Friday evening was, in part, a sad event. The performance of Barbara Howson, once a fine soprano, showed all too clearly her voice has now faded.

However, violinist Carolyn Burr and mezzo-soprano Nancy Chisling, who shared the billing with Miss Howson for the City Hall Theatre concert, were absolutely superb.

There comes a time when even the finest singers should end their stage career, and that time has arrived for Miss Howson.

Her performance of George Frederic Handel's challenging Let the bright Seraphim had only a pale vestige of the strength and vitality the piece demands, and while her interpretation of some sections of this composition were masterful, much of it was weak.

She was accompanied by her husband Graham Garton on the piano.

She was followed by mezzo-soprano Nancy Chisling whose exquisite voice has a full and rich tone which is always a thrill to hear. She pulled the full intensity from the emotive phrases of Handel's "Frondi tenere/Ombra mai fu ...'' It's unhurried pace was in contrast to the composer's brighter "Se bramate d'amar...'' and her interpretation was quite lovely.

Mrs. Chisling was accompanied with great ability and sensitivity by Ana Nunes-Leite on the piano.

It was a joy to hear violinist Carolyn Burr for the first time. It is rare to hear such a clear, rich quality of sound from this instrument, but the talented 27-year-old member of the Menuhin Foundation achieved it, her demeanour indicating that she was at ease with the piece, her instrument and on the stage.

Miss Burr gave Johannes Brahms allegro movement from "Sonata in A Opus 100'', a sense of resolution and great beauty. She was accompanied by Greta Jones on the piano, whose firm technique and sagacity made it a good partnership.

Miss Howson took to the stage once more to perform Franz Schubert's "Der Neugierige'' and "Die Vogel'', finishing that section with the well know Brahms composition "Das Madchen Spricht''. It must be said her interpretation of these pieces was pallid and colourless.

She was joined on stage by Mrs. Chisling and together they sang two duets with accomplishment, Henry Purcell's "Let us Wander not Unseen'' and "Ah Perdona Primo Affetto'' by Mozart.

After the intermission, Mrs. Chisling performed four pieces by Schubert beginning with "An die Musik'' an even and gentle composition, followed with the forceful "Lachen und Weinen''. Mrs. Chisling unleased with magnificence the recurrent strains of angry frustration which marked this piece.

She found in the meditative "An die Leiera'' spirit of stateliness together with moments of rather noble displeasure. The final piece "Die unge Nonne'' was tumultuous, but balanced with a nice pace and good control. Mrs. Chisling built up a sense of anticipation giving it enormous drama.

Miss Howson took to the stage to sing three charming songs, "Tell me, Lovely Shepherd'' by William Boyce, "The Blackbird'' by Michael Head and "Solveig's Song'' from "Peer Gynt'' by Edvard Grieg.

"The Blackbird'' evokes a pastoral setting, while "Solveig's Song'' is a wistful piece with some lovely sections in the upper ranges.

The lighter nature of these pieces meant she had greater success with them than the compositions she performed in the first half of the concert.

The young violinist walked back on stage to give the audience a tremendous gift -- Anton Dvorak's fourth movement of his Sonatina in G.

This fierce gypsy dance had moments of violence and intense spirit. Miss Burr seemed to consider every note and yet she played this piece, as she had the earlier composition, with incredible ease.

Mrs. Chisling finished with five American songs by Aaron Copland, each with its own distinctive character.

Among them, "Long time ago'', a gentle ballad, contrasted nicely with the light operetta-style the composer drew on for "The Dodger''.

The concert ended on a light note, when Miss Howson joined Mrs. Chisling on stage to perform Gioachino Rossini's "Duetto Buffo di Due Gatti'', which translated means: Comic Duet of Two Cats.

This chorus of meows had the audience convulsed with laughter, a delightful ending to the evening.-- Rebecca Zuill.