DUNEDIN LIEDERTAFEL.

Evening Star, Issue 14931, 18 July 1912, Page 7

DUNEDIN LIEDERTAFEL.

The Burne Hall was as well filled laet J night as it generally i? when the Licder- j' t.-.fe! give their conceits, and, as usual, L-.dic6 largely predominated in the audience. The programme of part tongs presented by Mr Jesse- Timson and hk choir of 38 gentlemen contained no very outstanding items. Perhaps the. . best was Osgood's 'ln PicardK' sung unaccompanied, in which some pleasing effecte were achieved, notably in the last line "Nowhere else in the world." One of thcbest rendered of the other items was that old favorite the- 'Swedish Peasants' Wedding March,' hut the audience singled ou! especially Kjerulf's ' Last Night.' in which the choir were mere accompanists to Mr .7. Aimstiong's tenor snlo. Of much the same etrvcture was ' O My City,' with Mr T. S. Slater as soloist. A 'Tyrokf-;? Hunters' March,' 'Night and Day.' ' Haymaking,' and 'The ft on pi .aro Beating' completed the choral part of the programme, which, to be quite candid, war, hardly as interesting as it might have been. There was a lack of character in the music as a whole, and sometimce in its rendering also. The first tenor part was consistently thin ; the firrt basses wcro (perhaps intentionally) subdued considering their numbers ; and the second basses wore good and firm throughout. Two members of the choir gave, eolo items, Mr A. H. Ileid giving the ' Toreador's Love Song,' and Mr J. H. Oliver 'Who Shall bo King?' Both thr.fio compositions require bold incisive treatment, which, however, was precisely ( wliat they did not receive. Nor can it bo said that Miss M. Walton's handling oi Liszt's 'Lore-ley'—one of the finest dra-j malic soprano songs extent—was at all ' satisfactory—quite apart from a ]ap?e of ' memory at the last re-entry of the captivating" theme. Mies Walton did much better later on in a waltz song, 'Apiil Morn.' tor which r,he received an encore. Mr J. C. Fasten was a. fairly gcod accompanist. r J'bo giealest musical treat of the evening was afforded by a quartet from the Kaikorai Band, under Mr G. B. Leidlaw, comprising Messrs E. Schnack (cornet), ft. Laidlaw (cornet). D. Whela:; (horn), and J. O'Brien (euphonium). 'Displayed a. selection from Meyerbeer's ' Les ITuL'ucnois' (introducing the chorale, 'Kin Fcste Burg') in Mich finished style as to route great enthusiasm. The tone wan pure and sustained, tho intonation most, exact., and the ensemble and balance almost perfect. They were in.-pcTativnly recalled, anil added A. selection from 'Fidelio' iV.eethovenl. which was also remarkablv well plaved. But the greatest artistic trirmph was achieved, not in music, but m recite.tion. Mr S. H. Odborn held tho wholo audience spell-bour-d as ho narrates t'tv* story of Sir Ili-hard ftrenvile's last sea. fight and heroic death. Perhaps mor« people know Sir Richard Orenvile tnrough Kingslev ths.n through Tennyson, but it ever thev have the opportunity of hearing Mr Of-'born in Tennyson's 'The Revenge' they should seize it" He has done fine work in Domed in, but none so fine as this. He painted a word picture of each vividness, intcniitv, and reality as none but an artist could. " He lifted people right out of their surroundings, and the rapt concentration cf his audience war, a greater compliment to him than the vociferous apphuieo bv which they secured his reappearance and the addition of a. clever triile, • T»,«. T-Ti'-i.ln'iw Paradise.'