MISS DAISY KENNEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 20, 23 January 1920, Page 2

MISS DAISY KENNEDY.

As mistress of the violin Miss Daisy Kennedy last night drew to the Town Hall concert chamber an even, larger number of music lovefs than had attended her opening convert and by her high artistry and nersoual charm, Bwayed them rapturously to the moods of the music, both classic and modern, that she had srlected for interpretation. Once again, while her amazing technique impressed those who were critics, the feature of the recital was her extreme versatility of style, and the flexible ease with which the musk-tan subordinated her personal art to the characteristics of the music. The grace and dignity of Handel, the appealing melody of Mendelssohn, thedainty lyric charm of Schubert, and the devotional majestic tones of Beethoven violin, in varying characteristic tones of purity and richness, followed by a burst of brilliance in the tricky technical shifts and devices thft't made the name of that wizard of the fiddle, Paganini. Then a quiet lapse into the lighter tone-paintinjr and descriptive music of the modern composers, and a final bow to an audience unwilling to accept the realisation that the end had come, and clamant for more It was a triumph of selective skill built upon the consummate executive art, and the unkjne interpretive temperament, of the -virtuoso, and Miss Kennedy completely swept away the reservations of all critics, who fell into iine with the less sophisticated under the spell of her violin, and joined in an outburst of enthusiasm at the close of the concert. The programme 'was not so. 'heavy as on the opening night, but was probably more popularly appealing, and in the phrase of the non-critical, there was not a dull moment. While the sweet purity of tone and clean-rat phrasing aud shading carried home 'to the least initiated, the grace and dignity of Handel's Sonata in D Major, those same patrons who are customarily "fagged" by etassiual music warmed up to the sweet melody and chording of Mendelssohn's Gondola ■Sonff. and harmoniousljdrank in the restful devotional spirit of Beethoven's " Romance in G." wittins not that these were classical or the classes,. nor of the supreme art displayed in tremendously dflfioult double-stopping, delicately balanced bowing, aud nice co-ordination o£ ftnger touch, rhythm sense and bow adjustment required to produce purity of tone, add the breadth of richness to the sound, or lift were realised rather in the brilliant exe|cution of I'usaninis Concerto in D Major, and a Sauret Cadenza. Again came moments of sheer delight in the delicate, whimsical melody and rhythm of Schubert's '"Musical Moment," and -Schumann's descriptive "Fountain." The style of the ltltter was .perpetrated charmingly in the use of expressive rhythm and bizarre pizzicato ami broken bowing effects to sive distinctive character to descriptive morceaux by Cyril Scott (Negro air and dance), Zinibalis: (Hebrew song and ffcince). Cesar Cm (Orientale), and Zarzyc'«i (Mazurka)- while Dnlla's well known Souvenir but added to the artists hold on the auGlence. The enthusiasm was marked throughout the whole performance, ami Miss Kennedy was called I muted string), aud The Fountain, while as a recall to Beethoven's Uoinance, she played ! Gossee's Tumbourin, and when jmtrous she obliged* 5 with "Dagm' flies," which, had caupht the fancy of the nudience at the openiujj concert. Miss Topsio Doeiuiu had rather a. heavier part than previously in the pianoforte accompanimeuts. and she fulfilled it with the -capability that marks the artist. Mies Kennedy's third concert will be Siven in the concert chamber tomorrow evening.