Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-09
MU SIC
ENGLISH SINGERS AND
GABRHOWITSCH.

| 1t is doubtful if in the history Oh
musical programs presented in WASH
| ington to date there has ever been
| program so completely deighttul'
artistic and entertaining as that whicn
was presented last night by the Eng
| lish Singers and Ossip GabriloWltsch
| in the d. A. X. Hall. The AUDIENCE
which practically filled the house, ap'
| plauded vigorously and lengthily ana
| probably would still be sitting listen
| ing if the artists had not brought
| things to an end about half an hour
| beyond the usual closing time Tor an
| evening concert.
| That group of talented and finished
/ singers made their American debut
| about a year ago in the Coolidge res
| tival that formally opened the cham-
! Der music auditorium of the Library
| Of Congress. They Conflne most OF
| their efforts to the singing OF ola
| English madrigals. They also sang
| last night a group of Italian street
| songs in the Latin language, nut sup
| plying a comprehensive English trans
| lation before each song. This group
| has learned the secret of really sing
| ing in q way that is most entertain
| ing and conducive TO appreciation
| from their audience. They sit grouped
| informally about the table for most
| of their numbers and for only one
| selection was the piano used as Ac'
| compartment. They have marVeious
| attack, clarity of tone. ability to con-
| troll without apparent effort organ
! like effects and remarkable pianis-
| simos Too much can not be SAID IN
/ praise of their work and the pleasure
! it gives their audience In general
| Sufficient to say that it would proht
! choral societies and smaller groups
| as we'll as individuals, to go, listen
! to these singers and learn lnValu.
I able lessons that lead to the key OF
really giving an audience the finest
music available in a most convincing
| fashion.
The English singers are: Flora
| Mann, first soprano; Nellie Carson,
| second soprano; Lillian Berger, con
! traItO; Norman Stone, tenor: Norman
/ Motley, baritone; Cuthbert Kelly, bass.
| Each singer is an artist with a love
/ ly voice, but it is the beauty OF thelr
! ensemble work with perfect nuances
/ in blend and shading that is fascin-
ating. A novelty on their program
was the quaint sixteenth century
John, Come Kiss Me Now" sung by
! Miss Carson and Mr.. Kelly, as ar
ranged by +. w. Naylor. Its repeti
ton was demanded. Mr.. Kelly, Incl
| dentally, proved a veritable English
! Chaliapin for his dramatic valuation
of tone and expression. The encores
| for the two last groups were "A
! Farmers Son So Sweet" an old folk
| song arranged by r. Vaughan Will
| liams, whose arrangement of Was
sail Song" with its lovely long last
note sung by the contralto, was one
of the finest selections; and Thomas
Morley's Now Is the Month of May"
|. Mr.. Gabrilowitsch quite sustained
the high standard set in the opening
group of the singers, for he never
played in Washington in better form.
He. too, was most enthusiastically re-
ceived. His first group reflected the
period of the singers, though OF Ger
/ man music. 1t included the prelude
from the J. S. Bach English Suite
in A Minor" which was played with
unusual life and color; Phi. E. Bach's
"Rondo Expressive" which seemed
pale and languid after that com
poser's fathers more brilliant work,
and Haydn's Allegro in f Minor"
| The encore was Glucks "Gavotte.
Later during the program Mr.. Gabril-
owitsch played the famous Beethoven
| "Appassionata Sonata" and played II
with extreme brilliance of interpreta-
ton and an originality in treatment
| that brought freshness and grateful
roundness to the familiar work. The
encore was a Chopin nocturne.
! All in all 1t was a. concert in hun.
| dred, and one that could we'll stand
| repetition.
LENOX STRING QUARTET.
| The Lenox String Quartet gave its
| second January program at the
| Library of Congress yesterday after
noon in the Coolidge foundation
chamber music auditorium. The guest
soloist was Helen Corbin Heinl.
pupil of Carrenos and Edward Mac
Dowell, and well known in Washing
ton Mrs. Heinl acquitted herself es-
pecially we'll in the j. s. Bach Sonata
in G. major" with Emmeran Stoeber
as co-artist on the violncello. They
gave Bach with all the precision and
tonal effects that are so essentially
his, yet also infused mellowness and
color into the playing. Mrs. Heinrs
phrases tripped forth, occasionally
bit subservient to the stringed instru-
ment but usually in very good duet
quality. Mr. Stoeber, who is an es-
pecially fine 'cellist. played his part,
too, most admirably.
Again Ludwig Won Beethoven was
honored, his Quartet in E minor,
opus SO, No. 2" being played with care
and good Interpretation by the quar-
were particularly charming to listen
To and the second violin played by
Edwin Ideler came through unusually
well in certain passages yet without
at all getting out of the ensemble
picture.
The opening quartet was Opus 10
of Emerson Withorne, the American
composer. 1t is entitled Greek I'm
pressions," and, indeed, much of the
music is still Greek to many who
heard the work. 1t is one of those
typically modern day works that
seems to feel about constantly and in.
effectually for proper expression for
definite program. Always the
melody seems just around the corner
and only glimpsed from afar and on
the bias. The strings chatter along
but say nothing. The minor effects In !
the "Elegy" were the most obvious
and APPARENTLY logical of the musical |
attempts. Pan, as suggested in the |
second movement, sounded as though |
his tiny tinkling hoofs had gotten |
caught irretrievably in a bog, and he !
himself had grown fat and heavy try |
ing to pull them out. However. the !
hearing of such works is excellent |
training in the trend of history to- |
ward something new and in apprecia- |