SONG RECITAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 940, 6 October 1910, Page 7

SONG RECITAL.

•THE PARSONS-STEPHENS CONCERT.

'•;.'The v sbrig ; iecital ;w'hicti . ;w'as' : given; by : , Miss -Phoebe 'Parsons ' aiid - Mr. -C., H. Ste-.' phensj assisted by Miss/ May.: Driscoll and; . Mr.' G.y Parsons; ''.at - .the",'' Sydney. /Street Schoolroom last attended. y From' a muSical -point of yiew :the.'-jecital::.:wa3; 'of i: a'class . which, : [one like., to,'see" : mpre'- frequentlyygivenin .Wellington. ./The■; programme ■ was"; an{, excellent''one,^^.consisting 1 of - ; a .tast.efuL;ser,; lection of solo items,vduets, ; and quartets,'-: c'ommehdably'presentedViMiss Phoebe.Parsons-. (soprano) y selected • a .; Schumann: Wiege-Meiner,'-Leiden,"; and "Er,- der Horrliclisto von .Allen," which, sho sang in' tho German. . Later, ahe: :: ; sangy, : two : '; of :• Orlando Jliorgan's. : charming;' . Indian ; so'iigs—an;' "Indian ,Squaw. Song," and:- an ;"l'ndian Lullaby 1 ' —andy Goring Thomas's '~' '•'' . Mr. : : Stephens : has /previously. ; beeri •no'-;; ticed as a cultiircd tenor singor, with a. speeial: tal6nt for, interpreting Jreiich and : Germany.soiigs, with . careful' and accurate, ; phrasing; and; enunciation. : ; 1 His :first ( num-' ber of. 'Six, German, songs by. : Brahms',-.' R-";^'.Strauss; ißies, ;' Franz,V :and, : Wolff,' 'all in-the ,langiiage.*,-:Mr. Stephens -isy'of . course V aware, ;,that';;ifl.' a .tho percent-? ago . capable' -from .'an, intimate;, knowledge .of the German of listening; with the pro-. foundest^.appreciation. :to songs •in . ithat' - small indeed, : and;':,al-'' . though one is '.bound, to' admire his' talfeht; ; in-' these,', :it mijst. bb; confessed that; in; ian array of six tenor and jtwo; soprano items, .in the Geriiiarf, the :audiehce, may;' havb.rather' a Vsuffeit' of; "Donner, uiiu Blitzen"—that. is, . taking; -thb' audience; as 'a. whole; Mr. Stephen's ■ was,;, in tho popular sense, • much more • enjoyable in ; his second series, four delightful songs-by H.' \yhlford 'Diivies—"The' Cu'ckbo," "The Bough ' of. May," ■ "Of a'' the. Airts," . and ■ "Molly"—and Engelhardfs "On' a. Summer's- Day."

• /Three' quartet: numbers,, selected brackfroin Meiidelsshon, Sullivan, and Walford ' Davies wero' rather 'marred , by- tho fact that thb''timbre',' of thayvoices was unevori, ; renderingy"impossible- that perfect blending .of -.tone - which is so essen,tial to the, success of-./coricorted ,singing. The soprano, , contralto, tenor, and bass parts were,, sung by Miss; Parsons, Miss Driscoll, .and - Stephens : and Par-' sons respectively. Miss Parsons and Mr, Stephens'/were also' associated in two duets-r"Dear Lovo of Mine,"; and "It was a Lover and his. Lass.". '-Miss Watkins. and Mr. Eric -Waters, played, the .accom-/ pauiments. ' ,' ■ .;/ ■' - -