ST. PAUL'S HALL.
MR. CYRIL TOWSEY'S PIANO-
FORTE RECITAL
The recital of pianoforte music given by Mr. Cyril Towsey on Tuesday at St. I'aul's Hall was a fine performance. The opening-number was "Ballade" in A flat, op. 47, of Chopin. From the opening phrase the audience were re* lk-ved from any anxiety as to the class of playing they had come to hear. Mr. Towsey's attitude at the piano is quiet and graceful, and free from mannerism. He has a wonderful technique, and great force and power when required, but he reserves it for climaxes. His piano and pianissimo playing are very beautiful, and he produces that singing tone which results from inborn iaisicar" feeling and expression. He had a very hearty reception, and at the' conclusion was greeted with loud applause, but contented himself with bowing his acknowledgements. In his second solo, the Adagio from Fantasia* in C ("Wanderer,", by Schubert), he was heard to great advantage; in fact, wa think this was thejgem of the evening. The octave passages were given with marvellous distinctness and precision. Where the air is taken up in the left hand, and a beautiful rippling accompaniment of runs and shakes is played by'the right, it wias quite a revelation to watch the ease and graceful movement of the right hand as it displaced his complete command over hie instrument. As an encore he played tho "Danse Creole" by Chaminade, which was a /fine lesson to students, who we were pleased to see in large numbor present. His third number was tho brilliant Polonaise in C sharp (op. 26, No. i), by Chopin. This was played with great finish and grace, and waa particularly achnired. As an encore he gave >a charming little valse by J. Maughan Barnett. No. 4 consisted of five short "Lyric Pieces" (op. 43), by Greig. Of these we admired most "Papillons". and "Oiseaux," but all were rendered in an artistic manner. We might suggest a little longei' pause between each subject. \ No. 5 waa the "Marche Funebre" (op. 35), by Chopin. This was a masterly performance, and we have seldom, if ever, heard a finer interpretation. This, was unquestionably encored, but as it was the last item on the programme, Mr. Towsey contented himself with bowing his acknowledgements. Miss Towsey is always acceptable as a vocalist. Her quiet, unaffected manner, her pleasing, well trained voice, and the excellence of her enunciation are qualities which are. not always combined. Her first song was "It Came with the Merry May Love " by Tosti, which is new to people in Wanganui. On being recalled, she gave Kjerulf's. quaint little ballad, "In the Meadow." In the second part she delighted the audience by her interpretation of "For All Eternity," by Mascheroni,. with harp and violin obligato, the last verse being repeated in response to the .encore. Mrs. Hughes Johnson is undoubtedly a fine harpist. Sho was in good form. Her solo, ay "Gavotte" by Oberlhur, was played with great delicacy and finish, the harmonic echoes being well accentuated. As an encore a "Reverie" by Hasselr.ians waa brilliantly played, and received with great favour. Mrs. Hughes Johnson was associated with her brother in a duet _for barp and violin, an "Aye Maria" b"y Gounod, and a very beautiful composition. Mr. Hatherly produces a fine tone, and played with great expression. This was well received, and as an encore a "Meditation" by Lane wa*s given, the two instruments blending well. Altogether it was ono of the best and most artistic concerts that has been given in Wanganui for a considerable time as regards instrumental music. We were sorry to notice the lack of encouragement given by some of our local teachers of music tar really artisticVork. The piano used was a Steinway Grand, the finest instrument of its Kind in the colony which was kindly lent by the Dresden Piano Company.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19051102.2.45
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12643, 2 November 1905, Page 7
Word count
Tapeke kupu
646ST. PAUL'S HALL. Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12643, 2 November 1905, Page 7
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
NZME is the copyright owner for the Wanganui Chronicle. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.