Ovation for Vernon
Handley after concert
of 20th centurymusic
TI-IE performance of orchestral music has reached a cul~de-sac in London’s two main concert halls and it is
necwsary to come to Guildford in order to hear a programme which doos not contain at least ome repertoire
favourite.
This “play safe” attitude is not
one which has been adopted by
the conductor of the Guildford
Philharmonic Orchestra, Vernon
Handley, and he reaped the benefit of his policy at the end of
Saturday’s concert
in
Guildford
Civiec Hall, the seventh in the
“enterprislng" series.
moment when the sticks were
conspicuously just behind the
beat, the panache which is characteristic of the serenade was
effectively
conveyed
by
the
orchestra,
:
The Bax was directed with the
authority - of a man who has
taken a very close interest in the
‘music of this neglected composer,
Saturday’s concert will rank as
of the Guildford Philharmonic one of the highlights of the
season and, with between seven
‘gave him the supreme and
‘and eight hundred people attendrarely given accolade of harding the enterprising series of
ened professional musicians by
The
audience
called
him
‘back six times and the players
- refusing to stand with him and
concerts, it might be worth the
corporation
spending
more
- acknowledge the applause of_money on this type of music—
the audience.
for
this
20th-century
music
is
b T),)eapplause was for a very evidently What people want to.
‘balanced progra
|
~and for a hear.—R. B:.
37ye)
needs skillful playing as the
second movement exploits the
characteristics of each section of
the orchestra. The players rose
to the challenge of this very
well and then combined to produce a noisy but very impressive
finale.
The Proteus Choir and soprano '
Elaine
.}
Blighton
joined
the
orchestra for Paulenc’s Gloria.
This was first performed in January, 1961, and the sincerity and
beauty of the composition are
the most striking points about
it. The Proteus sang with a great
|
feeling for the religious atmo-
sphere of the music and this,
together with the very clear and
clean tone of the soloist, were
C' on C.Q_S‘e’
the keys to the success of the
work.
i
The men’s voices were a litt.le
under
strength,
but
there
are
very few choirs in the country
| which have as many male voices
as they would like.
The choir’'s words were very
clerly pronounced and could be
heard better than those of Miss
Blighton, who at times sacrificed
enunciation for her admittedly '
beautiful tone.
The pieces which the orchestra
recorded
on Sunday
were
the
other two pleces in the programme. Moeran’s Serenade in G,
and Bax's ‘“The Tale the Pine
Trees Knew,” are two very con-
trasting 20th-century works, the
former being full of Irish melod-
ism and the latter much more
strong and definite in manner.
There is an important part for
percussion instruments in the
serenade and especially for the
side drum, and after a brief
.
'\