The Week's Music...

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 821, 22 April 1955, Page 10

The Week's Music...

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SEBASTIAN

DMUND RUBBRA is a composer whose work makes headway in the esteem of the musical public, though the progress is undeservedly slow. He is probably best known for his little carol "Dormi Jesu,’ the Scherzo of his Fifth Symphony, and certain of his choral works, while the Griller Quartet gave his second string Quartet some good publicity here last year. It was interesting, then, to hear a local performance (NZBS) of his setting of five Spenser sonnets under the title Amoretti, sung by the tenor Andrew Gold with the Alex Lindsay String Quartet-a very felicitous combination. This is difficult music to sing; the style is "normal Rubbra," with a contrapuntal bias and a rather crawling mode of progression, and with many unexpected intervals for the voice: but in this case the intonation was good throughout. The main fault was one of balance, since at times the all-important accompaniment was almost inaudible, with the voice predominating unduly. This is a work which may well demand repeated hearings, but with a certain amount of dial-spinning, these should be readily ayailable. A short ’cello recital by Fleur Burry (NZBS) gave us some neat playing and good balance, especially in the Elégie

of Fauré. Mozart's "Ave Verum, Corpus" does not succeed in a ‘cello transcription, mainly because it depends for its effect on a blend of voices rather than a solo tune. There was also a certain lack of the rich tone that one expects of a ’cello, but this was offset by the clarity of the whole. What shall I say of Anna Russell? She has swept down upon us on the wings of satire, she has filled our largest halls with admirers, she has turned the musical world upside down and rearranged it to suit herself. She admits that her voice is not remarkable for its purity-"unearthly" was the actual word +-and its mein attribute is its flexibility, in the same way as chewing gum. A few new songs were presented-the Habaneia from Carmen was metamorphosed into a non-stop square dance, while Schubert’s and Handel’s versions of "Night and Day" were cruelly barbed. I must admit I capitulated and saw as well as heard Miss Russell, so that the impact a little more intense in my memory, but, in the broadcast concerts there was no lack of impact, apart from the frustration of hearing unexplained audience actions. For those of us with any musical pretentions, she had all the effect of a pneumatic drill on a pound of cheese.