The Week's Music...

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 822, 29 April 1955, Page 10

The Week's Music...

by

SEBASTIAN

‘[ HE EASTER SEASON always seems to produce some well-meant but rather dispirited programmes,’ with the accent on local choral efforts and the gloomier Bach cantatas. This year was no exception, though the programmes were for the most part well arranged and produced. Two NZBS transcriptions "With heart and voice" and "The dying of the Lord Jesus" were labelled as meditations for Easter, and were generally of the same type, though the former offered more variety, with an orchestra to enrich the singing. The inevitable performance of Stainer’s overworked Crucifixion (BBC) was featured as a link-surely there must be some good alternative to this work, which deserves to lie fallow for a year or two at least. It seems odd, by the way, that while Good Friday is celebrated (if that is the word) by a plethora of broadcast productions, Easter Sunday is hardly noticed beyond the local festal church services-almost as though the day were religiously less important. I commented favourably on a recital by Andrew Gold last week; now the series is well under way which he and his wife, Pamela Woolmore, recorded before leaving the country last year. She has a lovely true soprano, a little weak in the middle register, and sounds at her best in the duets with her husband, such as the delightful "I Follow Thee" of Telemann. Her Fauré is good stylistic. singing, and her interpretation of Purcell’s "The Blessed Virgin’s Expos-

tulation" is quite moving. Andrew Gold continues his sensitive singing with some beautifully smooth and clear Italian songs, and a lively version of Aaron Copland’s old American folk songs, as well as some interesting Greek folk music. The remainder of the series should be well worth the hearing. Two piano recitals caught my attention recently-the country appears to have an inexhaustible supply of promising pianists; one was by Evelyn Dackers (4YA) who has an excellent technique and a heavy streak of romanticism. She gave a very adequate performance of Chopin’s C sharp minor Scherzo, and a really brilliant one of Debussy’s difficult "Masques," with a clear staccato and fully-controlled tone; this was mature and almost masculine playing. The other recital was from Therle Oswin (2YC) who gave us the evergreen fifth French Suite of Bach, again with a neat and clear touch. The movements flowed, as indeed they ought, but were rather marred by the common "hydraulic brake" effect of the cadences-an effect which I don’t think Bach ever prescribed. In passing, let me recommend Gerald Christeller, reliable as ever, singing two early German songs with a dash of Italian peeping through (NZBS), these are by Schutz and Weiland; and are accompanied by a piano quartet, I think in lieu of orchestra, though the present ensemble is most satisfactory, |.