Round the Shows

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 653, 3 May 1929, Page 14

Round the Shows

BOHEMIAN CONCERT FINE PERFORMANCE OF MOZART SYMPHONY A very large audience assembled in the Town Hall last evening to hear the first concert of the Bohemian Orchestra’s sixteenth season. A fine programme was submitted, and if the performance was not quite of the standard usually attained by this efficient and popular band of players, yet there were many praiseworthy features in the playing and interpretations. The great work of the evening was .Mozart's immortal “G Minor Symphony,” a work that glows with the fire of genius. Probably no more lovely orchestral work has ever been written than this sublime composition, which is truly Mozartian from beginning to end, and the writer expresses the hope that it may be performed again by the Bohemions later in the season.

The first of the four movements, the “Allegro Molto,” is full of exquisite grace and melody, delicate phrases and subtle contrasts, and tells its story without a superfluous note. Occasionally one felt that the playing was a trifle robust, and the tinting a little vivid for Mozart, but the spirit and atmosphere were undoubtedly there in full measure. The tender “Andante,” which follows, is a superb piece of writing, and was thoughtfully played, the violins especially being responsible for some charming playing. The opening phrases of the movement sounded unduly tentative, and later on the forceful accents sometimes rather tended to destroy the delicate character of the music. The minuet is perhaps the least attractive section of the symphony, but the trio’ has some beautiful phrases, and gives great opportunities for nuance.

The finale, the “Allegro Assai,” with its fire and energy, forms a perfect conclusion to a “wonder work.” Opening with definite “question and answer phrases,” which were given out in admirable style, the music leads on to a second subject of unusual beauty and charm, and in this section the fine tone of the strings was very evident. The orchestral texture of the writing of this movement is magnificent, and the interweaving of the parts was well portrayed by the players. This last movement was very well done by the orchestra. Weber’s “Jubilee” overture opened the concert, and a commendable performance was given. The work is not a particularly interesting one, but contains some polished writing. In the coda the string tone was rather outweighed by the other sections of the band. A welcome item was Hamisli MacCunn’s orchestral ballad, “The Ship o’ the Fiend,” a descriptive and an effective work, with many attractive points. It v/as commendably played. Reinecke was represented by three small pieces, which proved rather uninspiring, and the performance of them suggested a lack of adequate rehearsal. The “Karelia” suite of Sibelius is a work of considerable merit. Built on folk tunes, the music has a distinctly modal character. The scoring is clever,’ and each movement has some original touches. Fine rhythmic playing marked the first and last portions of the suite. An arrangement of Schubert melodies by G. Clutsam was the final orchestral number. . The melodies were as delightful as ever to hear, but the arrangement did not always seem quite happy. The vocalist was Mr. L. Barnes, who used his attractive baritone voice with good effect in “The Erl King” (Schubert) and “Eri Tu” (Verdi). His tone is good, and his interpretations interesting. His encores were “Roadways” (Densmore) and a negro song, “Sweetest Mary,” this latter scarcely wor thy of his powers or of the concert. Mr. Trevor de Olive Lowe’s ’cello solo, “Sur le Lac” (Godard) was played with a good deal of character and freedom. He gets a powerful tone, but a little more restraint and subtlety were sometimes desirable. He was warmly applauded, and added n “Rhapsody” by Popper, and a little piece by Squire, as encores. Miss Whitelaw led the players with her customary ability, and played the solo -work in the Reinecke suite with taste, while Mr. Towsey artistically played the pianoforte accompi.niments. Mr. Muston conducted with vigour and discretion, and piloted his forces with his usual skill. to.Iv.P;

BRITISH “TALKIES” REMARKABLE SUCCESS British Dominions Films, Ltd., have received a cable message from its London representatives announcing the invention of a new “talkie” reproduction machine, which it is claimed will reproduce from any kind of film. It is stated that the invention will overcome the difficulty caused by the inability of reproducing apparatus to reproduce from various types of “talkie” films. The new machine is said to be able to reproduce from silent or talking films irrespective of make and type. Already Gaumont Film Company has announced it will instal this system in 400 houses. The price, it is said, will be lower than any other system now on the market. A later cable announced that the first equipment has been shipped and will arrive in Australia on June 21. It is interchangeable and will take disc or sound-on-film methods of reproduction. The first “talkie and synchronised pictures coming to B.D.F. are “The Wrecker,” “Balaclava” and “The Lady of the Lake.” Because Fox Films was unable to find a suitable story for her first stellar role, Lia Tora, Brazilian beauty, wrote her own scenario, which, under the title of “The Veiled Woman,” is now being produced under the direction of Emmett Flynn. With the completion of this picture Fox will offer audiences a new star and a new writer in the same person.