HOMAGE TO BACH

Evening Star, Issue 22142, 24 September 1935, Page 11

HOMAGE TO BACH

COMPOSER’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY POOR SUPPORT OF SATISFYING CONCERT It is a curious and lamentable indication of indifference when such an important anniversary as the 250th celebration of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach by a concert should attract so few as attended tlie Town Hall last night to do him homage. To have to revere bis memory in an atmosphere indicative of such lack of interest must have been particularly disheartening to the Otago branch of the. Music Teachers’ Association, under whose auspices the performance was held, more so because the programme presented was a distinct artistic success. The concert deserved a much larger following than a mere sprinkling of enthusiastic devotees. The nature of the presentation, which ranged from choral singing to organ solos, should' Have commanded immediate attention alone. They all caught the flavour of the composer’s organic individuality and radiated his amazing versatility and also his unparalleled genius. The lack of support certainly does not substantiate this city’s claim to musical pride. , An octet of members of the Orchestral Society opened the programme with the ‘ Air on the 6 String,” and from the commencement Mr Alfred Walmsley caught the quietly flowing beauty and the rhythmic swung of this melodic inspiration. A certain indecisiveness crept in towards the end, however, owing to a hesitancy among the violins. Miss Ethel Wallace is, without doubt, among the most accomplished violinists Dunedin has produced in recent years. Her playing is always so confidently robust and colourful. It was an eminently satisfying rendition she gave of the ‘Concert No. 2, in E Major,’ her highly developed technical skill surmounting the inherent difficulties of this glorious masterpiece with . apparent ease, though the first movement was taken at much too fast a tempo. The most exacting and satisfying concerted number of the evening was the ‘ Concerto in D Minor,’ in which Miss Winifred Gardner, Miss Mary Fraser, and Mr Mux Scberek collaborated in an exposition of this three-piano work and displayed a balance and co-ordination that were Entirely pleasing. The Dunedin Choral Society sang the rousing chorus, ‘ Awake All the Echoes ’„ (from ‘ln Praise of Bach' ’) quite well with the assistance of the organ and the conductorship of Mr Alfred Walmsley, though several defections in the choir’s ranks tended to mar the effect. Because it was the last composition of Bach, the choral prelude, ‘ When We Are in Deepest Need,’ with which Dr Galway introduced a bracket, held a particular significance. The organist interpreted its slender beauty with his usual skill, and proceeded to give an expressive reading of ' tho_ majestic ‘ Toccata- and Fugue in D Minor ’ that was noticeable for some heavily etched manual and pedal work. No chorale possesses such sheer music as the- gloriously pure * Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, 5 and it was refreshing to hear this lighter fragment of the master played so charmingly, by Mr Frank Robb (oboe) and Mr E. Kerr (trumpet) with string accompaniment by members of the Orchestral Society. _ Mr Robb’s smooth exposition was distinctly fine. The final concerted presentation was the chorus • ‘ Johann Sebastian Each, from ‘ In Praise of Bach,’ and here iho Choral Society managed a strong massed effect and a sustained volume whicu made this paen breathe the real greatness of the composer. It was again a pleasurable experience to listen to the matured artistry of the Christchurch vocalists, Miss Cecily Audibert and Mr Frank Bullock. _ M;ss Audibert possesses a soprano voice of fine range and sweetness,_ superbly controlled. She created an,immediate impression in her opening bracket, ‘lt is Fulfilled ’ and ‘ If Thou Art Man ’ —two numbers in which her range was fully tested, without detracting in any way from their potent Bit it was in her concluding presentations that she scored her greatest success. Each was from the * Peasant Cantata,’ the first, ‘ Sweet Spring is Advancing,* being accorded ail impeccable interpretation, full of fragrant moaning. ‘Of Flowers the Fairest ’ was also a graceful fragment, handled with tender modulation. Miss AudibOrt’s recall number, from the same cantata, was ‘ Oh, But it is Passing Street.’ Mr-Bub lock needs no introduction to Dunedin audiences; lie is at all times a jby to hear. His flexibility of voice «iad clear enunciation found a strong outlet in tho spirited 1 Mighty Lord and Xing .Most Glorious,’ from the ‘ Christmas Oratorio.’ He concluded with ‘ S’umber ou, oh Weary Spirit ’ (Cantata 82)