PETER SCHICKELE with DAVID DUSING -- City Hall -- February 13, 1995 As composer, musician, author and satirist, Peter Schickele is internationally recognised as one of the most versatile artists in the field of music. Monday night's audience at the City Hall certainly enjoyed his wide range of talents as he combined songs both serious and amusing with humour gentle and barbed.

The compositions embraced a wide range of subject matter and styles, varying from ballads, jazz, and pop songs to Mozart, Schubert and Schoenberg.

He began the evening with a group of three humorous songs, one titled "Moon Over Woodstock'' about foreign barnyard cows, and two others about maple syrup and dieting.

From the outset, despite the fact that his material was essentially drawn from the United States and his humour was often territorial, he achieved a good rapport with his not-entirely-North American audience.

Accompanying himself on the piano, he displayed an amazing memory as he swung from song to anecdote and back again. He is a fine raconteur and he delighted his audience with a spate of orchestra and conductor jokes, to the detriment of the latter particularly.

Not remarkable for his sartorial elegance, he was joined by an almost equally rumpled tenor, David Dusing, in the duet "Give Me An inch And I'll Take A Mile.'' Their voices blended in well here and it was apparent, as they moved into a lively jazz arrangement of a song inspired by the 12-tone music of Arnold Schoenberg (what a challenge), that both artists enjoy performing together. This was vocally very stylish.

After two lovely duets, "All In Green,'' a melancholy waltz in 16th century tradition, and "Feel Free,'' they romped through a dramatically contrasted country and western-flavoured "One Road To Heaven And Many Roads To Hell.'' Another duet in the style of Franz Schubert, with the Everly Brothers in mind, followed. Mr. Schinckele's serious involvement with songwriting began in the late 1950s with this unlikely combination. This was a confident performance but diction was not always well marked, and the satire here was less successful.

Peter Schickele's happy home life is reflected in the many songs written for his family. After a splendid arrangement of "Happy Birthday,'' composed for his mother's eightieth, we heard a trio of songs dedicated to his wife and children. Particularly moving was the gentle ballad written on the eve of his daughter's ninth birthday. This was very fine with familiar sentiments to which the audience could relate.

This was a programme which seemed to rely on an element of surprise and -- after a glimpse into Dante's inferno in the company of Eugene Ormandy and Fritz Reiner with neither coping well (Mr. Schickele does not like conductors) -- we moved rapidly and unexpectedly to Shakespeare.

Five vocal spoofs inspired by characters from Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar may seem an unlikely way to end a programme, but they were great fun and widely enjoyed by the large audience.

This was an evening of lighthearted entertainment and pleasant musical interlude. Peter Schickele and David Dusing will be appearing at the City Hall again tonight.

MARJORIE PETTIT