ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY

Evening Star, Issue 22143, 25 September 1935, Page 10

ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY

Miss Elsie Phillips, who is visiting 'Dunedin to take part in the forthcoming concert of the Dunedin Oichestral Society, is one of the younger Dominion pianists of distinction. , A pupil of one of Wellington’s finest teachers (Miss E. Mackay), she has gained academic distinction; and she won the Wellington Competitions Society’s championship in 1933. At the Dunedin Orchestral Society concert to-night, Miss Phillips is playing the Liszt K flat piano concerto with the orchestra, and she is also contributing a group ; of-pieces in the second half of the programme. This group will include the Capncciq No. 2 in F sharp minor by Frank Bridge (a British composer whose work has rare distinction), ‘The Fife ’ (Phillipe), and Rachmaninoff’s fine Prelude in <3- minor—a work which is preferred by the composer to the much better-known C sharp Prelude. The orchestra’s contributions to , the programme are selected as much with a consideration of - popular taste as with, a still more important understanding of musical standards. Popular as they are, Edward German’s ‘Three Dances from Henry VIII.’ contain music of lasting qualities, for they have real melody and they are the work of a British composer whose in'fluence has been beneficial in the musical activity of bis time. As a friend of Greig ' and as a keen student of folk music, Percy Grainger writes in an idiom which is almost sure of wide appeal. His ‘ Molly on the Shore ’ is an -Irish reel founded on two Cork reel tunes— ‘ Temple Hill ’ and ‘ Molly on the Shore’; and, Rosa Newmarch says of it; “Its healthy. gaiety is inand the only effort it demands is the exercise of sufficient selfcontrol not to dance as we listen to it.” Another orchestral item will be a bracket of two movements from Biaet’s incidental music to Daudet’s ‘ TArlesienne ’—music which won for its, composer much popularity. The two movements selected are ‘ Minuette ’ and * Carillon.’ ‘ A Lament ’ |(frqm J., H. Fould’s ‘ Keltic Suite’) is very well known. This, with the final movement from the spite (‘ The Call ’), is included in the programme. Carl Friedemann’s ‘ Slavonic Rhapsody,’ Op. 114 ; is a characteristic work, of considerable superficial attraction. Rhythmically and melodically it offers no difficulties to the listener, and it is a good example of the more obvious type of characterisation. The vocalist for the concert will, be Miss Phyllis -Clare, who will sing ‘Songs My Mother Taught Me’ (Dvorak) and ‘The Star’ .(Rogers). Mr T. Vernon Griffiths will conduct.