CHORAL SOCIETY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 743, 16 August 1929, Page 14

CHORAL SOCIETY

PERFORMANCE OF KANDEI c ORATORIO 5 “JUDAS MACCABAEUS” A sterling performance of w ramous oratorio “Judas ■teas given last night by th* ? ,- Choral Society, under the ab Vi of Mr. Colin Muston to be congratulated on th ( . .. ance and also on the fact of" a truly choral work of unq\sS >d ’ JC *s merit. M L _ very large audience fine singing of the choir andA and frequently displayed sar™* proval of many of the number? 2 5 ' oratorio is one of the great comL, later works, and contains som??*"' best writing; it provides pwt £s contrast and proceeds with a 7 « and convincing purpose. ae fcoi*6

Sensible “cuts" were made i n ~ night s performance, with the - that the interest of the lirteherJ**’* sustained throughout. The tone of the choir was veiw ing. The balance of tone vJS***' always quite satisfactory on n,j: of the lack of male voices then?!”'' times the volume obtained k, S . >: basses was remarkably g, Jo d *“» technique of the singers w £ _s very praiseworthy, and there ' noticeable improvement in diction * The beautiful opening rh .' “Mourn, Ye Afflicted Children” 0 ?" given with dignity, but perhaps'lC? a little in sadness—though tlnTi bars had quite the right atm«ph^ “O Father, Whose Almighty p ow . opened with a fine legato and oiL part singing, while the fugato with admirable character and vigor!" rhythm, except for an unsteady morr?' near the end. But It was a mom ? joyabl© number. “We Come, in Bright Array” satisfactory, and “Lead On, Lead ohad the right spirit, but the tempo scarcely steady enough in one or noplaces. The chorus, •Disdainful </ Danger,” for altos, tenors and basse* was very nicely sung, with good tor/ rhythm and detail, and the splendi finale to the first part, “Hear ijs q Lord,” was a praiseworthy effor though some of the difficult florid pasT ages were rather cloudy. The genera’ effect, however, was really inspiring. The opening chorus of the second part, “Fall’n is the Foe,” was verv satisfying both in style and expression and some fine effects were seemed; i; was a highly creditable performance. “Hail Judea” went well and the good rhythm in “We Hear, We Hear,” was a noticeable feature. Though the singing was smooth and clean in *TV e Never Will Bow Down,” more atm; seemed desirable to remove a somewhat tame effect, but in the “We Worship God” section the effect was magnificent and the succeeding double fugato was very commendably performed. In part three, the well-known “See The Conquering Hero Comes” was not very convincing, though it sou-ided more joyous in the repetition which the audience demanded. The final “Hallelujah.” chorus was a little dull and a trifle ragged at first, but finished in the right style and brought the great work to a successful conclusion. The soprano recitatives and solos were sung by Madame Cora Melvin, whose voice is true and telling, hougu the “colour” of it is scarcely ideal lor oratorio. The recitatives were clearly enunciated, though a little pointless and in the arias a truer legato was sometimes desirable. Madame Melvin had some exacting music to sing, including the airs “Pious Orgies” and “From Mighty Kings,” which latter wa* nicely sung and won warm applause Her flexible voice overcame some of the awkward passages with surprising ease. In the duets and trios Madame Melvin ably sustained her part, especially in the duet “Come Ever Smiling Liberty,” which was encored. Miss Lillian Woods has a very pleasing mezzo-soprano voice of much promise, and acquitted herself well in the above duet and the trio of “See the Conquering Hero Comes.” 1 The contralto, Miss Madge Clague, sang with distinct success. Her recitatives were dignified and her aria, “Father of Heav’n,’ ’was very convincing. Her style is good and her singing smooth, but her vowel sounds are rather un€;qual. Mr. Arthur Ripley sang the difficult tenor solos and recitatives with considerable success. The recitatives rather suggested opera at times and faulty enunciation and pronunciation was occasionally evident, while in the air, “Sound an Alarm,” stricter attention to rhythm was desirable. His florid work in “Call Forth Thy Powers and especially in “How Vain is Man (pronounced "maan” by the singer was particularly good. The bass solos were ably sung by M’ Len Barnes. Perhaps “Arm, Arm Brave” needed a heavier voice, and a more flexible “march,” but his singing of “The Lord Worketh Wonders was admirable and deserved the warm appreciation it received. His recitatives were delivered in dignified anc cultured style. The large orchestra lent valuable aid and was, as usual, capably led by Miss Edith Whitelaw. „ S JZf

The central theme of Warner Bros.* Vitaphone , 1 nat#’* production, is of such a stirring as to grip the imagination. with an airplane flight to ana South Pole. Voice recording a high standard, with outstancl from H. B. Warner. Tully ** Lois Wilson and Monte