ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 139, 6 March 1908, Page 9

ENTERTAINMENTS.

' ; FIi\AL BUTT-RTJIIFORD CONCERT. : .AN ENTHUSIASTIC FAREWELL. ..There was : no; mistaking: the character of, tha audienco that fille,d the IViwn 'Hall la' ita : uttehnost corners last'evening, when Madamo Clara Butt and Mr. Komicrjoy Runiford mado . their final.appearance;i& New Zealand," after a highly succc*sful tour, consisting of twenty- . 0110 concerts. It was;au audience Composed,of " the most, enthusiastic admirers; of, the English . concert 1 artists, who were present in no chti,cal mood, but rather filed into the big; hall i with the . set notion of. showing their 1 enthusiasm, and enthusiastic 1 they were.' The concert n its worth it, , in / every- particular. Seldi>ra, if ever, has an ; audionoo been treated to fio • Splendid a feast of song: by sucli artists, who, . 011 their part; were woi'ked up in_,sympathy »itli the'iuidiencei- and wfre .in vastly Better form , tbainr-'Oll.' Tuesday evening. The pro- \ grantme, too, .was quite, a departure from that of the conyeiftionaii.t'oficert'.order. .While 'the • instrumentalists, dipped, l ; into 1 Brahms ' and Chopin,the siujers abjuredthe classical composers 'generally,' and gave','tlie public eonio gems of jorig, straiigo,. but' altogether; beautiful. Madame - Butt, .who received;: a great re- ; coptiou, scored n signul success in the recita- . tivo and aria, V M.v -Heart is Weary," from Coring Thomas's:" Nadfshda." ,-It. opens .with . ; a strikingly;.dramatic phssptfe that..: displayed:, ,the. contralto's great .range and vdc-nl fdi'ce,. . .thp: prelude to a ballad of grief, -in : which . tho singer madfl the iidst couvinoing (ISO 01 'her. hard,'.heavy .notes-.in..the'lower, octave. . She threw ' tho. weight of l.'er vemotionalism , into tho number, and was awarded-with a,., broadside of applause.'. lit admirable contract" 'Miidnnio sang Mendelssohn's sweetly placid " Ojli-est in the ; Lord;" and her-.tendering was so captiva'tingly simple, and yet so thoroughly, >. as to.-, make-onu. desire., to. hear linore.of the.visitor-111 oratorical music, ' Later, . . she ibi-aelvcted.;four-songs 6f Sir. Edward Elgar, ': 'whospi'/Liind of. Hop'd.ahd.Glory.' 'ds so. ffliniU ~ iar: to 'coucertMovers.' The Covering • titlo. was. • "Sea Pictures." and - tho songs (which woro . especially '.written • i for .Madaule' woro' , called • Sea Slumber Song," " Wl|ero Corals ; ■Lie," "In. ..'Haven." . .andi "Sabbath Horn :at Se.a;'f: .Bach'of' these "marine picturos" was j 'greatly, apjireciatcd, but for ..poeticaLVmelody .' nonn exceeded tho bSanty' of '.Where_ Corals Lie;"|,ohd ;th6 siiiger was at her' best ill 1 that express, a ichoifce in';- tlio, V inalter.::ln : thes& soiigs .Mi'.. .Frank..Mernck : acted .as .. accompanist . on,;, this piano . 'to ' enable , >fr. -Arlhur Godfrey (0 play tho 'cfgAti 1 . accompaiiiment 'iti the' .final ~ liulnbot. tmovkfactoryTWs,erx„U.sh larthcr l'theheheSo Impresswl;' 110 doubt, with' Madhme's 'ability to, sing for over,"'an : iencoro was insisted '"on,- and vocal-etching, entitled; ''The Nights" .. .'(Jliiray), was;',graciously v sung..- ;• The',, duets ; . consisted-of two quaint little compositions by .. Liii :.Lehriidnn, entitled,'Sndwdi'ops,'. bftth';- 1 exquisitely wi-itten; and delightfully inter--pretedi,-,. The - artists. ~were'• "called", five. times, • I)lit.' the audience; declined' to go homo, nnd evont'ually. ' tlib" singers: returned;' and ' Bang "Tho Keys'of 'Heaven"-duet, onco liloro, U) ; tlic. intense pleasure of eVcryofie, present. ; -..;'Mr. ICennerlby. Runlford was; in fine voice. 'Jle.' bpsned "by::singing .four numbers_froto • . Herrmann,Lolir's cycle,"The .Song 6 of N6rse-.„ ■ laiid,'"'.- ;entitled,' ; . "■Tinie was I Roved; the • iMouiitain'sl";"Hves■;tluit -Used,'to. Gaze-; ■ m. which His'..'perfect' vbce;i;'as- ' uSed -witlr' artistic,'ioffect), and the lively- lilt; ''Youth Has' a nap'pv 'I read.", • As. an, encdro !h« ;sung . Schubert's.;*'Wanderei's.'.Nachtliedi... ; ; He . also introduced the: audience to two almost' unknown 1 Sofigs,:. coniposed especially for:, him by'the late Sir Arthur ,Sullivan. These,.) wel'o I "Tears,' Idle Tears" and "O, Swallow, ' .' Sfrallott*,";. the latter,, tho most ;patt, a '. quaiiit patter, reiiiiiiiSeent" of- tho composer s* orteratico work. 111 Response :;tb heai'ty ap-

plause, Mr. Rumford charmed everyone , with Alfred Hill's "],Vaihta Poi" song, winch found immense favour, and had. to be, Repeated-in its 'entirety before tliere' was. peace. Mr. t Carl Bavre, the violinist Of the • company, was ; iil' fine form. His . best- effort : was Sarasate'# "Zapateado," a, solo making,, great de- • niarids A ori tho ' executant.; His harmonies were beautifully.:iu tune, , and- -ttfere executed with.excelhmt-finish., He. also played Saint-Sa£ilsV • "Rondo.and Capnjico, iterceiise" "(Cesar- Cm),\ Schumann's; 'Traumerei, aild' with.-. Mr., Frank. Merrick (pianist), the fiist movement ■ from 1 Brahmss Sonata in <j., Mrl-'Merrfck played Chopin a- Ballado iu 1, Mid a :"RhApsody" of his own-;- composing, very. creditably. A. better-accompanist than Mi'. Arthur v Godfrey', coukl A not. < be. desircdy DiU'inf? tho evenilig Modattd, Butt,; was pfC"; rented,'-.with;, a ; ; beautiful, lot 'of flowers, ahc floral emblems. '■ v. ■ '■■■, '■ ;. , Thft company, leaves for SydUey . to-day, bj ■, tlio Marania. - ' • :. • • THEATRE ROYAL ■'■i' crowded house greeted the; pci'fbr'rtlers hi', the Theatre T.oyal ' lttst -cvpilig.l .when the excellence of thfe'proKi-afiime was fully appi'ecialed. Mr. John Fuller,; Who :.IS' loavmff on" a'trip to London, -madei his -final ,bow t And was given a l ' lioarty send-off. llifti two^itoins, 1 ; ;"Sally in Our -Alley',', and ; wort' ' rendered in .'a. manner • which would leave rodin , for 'deubtiiig the, statement that tmrty years; have elapsed' since. lie first 'faced an> luuliciicc. Mi'. FulW's -voice' is still clear'and . Crisp, and', his style v fta. frOo ffiili). - mannerisms. as, ever. ' This evehirig. tho. Musical Chromes, will inako their re-anpcaraiice.- Mr.' Fred Graham 'is about to proinjce. ft; new, sketchy which lias hot; been produced before. VfIRTII'S CIRCUS. '"Despite the inevitable weather, tlio :.W'rth combination is doing excellent-business. The menagerie :"ih-'itself-.'is a big - atti'action, hnd. when-',tlio. whole -preformauco lS _■ taken into, consideration, it. is,.no. wonder that -busi:nosf! is. .brisk. ,i The company Will .conclude its, season-' to-moi'roW night. Another matmco is' to bo given, to-morrow,, after.;!v; v;'.'; 7 ,--'-A • ."HIS-MAJESTY'S THEATRE. . The : Royal ' Picture i", Syndicate '^continues. to do good- business.at l/is Majesty.s Theatie. 'Anotheiv^mt^.tantinco' is' announcediertomorrow, attcmpou,- and a change 6f pietuics will b'6. given'in tlio evening. - WONDERLAND. - , 'As tjio snmnier.'-is advancing, ;the, time is "drawing near when Wonderland will bo closed down for'the :: winter. Already,tho daily performanees have been- reduced to two per ■neeK, on -Wednesdays and Saturdays.■ Ihoso whO> have not-vet Visited i.thht -but 'little;' time, nonv remains ' before tho -Various attractions, are; finally shut down for tlio; Winter.,, The . mahagenient are exerting 'themselves;to mako the most of .the tune left at their .disposal, by .holding carnivals, • firework r 'displays,"and galas,'and are arranging for • sensational acts 60' as. to leave a good impressioir behind ' them for the ; opening of 'tte; coming, season-'in October. „