BOHEMIAN ORCHESTRA

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1033, 25 July 1930, Page 16

BOHEMIAN ORCHESTRA

SECOND CONCERT Giya IN TOWN HALL DVORAK AND LISZT For its second concert of the given in the Town Hall la*t thunder the conductorship of Mr Muston. the Bohemian Orcheah, a programme -well flavoured will music. The two chief item, « evening mere Liszt’s ' Second Hr> Earian Rhapsody,” and Dvorak, phony Xo. 5 in E Minorjf trrxs New World. " while one of the wl pieces was the “Procesion of the R dar,” from Ippolitov Ivanov'* tw" i sian Sketches.” The concert opened with two K , j tures, Mancinelli's “Cleopatra" n, { ture and Weber's “Oberon" over.> The “Cleopatra” began promisa? boldly, sweetly, and richly withmeviolin passages, but fell away noisy, rather violent finale 'the- J j even the accuracy of the strii*,' jjji I brass could prevent being ing. The Weber overture just Weber; but to some extent has ? saved, and even made y ( the spirit the players put into a*. celerando passages, and the rarpraa- ? though typically Webereoqne c. cendos. The high-light of the eveninr plainly intended to be the Rhapsody.” arranged for oreheitn u ' Plano, and the hight-llght it doubtedly was—one might ra, predict that it will retnifa

high-light of the orchestra*! HR season. The settling for orchestra and piano is a. novel one. but the performance was difficult to find liii with. Mrs. R. A. Singer was at tie piano, and her playing, in conjunct::: with the orchestra, was. except is m small passage, almost faultiest Tte one passage was the series of ba* chords toward the end of the first, slow movement—they were taken *tj shade too slowly, and the strinp t | the accompaniment were a shade twj prominent. But that was only fit ■ for a moment. Throughout the eeeoi: part, the “Friska.” Mrs. Singer** J»fc* ing was delightful, and the ptan* * j and dominated the orchestra throng, the cadenzas which lead up to th beautiful final 20 bars of presti*x The rhapsody was given In a nev | interesting form, and in a manner let: j beautiful and capable. Dvorak’s “The Xew Worll” «P| written after his visit to Amenc* aw much of the thematic material -d based on negro folk-song music, pt-'; ticularly in the fifth symphony. Tbxp not as fine as some of his earlier >sdt* the music has value and with tb-? 4: - of the half-caught memories *i beautiful old tunes on which the then* are built the symphony make* lightful. interesting and at thj* amusing hearing. One feared that IL Muston might allow his performers * i over-emphasise the themes In to show clearly to the audienc* - i presence of the folk-melodies. was no sign of over-emphasis and s*"| regard was paid to the elaborates f l the themes, even when the had become hardly discernible. Tw’l was some hesitation In the during the first movement, but | settled down well in the lovely *•*; 1 and. with the horns, played ***** I and sadly through the melodic caa* that make up the movement. The third movement, which c**" perhaps rather unfortunately. interval of vocal items, was ling but pleasant surprise- ; change of time the spirit of tn* ; changed and the negro tunes c*®* - with more gaiety and humour. a series of three notes stron * ly . re >T. r ! iscent of “Three Blind Mice,** of the largo was taken up finally the theme of the ment was brought back for Mr. Muston’s conducting of movement was excellent. P®" 00 !*-1 the true contrast between the - ' music themes and the original atlons introduced by the • without any suggestion that. ©» foreign or strange to the other-. Three short pieces by the * T ! the “Dorabella” Intermerxo gar’s •’Enigma Variations. Badinage” for woodwind arc „ ! from Liadow's “The Musical . Massenet’s “Elegy” from J. : nyes” Suite followed the The first dragged because the o seemed to lack the lightness ‘ required. The second as and pretty and the repetition welcome. The third was woru* ing. but little more. j t k With Ivanov s * Procession Sirdar.” Mr. Muston experiment in conducting. t*! written in funeral march • tP’jf piece is often played in Q and Mr. Muston l©d n** through both forms, as march it was more impressive. orchestra played both rena cept for the first few bars time, skilfully, and the double anco was interesting as an conducting technique. Parry's setting of j “Jerusalem.” concluded the The unfortunate illness o. Dorothy Cronin prevented am but her place on the pros™ taken by Miss Beryl Smith, a contralto, sans * op'-l "Che Faro” and “Sons °* . I boi.il of which were cncorea-