Evening star., 1937-04-27
f e S tiV al
Concert Is
Noteworthy
Best of Choral Music
Represented at Con-
tinental Hall.
BY ALICE EVERSMAN.

IN Its Spring festival concert
last evening at Memorial Con-
Il tinental Hall made . note
worthy contribution to the important
musical events of the season in the
type of program which was presented.
Not only was there nothing hackneyed
in the numbers chosen, but they rep
resented the best Of choral music, the
kind for which there was little op-
portunity to hear until this choral
group set up standard for itself.
Under the direction of Louis Potter,
the society presented the Brahms
Requiem" this Winter and last night
matched this endeavor with the
Saint-Saens setting Of Psalm 15Oth,"
the Bridal Song" from Chabrier's
opera "Gwendoline"; Deems Taylor's
THE Chambered Nautilus" and a
group Of shorter works. The group
Of mixed voices, numbering about 100,
was assisted by chamber orchestra
led by several members Of the Ma
tional Symphony, with Lyman Nc
Crary at the organ and Margaret
Tolson at the piano.
Mr.. Potter in Solos.
Mr. Potter. who led the combined
groups in their interpretations with
careful attention to detail and author
ity in idea, was also the soloist of
the program, playing the Variations
Symphonique" for piano and orches-
ira by Cesar Franck, with Hendrix
Essers directing the instrumentalists
1t was a spirited performance in
which Mr.. Potter came brilliantly to
the fore as a pianist of unusual sensi-
tivity. His flne musicianship was evi-
denced in his feeling for color, stress
ing his own part when necessary and
giving way to the orchestra for con-
trasting effect. He played with
suavity, building his dynamics smooth
ly and with touch that was elastic
in creating shading. The clarity Of
construction of this masterpiece and
its surging eloquence make it an
exacting number for pianist and
Mr. Potter met these demands tri-
umphantly through his sympathetic
feeling and technical proficiency. His
success was recorded in the ovation
which the audience gave him at
the end
Saint-Saens has recreated the char
acter Of the old temple worship in
his manner OF combining the choral
themes with instruments in the color
full musical garb he gave the 150th
Psalm. The great paean Of praise
which is voiced by the singers q
capella is answered by the sweet toned
instruments in lovely and inspira-
tional interlude where strings, harp
and woodwinds play against the rich
ness of the organ note to unite in an
uplifting finale with the human voice.
Numbering about 100, the group
was assisted by a chamber orchestra
led by several members of the National
Symphony with Lyman McCrary at
the organ and Margaret Tolson at the
piano. The composer has given free
rein to his melodic fantasy in this
work which is written in his char
acteristic style but with devotional
religious spirit with warmth and vital
ity in his directing and stressing its
exalted tendency with both singers
and instrumentalists.
Interest in Bridal Song"
Not since the Motet Club sang 1t
20 years ago has Chabrier's Bridal
| Song" been given here, and Mr..
Potter's resurrection of this excerpt
from the opera added interest to the
program The three principal char
acters of the scene were sung by Mil
dred Colvin, George Myers and San
Cotton, with Florence Ludy. Bertha
Morgan, Paul Ledig, v. D. Kennedy
and Harry Yeide forming q solo
quintet. The choral passages were
done with unusually well blended
tonal color, the voices held In fine
restraint and the pitch clear and
true, while the soloists disclosed in
dividually excellent voices Of dis
tinctive quality The work is a CRATE
full one for such presentation and
could be heard again with pleasure
| Mr.. Potter again left the beaten
path in his selection Of shorter num-
bers, which included representative
| composers OF various IA nALlOUAlltlcS.
Among these were John Doeland's
Come Again, Sweet Love-" Palm
gren's Sorrow" Won Moellendorff'
charming Night Whispers" and
Taniev's beautiful Sunrise" A
"Nocturne," by Cesar Cui. was excel
lently sung by the mems group alone
"The Chambered Nautilus" which
the society has done before, con.
cluded the program. The solo por.
tions were sung by an octet com.
prising Ruby Potter and Mildred
Colvin. sopranos; Bertha Morgan
and Margaret Pope, altos; George
Myers and Francis Townsend, tenors
and Harry Yeide and John Stinson
bassos
The splendid work which the Choral
Society Is doing and the educational
value Of its programs should be en-
couraged by a larger audience thar
was present yesterday.
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