STAGE AND SONG.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 31, 6 February 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

STAGE AND SONG.

We still pine for somebhing good in the dramatic line. Minstrels ab bhe City Hall.and varieby artists ab the Opera House, don't satisfy playgoers. Myra Kemble is corning with thab excruciatingly funny and rather naughty play, 'Dr. Bill,' and so is Snazelle, likewise the Opera Company ; but these are in the sweeb by-aud-by—at present there seems nobbing.

Musically, things are slightly better. Madam Bahnson has given a most successful concert, and thero are hopes of good tilings to come.

The Mozarb cenbonnial took place early in December in England. He died on tho sth of December a century ago ; ' towards midnight he raised himself, opened his eyes wide, then lay down with his face bo the wall and seemed to fall asleep. Ab one o'clock he expired.' So wrobe Obto Jahn, bhe sbandard biograpbsr of_ Mozarb. A hundred year's after, something was done to commemorate bhis memorable occasion. Thero v/as somebbing quibe fibbing in the selection of the l Requiem' for performance at bhe Crystal Palace in tho afbernoon and ab the Alberb Hall in bhe evening, for when almost ab deabh's door Mozarb wrote bo Da Ponbe, ' I am completing my funeral song ; I oughb nob to lea.ye it unfinished' —a letter as pathetic as that of tho dying Tasso. The 'Requiem' is an unfinished: fragment perhaps, bub ib shows * bhe divine musician ' ab the heigh b of hia power.

Not the leasb worbhy of bhe efforts to keep Mozarfc's memory green has beqn made by bhe editors of the ' Musical Times.' Tho Mozarb Supplement is more' bhan usually well done. The 'circum; stances and characberisbics' from his pen are acceptable, and the liberary cawtm bhat follows includes an extremely interesting 'account of a remarkable young musician' reprinted from the 'Gloucester Journal,' of 1771, when Mozarb was fifteen years old, thab is.

In addition to bho many inberesting engravings which are scabtered through the texb, a moderately good reproduction of an ebched porbraib of Mozarb by Professor Herkomer is given. The porbraib will probably surprise bhose who know-the composer besb by the popular likenesses.

From Home I hear bhab bhe boy violoneellisb, Masbor Gerardy, has taken away with him to Germany a diamond horse-shoe pin, which was presented to him by Colonel Collins last week on behalf of the Queen as a memento of his visit to Windsor. With, all the childish enthusiasm bhab this acb has provoked, Master Gerardy has made up his mind bo compose and dedicate to her Majesby a shorb andanbe for the violoncello. The ytraog violoncellist. played ab Dresden on Saturday, and will do so later;i on in Berlin, wibh Mr Plunket Greisno as the vocalist. He will return to|| England in bhe middle ef nexb month. AsMaster Gerardy bad no .time previous to, his appearance ab Dresden bo aceusbom his fingers to bhe slighbly differenb ' shopping' necessitated by the diapason normal—of; which we have, once again, heard so much lately—Messrs Steinway soub over a pianoforte by special express to him ab Dresden, where he will, accordingly, play with his violoncello tuned up to our concert pibch. Miss Staunton (Madam Goldenstedt),who t is an old Auckland favouribe, will shorbly cive a concerb in eibher the Opera House or Choral Hall. The following amusing cubbing anehfc a singer weil-known down Soubh has been sent me by a cornstalk:—Philip Newbury, a Maoriland singer of great promise, is about bo appear in Ibaliau opera ab bha Shaftesbury Theatre, London. Mr Newbury is the son aud heir of a pastry-cook located in George-streeb, Dunedin. He ia small and fab, and suffers from an imi pression bhab he owns bhe earbh. Ab Hawke's Bay bhe Kowalski Concerb Company gave bheir final concert at the Theatre'lloyal on Friday evening. Ib was, as each of bheir concerbs has been, an artistic triumph, and the performers were applauded to the echo by an audionca which made up in musical appreciation whab was lacking in numbers. Nearly every number was encored, and bhe word ' encore ' does nob nearly describe bhe reception given bo Miaa Berbha Griffibhs and M. Henri Kowalski for their playing of ' Mstrcho Hongroise.' • Mr Charles Danby and Miss Grace Pealey met wibh a warm welcome ab the Shaftesbury Theabre on resuming, afber their Australian tour, their original roles in still abbracbive Moan of Arc' Mr Musgrove is in breaty with Messrs Ascherberg for bhe Ausbralian righbs of thab one acb goldmine ' Cavalleria Rusbioana.' The Carl Rosa Company has secured the English ones, and will produce the opera during their Liverpool season iv January. During his brief season at tha Shaftesbury with this opera, Signor Lago paade a profit of £8,000. W. G. Willis, tho dramatist, the announcement of whose death was lately cabled, was an uncommonly open-hearted fellow. Ib is said bhab he used to keep his money in his chambers in a bobaceo-jar, and bhab his needy friends wore always welcome bo help bhemselves as long as the supply lasbed. The only bhing thab ever astonished 'him was the fact of any 'of his friends returning any such loans. Mr Bernard Beere is to have a grand begabibab bho Haymarkeb before leaving for the Antipodes. Marius is getting ib up. I hear, by the way, that the sprightly 'Mons' comes uncommonly well out of .the lengthy un-mar(r)ius series of matinees ab the" Courts ot Justice, so far as money is concerned. The judge's decision thab each side musb pay ibs own cosbs hit tho fair Florence very hard. Gill appeared for his friend Marius for nothing, whereas Sir Chas. Russell's brief was marked 100. guineas,wibh daily refreshers of 30 guineas* and Inderwick's SOgne. and 10 guinea refreshers. Albogebhor, Miss Sb. Johns, judicial separation musb have cosb her over £1,000. ' Miss Decima,' like many another comio opera,hasn'bborne transplanting, and 'Blue Eyed Susan ' is in consequence being rehearsed ab bhe Prince of Wales' Theatre The St. John divorce case only proved whab everybody said ib would, a public dir by-linen wash of a kind bhab should never have been pernribtod to see bho > of day. The fair Florence comes oub of the scrimmage the worst off of tho lot, as she is a prisoner for life, and her costs will.' prove a caution, I should fancy. Martua undoubtedly succeeded ie his mam object, which was to clear his character of the imputation of cruelty, an imputation which all who know him well felb assured could nob possibly bo substantiated. Cohen is the one bhab has a ' beano,' for not only does he geb his costs paid by_ but ho can pose a? a martyr of injured innocence, which will be quite a pleesant change for him. , „