NORDICA' TO-NIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1866, 27 September 1913, Page 8

NORDICA' TO-NIGHT.

The second concert ■ of tho Nordics, season will take place at the Town Hall to-night. The famous soprano is known as one of tho greatest students of song literature in tho world, and her programme for this e.vening is a widely varied one. Mmc. Nordiea is too great an artist not to feel what she sings, and with her feeling must be expressed in movement, face and gesture as well as voice; she disdains the conventions of the concert platform, and. her songs arc acted as well as sun a, The big aria from the "Queen of Slieba 1 will be included amongst Mnie. Nordica's numbers. A pleasing novelty_ of tho programme will be the duet, "Sow Thou Art Mine," sung by- Mine. Nordiea and Mr. Dufault.. Air. Dufault will sing tlic aria from "Mignon," and several French and English ballads. Mr. Franklin Holding will play the Prize Song from "Die Meistersinger" and two Kreisler numbers. ■ Mr. He,mayno Simmons will again delight us with his accompaniments. The final concert will ho given next Tuesday evening, September 30. Tho plans are at the Dresden until noon to-day, .after which the plat; and the day sales will bo at Christcsou's. *

Captain Strang, Marine Superintend" cut for tho Union Company, returned south by the AVahino last evening. Mr. A. E. Whyte's services to tho Wellington Racing Club were suitably acknowledged at the annual meeting last night in the address of tho president (Mr. J. B. Harcourt), who said: —"It is not necessary for mo to inform you that the success of the club is 'very largely due to his energy, his intelligence, and attention to our affairs, and 1 must also acknowledge our indebtedness to the staff employed under liim." A word of praise was also added bv Mr. J. J. M'Grath, who thought it would bo a good tiling for tho club and for racing if Mr. Whyte woro given "more say" in arranging the club's programme and allotting stakes. The birth-rate for New Zealand last. year was 26.48, slightly higher than that of 1911 ('25.97). lint for the low, birth-rnto recorded in Victoria, tho New' Zealand birth-rato would have been the lowest in Australasia for 1912. Tho death-rate was B.B7—the. lowest hitherto recorded. Tho infantile mortality rate was 51 deaths per 1000 births. This is also the lowest infantile mortality rate recorded. The infantile mortality ill the four centres was as follows Auckland and suburbs, 57 ; Wellington and suburbs. 61.3; Christplwrcli and suburbs, 30; Dunedin and suburbs, 33.1.