AMUSEMENTS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 7, 2 December 1916, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS.

FOLEY'S PICTURES.

“THE RAIDERS.” A nicely toned combination of thrill and drama aptly describes the star attraction screened at His Majesty’s Theatre last night. The film is entitled “The Raiders” and more than upheld the good reputation of Thos. H. Inch as the world’s producer. Another particularly interesting picture was screened which depicted distributing “Letters from Home” to the boys at the Front, from the unloading of mails from the steamer to distributing the letters to the lads in the front line of trenches under lire. The film received a great repcetpion. Supporting programme included “Otto the Artist,” “Odd acquaintances,” and the popular “War Gazette.” On Monday the great film “Britain Prepared” will be screened.

HAWERA MALE CHOIR.

COMING VISIT TO STRATFORD

I On Wednesday evening, December (5, in the Town Hall, Stratford, the Hawera Male Choir, a very popular and exceedingly clever body of entertainers, will, in conjunction with an orchestra, perform the symphonic ode, “The Desert.” It is a work of very considerable beauty in its libretto and its musical effects. The composer was inspired to the task of describing in musical terms its grandeur and its awful loneliness, and the tragic pathos of travellers beset by its difficulties and dangers. The caravan moving slowly over its arid plain, at one time fanatically chanting a prayer to Allah, then a marching song as they move on, anon battling strenuously with the dreaded simoon, and then, after a weary march, resting at the green oasis so welcome to the weary wayfarers, and singing a song of praise' to Allah. Silence is finally restored in the desert as the caravan resumes its march and disappears in the distance. The choral work, founded on Arabic melodies, is full of a weird ■beauty. Connecting the various movements the monologue performs an important function—giving first a word picture of the desert, then bailing the appearance of the caravan, announcing the approach of the terrible simoon, the calm restfulness of the oasis, the breaking of the dawn, and finally the disappearance of the caravan. The tenor solo work includes several most beautiful melodies, the effect of which D heightened by the florid orchestration with which the work abounds, it is, in all, a fine and inspiring work.