Music Soc. Concert

By George Quin.

Highlight of the Music Society's first concert (lunchtime April 16) were the songs from "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" by Mahler, sung by Jean Williams with Murray Brown piano.

These are demanding songs, no less in technical difficulty than in the expression of the far-away romanticism of the young Mahler. Jean Williams brought them off with assurance and feeling which revealed close understanding of the music. Fine accompaniment from Murray Brown too.

The combination of Hindemith and bassoon is not everyone's idea of exciting listening. Noeline Kloogh (bassoonist in the NZBC Concert Orchestra) with Murray Brown (piano) gave a precise rendering of the Hindemith Bassoon Sonata which was absorbing if not exciting. Something to be noted for future concerts in the Music Room; the piano accompaniment was too loud, sometimes drowning or making difficult to hear, the bassoon.

In the Beethoven Trio No. 3 also, the piano tended to be unduly prominent. The Trio was played by Murray Gronwall (violin), Susan Smith (cello) and Graham Parsons (piano). Plenty of wrong or missed notes in this one and a lack elan vital. But one thing was clear; with a little more preparation this group could have made a first class job of the work.

Rosemary Barnes gave a polished performance of Scarlatti's rattling Sonata No. 68 in D. She whipped the work along in fine style but perhaps lost a few of its interesting nuances in doing so. There was no question of technical inadequacy however.