THE HARMONIC SOCIETY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 125, 24 November 1930, Page 4

THE HARMONIC SOCIETY

FINAL CONCERT OF SEASON

Having achieved a high standard of excellence in choral singing and a reputation which hns attracted to it some two hundred regular subscribers, the Wellington Harmonic Society is not content to depeml on its past laurels for future support. The season just closing has been one of undoubted progress for the choir, and the final concert on Saturday night in a well-filled hall war in every respect successful, justifying the claim made in the programme note that the society's endeavour "to improve the standard of the particular branch of music in which it specialises have met with a great measure of success since its inception, and that its contributions to the musical life of our city have been most acceptable." Those who patronised the society on Saturday had every reason to be satisfied with the evening's entertainment. The choir itself, uudor the painstaking direction of Mr. 11. Temple White, was in 'particularly good voice, and it was assisted by some of the finest of Wellington's soloists—Miss Myra Sawyer (soprano), Miss Hilda Chudley (contralto), and Mr. Leon de Mauny (violinist). The success of the evening was due in great measure to the soloists, but that infers no disparagement of the choir.

Choir and soloists contributed to the enjoyment of the principal items—a choral paraphrase by Samuel Kich-rd Games of Anton Rubinstein's well-known "Reve Angehque," under the title "Seraphic Song"; and a choral fantasia based on some of the best ensemble numbers from Gounod's "Faust/ together with choral-ly-accompanied soprano and contralto solos. The "Seraphic Song" was a memorable offering, and merits repetition next season. After a quiet choral opening, accompanied by piano (Madame de Mauny) and organ (Mr. Clement Howe), the main theme is first stated by the violin (with the piano), and then repeated by the vocal soloist (Miss Chudley) to a sustained hummed accompaniment, the piano rippling, harp-like, beneath. The second motif is then announced by the violin and taken up by the male and female voices in turn. The main idea is again recalled, and with a dramatic crescendo the choir sings "Holy, Holy, chant angels above, triumphant songs ascending, triumphant Life and Love unending." Sombrely and impressively the contralto voice, low down in the scale, provides a fine inti-climax in the closing words.

Tho' shadows gather and darksome the the way, There is a path which leads onward to day; And on this path stands an Angel of Light! The audience called for an encore, and the last verso was repeated. The society was fortunate, in its choice of Miss Chudley as soloist; her rich and sympathetically expressive voice was well suited to the lines she had to sing. The "Faust" Fantasia (an-, by F. A. Challinor) included as male choruses "Song of the Golden Calf," and the "Drinking Song," and the ensemble numbers "Let Me Ga2e," "Kiny. cf Thulr," find "Glory and Love to Hie Men of Old." Miss Sawyer and Mis*? Chudley sang respectively tho "Flower Hong" and "When All Was Young," each accompanied by the chorus. The fairy spirit and dainty spvightliness of the difficult coloratura number

•'Behold "Titania" (from the opera "Migiion") was delightfully depicted in the artistic singing of Miss Sawyer. . She overcame tiie technical difficulties with seeming ease, and made good use of her own personality to create the proper atmosphere for the song. Miss Sawyer's artistic gifts were given further scope in an encore item of a widely contrasting mood—Orlando Morgan's sorrowful "Indian Squaw's Song." The soloist was no less warmly received after her singing of "A Bower of Roses," from "The Veiled Prophet" (Stanford). Highly-polished interpretations were given by Mr. de Mauny of Jarnefeldt's haunting little "Berceuse," "The Hymn to the Sun" (Kimsky-Korsakov, arr. Franco), and Drdla's "Serenade." With Madame de Mauny he also gave that always-wel-come sonata by Handel in A. Major. Without exception, the choral items were characterised by cleanliness of detail, nice precision, and ready response to the conductor's baton. That they had been carefully rehearsed was very apparent. The balance of the voices—the choir comprised 29 ladies and 18 gentlemen —showed shortcomings only occasionally; the tenor section being weak,. but generally the blend was excellent. Mi". White holds his choir well under control, and his interpretations are always interesting. The choir numbers were "Beyond the Spanish Main" (Armstrong Gibbs), "I Loved a Lass" (Dyson), "Tn the Merry Spring" (Kavenseroft), "The .Dawn of Song" (Bairstow), "London Town" (Edward German), "A . Cradle Song" (Wheeler), and "Unto us a Sou is Given" fEleanor Freer), the'latter accompanied by organ and piano. The part song'"The Two Clocks" (Rogers), for female voices, made an immediate appeal, and was repeated.