LEECH LYRIC CHOIR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24423, 8 October 1940, Page 9

LEECH LYRIC CHOIR

RECITAL IN CONCERT CHAMBER AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE An excellently balanced programme was presented by Mr J. T. Leech’s Lyric Choir in the Town Hall Concert Chamber last night in the presence of an audience which occupied every available seat in the hall. In the face of such enthusiastic support it would have been surprising indeed if the choir had failed to reproduce the competent standard of concerted singing that has been a feature of its recent recitals, but the public confidence so strikingly displayed was by no means misplaced, for the singers acquitted themselves with marked success and. with the assistance of several accomplished supporting artists, presented a thoroughly enjoyable concert. Throughout the recital Mr Leech maintained firm control of the choir and his readings were competently mirrored by the singers, who achieved fine balance, cohesion and tone colouring in all their numbers.

The choral portion of the programme was pleasantly diversified. The opening number. “In the Springtime.” by Newton, was sung with lightness and grace, and a peaceful, dream-like atmosphere was skilfully created in Eaton Fanning’s “ Moonlight.” Two short works in contrasting vein were “ Dedication.” a reflective composition by Robert Franz, and “The Blacksmith." by Brahms, the latter number producing some strongly-accented singing “ The Challenge of Thor.” from Elgar’s "King Olaf,” was attacked with good spirit and was given a robust and satisfying performance. Two portions of Gounod’s noble “ Messe Solennelle.' “ Sanctus,” and “ Benedictus,” received richly devotional treatment, Mr Robert Gordon, the tenor soloist, singing his part with careful attention to exnressional detail. A swift change of mood was made in the old Scottish part song “ Ilka Blade o’ Grass,” in which Mr Herbert Black sang the tenor solo part, and then a return to a religious motif was made in Santley’s “Joseph Fili David.” which was competently sung Miss Dorothy Barron handling the soprano solo part with considerable success. The final choral number was Thomas Woods’s setting of “This England/’ which was prefaced by an appropriate oration by Miss Billie Loan, “ Happy i s England Now.” by John Freeman. The choir’s work was marked by fine emphasis and feeling, but in the final portion of the composition. in which the ladies of the choir sang in descant, the male voices were somewhat overshadowed.

Miss Edna McLean, a young mezzosoprano with a voice of lovely quality and a sound sense of interpretation, sang Tschaikowsky’s “To the Forest,” and Landon Ronald’s “Love, I Have Won You,” in charming style, and Mrs Hall Masters brought great depth of dramatic shading to her presentation of Sanderson’s “ Glory of the Sea.” Mr Walter Mitchell, who has a bassbaritone voice of round quality, sang “ Infelice,” from Verdi’s “ Ernani,” with considerable dramatic force, and Miss Dorothy Barron and Miss Avis McFarlane presented the duet. “The Shepherd’s Song.” by Elgar, very attractively. A well-balanced trio, consisting of Misses Jean McLay. Eileen Gillies, and Maude Chisholm, sang Handel’s “ Where’er You Walk” in delightfully artistic and sympathetic style. Miss Olive Nieper, a young pianist of considerable ability, played Liszt’s paraphrase of the famous quartet, “ Fairest Daughter of the Graces,” from Verdi’s “ Rigoletto,” in accomplished fashion, and was later associated with Miss Ellice Nieper in a vigorous and competent performance of Liszt’s “ Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 ” as a duet. Miss Sybil Baker’s accompaniments to' the choral and solo numbers were again models of sympathetic interpretation and musicianly competence.