the flashing eyes and tapping feet of the audience ehowed that the music of the pipes can still "summon up the blood." Mr. Len Barnes (returned from camp) received a warm welcome'back to the , concert stage. There m<3 a splendid ring, in his rendering, of "A Man's a Man/' and he infused tenderness into the innate.charm of "Afton TFafer." Another pretty Ojallnd sunp \>y Mr. Barnes was "A Rosebud by My Early Walk," but he is better suited in songs more rolyjst in sentiment. Mr. Verdi M'Kenzie sang with purposeful decision "The Standard on the Brnes o Mar." In comic relief was the eong ,A Chip of the Old Block," but the singer, was better suited in the. declamatory "Scots Wha Hae,". sung later in W» 'evening. ■ The pure and pleasing tone and oven quality of Mr. Martin , Dnff,s tenor voice was heard',to distinct advantage in such sonis as "The Stnr o Babbie Burns,'. , /'Mary of Argyte,' and "The Lass of Bnllochmoyle. < -Master Winston M'Carthy, who hns made a' specialty of Harry lander , songs, scored a big succesii, find the audience could not get enough of him. Among his songs were: "When I Go Back.Again to Bonnie Scotland" and "BreyiWnst in Bed/ , Mr. ■Culford Bell recited "The Cottar's Saturday Night" (Burns),' He was heard to better' advantage in the comic verses, "Urn, Tim,".'and later in "The Soldier's Return." -There was no warmer- favoiirife on tlie programme than Mr.'W. W. Crawford, who broke; the ice with the Helrfleur speech from "Henry V, 'and then caught the hearts of. , tha audience, in - a.' series of ..clever, imitations. .Jit, Crawford --reverted to monologues in the second half. ,M'=s Clarice Bnckmann (sister of Miss T?osina Buckmnmi, the London grand opora artist) demonstrated that vocalism : runs in the .'family. She has a promising voice, hardened at present by a slight vibrato, but.certainly n voice not to fe.-iieglected. . Mjss Bucjcmnnn sang "Within a, Mile, , ' -Yon 11 Get: There; in the Morning, and ITw Bonnie Banks "of Loch 1 • Lomond. Mndanie l>.nip?ter'sane "Cii.stlps in the Air," "Cnlfar .Herrin'," and the "SUyoBoat RonK." and Mr. Noel Monkaiau save evidence, of .being -the. makings of a good 'cellist in his solo work. ■■ . Amon? l tliosn present wne Chief Alec, Campbell (of the. Scottish: Society), Sir Robert. Stout, and the Mayor and' Mrs. Luke. •' ' . :.....