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University Centre Auditorium
February 9, 2008
There came a point, approximately two-thirds of the way through the first half of Saturday evening's concert, when I began to wonder whether, at last, the Palm Courters (should that be "Courtiers"?) had managed to come up with a programme none of whose melodies I would recognise.
Of course, as PCO supremo Charles Job pointed out to me at the interval, this was no doubt the result of my incomplete musical education, which has left me unfamiliar with the more obscure works of, for example, Rudolf Friml.
In the event the final item in the first half, a group of selections from No, No, Nanette - a title everyone knows, but whose plot appears to be one of life's great mysteries - included both "I Want to be Happy", which broke the duck (those ignorant of cricket may skip that last phrase, which has nothing to do with the abuse of waterfowl), and the eternally-familiar "Tea for Two".
I must confess to harbouring a mild regret (not unshared, as I discovered later) that the opportunity to play Shostakovich's wonderful Tahiti Trot, his arrangement of "Tea for Two" made in twenty minutes on a bet with conductor Nikolai Malko, was missed; but that is in no way a criticism of the playing under guest conductor Donald Hunsberger - himself something of a legend in wind-band circles.
Indeed, under Hunsberger's jovial tutelage the orchestra played with precision and rhythmic vitality, producing a well-balanced sound with exceptional dynamics.
Soprano Charlotte Corwin provided the icing on the evening's cake. Not only is she possessed of a beautiful, creamy voice, immaculate technique and intonation, she treated her songs as if they were the greatest music in the world.
I particularly enjoyed her performance of Victor Herbert's "A Kiss in the Dark", culminating in the sort of florid descant which appeared at least once in any film starring Deanna Durbin. And her encore, "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" - although not, to judge by those in my vicinity, too old to hum - can have left hardly a dry eye in the house.
Another altogether delightful concert from the Palm Court. The final performance is scheduled for 2:30 Tuesday in the Sidney's Charlie White Theatre.
MiV HomeLast modified: Mon Feb 11 23:27:14 PST 2008