ELSA STRALIA.

Auckland Star, Issue 291, 9 December 1925, Page 15

ELSA STRALIA.

»■ A BRILLIANT SOPRANO. ' -••■ --~ — ■ *- -. In the Town Hall last evening, before a, numerous audience, Madame Elsa Stralia and her concert company opened a season of four nights, and met with a '.flattering reception. Madame has a splendid stage appearance, a winning personality, and a voice brilliance and poweiv|-It rie solid, compact, vibrant, and yet sympathetic. This was displayed to advantage in the bel canto numbers. Her style was marked by perfect steadine33 and good breath control, and her legato singing was a model of what tone production ca* achieve. In her delivery of big dramatic climaxes the cantatriee simply thrilled the audience. Her performance was never strained or fenced, but produced by • purely legitimate methods. This artist i in capacity of voice inflection, power,! flexibility, and compsss of voice, of over two and a half infallible correctness in singing of intet»a'ls widely apart, and chasing each cthtr with extreme rapidity, the v liquid like roulades and trills, evoked remarkable enthusiasm I from the audience, who insisted upon extra contributions after each appearance. The prima donna opened with the famous aria "Bel Eaggio," a favourite cavatina with all dramatic sopranos. This intricate number was vocalised with remarkable freedom and purity. The inspiring declamatory passages were delivered with great power and force. I The scales and undulatory measures echoed through the hall in tones of clearness, the higli B rang out as sharply as a bell tone, whilst the subsequent section was given in a smooth and graceful manner. After this fine vocal display of Semiramis' great aria the artist 'was warmly encored, and contributed in a majestic style to Mr. Barnett's organ accompaniment Allitsen's "Song of Thanksgiving." Donnay's "0 del Mio Amato Ben" was charmingly phrased and sung with perfect vocal purity and tender feeling. Curran's "Life, Come to Mc To-day!" was given with great power of voice, and gradual building up of tone to the. climax, "Life! in my turn." Phillips' "Over the Dreamland Sea" was exquisitely pictured, and a powerful and telling performance was given of Elgar's "Land of Hope and Glory," with grand organ accompaniment by" Mr. Maughan Barnett, and chorus by the audience. The violinist, Mr. Al Chuhaldin, is a player of experience. He secures a delightful tone, bows with freedom, and his intonation in passage work and double stopping is beyond reproach. He gave a remarkably finished rendering of Wieniawski's "Concerto in F Sharp Major." . In the brilliant parts he played with fine facility of finger and bow, and in the subdued sections secured a rich tone of singing quality. The BachKxeisler "Gavotte" was gracefully given, expressively rendered was the SchiibertWilhelmi "Aye Maria," and a brilliant delivery was obtained of Bazzini's "La Poude dcs Lutins." The baritone, Mr. Andre Navarre, has a flexible voice, well produced. He gave with noteworthy clearness Rossini's Largo al Factotum." an expressive rendering of "Still as the Night," and a fluent and effective reading of O'Hara's "Give a Man a Horse." H,e also joined Madame Stralia in admirable performances of Nedda's and Silvio's duo from Leoncavalli's opera "Pagliacci," and Mozart's "La ci Darem." Mr. Alex. Svefjenski, the pianist, gave successfully the Bach-Boscoff "Concertc in C Major," "Dance Rustique," Chopin'f ]]F Sharp Minor Nocturne": and Liszt's F Major Etude," and also made a cap able and sympathetic accompanist. Mr Barnett presided at the organ, and playec the obligatos effectively,; and gave fiii own setting of "National Melodies" ai the opening number. After each appear ance the artists were very heartih encored. ' ■ . ■- To-night another concert will be giyei in the same place, when Madame Stralii will sing Meyerbeer's "Roberto o tv chi Adoro" and other popular items, 'am violin, baritone, and pianoforte solos wil be rendered by members of theooinpanj