ALFRED O’SHEA

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 222, 20 June 1928, Page 6

ALFRED O’SHEA

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CONCERT Alfred O’Shea, the Irish tenor with a touch of blarney in his tone, charmed another large audience at the Town Hall last evening. Following the good impression created on Saturday evening, Mr. O’Shea was in even better voice last evening, and no one present could fail to be subjugated by the charming suavity and sweetness of jiis voice. His opening number was the famous and ever-beautiful “Flower Song” from “Carmen,” when Don Jose is beginning to fear that his cigarette-puffing inamorata is not so true to him, and a great sense of despair is welling up in the Spaniard’s riven breast. Mr. O Shea sang the number delightfully, but the note of shaken passion used by some tenors in this number was missing. He was even better disposed in the ‘ by request’-’ encore, the lovely aria '‘Che Gelida Manina,” from 'La Boheme, which he Sings with a tonal charm that is sirnplv irresistible, Puccini manages to make his music almost conversational without any sacrifice of melody, or rather, where some composers ot opera have made somewhat monotonous recitatives he has made glorious, flowing melodies. It. is so in “La Boheme, and the aria so well sung by Mr. O Shea is one of the happiest examples. As a second encore the singer charmed his audience by his rendition of the old J-om Moore ballad of ineffaceable beauty. Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms.” The second bracket was macle remarkable by the introduction of a new- song of a quality one 'rarely hears. This was “Nocturne,’ from Michael Head’s song cycle, Over the Rim of the Moon.” As are most Irish songs this is a song of mourning, but the manner of it is so original and inexpressively beautiful, as sung by Mr. O’Shea, that its memory will not readily fade. “Nocturne” should be sung again to-morrow evening. Other numbers in the bracket were “Bird Songs at Eventide” (Coates), the gay lilt, “Questa o Quella” (from “Rigoletto ), and A Dream” (Bartlet). In .the second half Mr. O’Shea sang, the “Ave 'Maria of Gounod (with violin obbligato by Miss Hartge), “The Snowy-breasted Pearl, “The Low-backed Car,” the lovely Berceuse de Jocelyn” (Godard), “At Dawning” (Cadman), the aria “Recondita Armonia” (from “La Tosca”), J Hear You Calling Me,” and “The Last Rose of Summer.” '. Miss Claire Hartge, who is a violinist of talent, exerts a strong musical tone, and yet can play with nicely-shaded modulation. She played the showy Rondo (from De Beriot’s ninth concerto, a work now seldom heard), which makes a fair demand on a player’s technique.. Miss Hartge came through with credit, and as an encore, played I “The Swanee River,” mostly on the G string. In the second part of the programme she played Kreisler’s “Midnight Bells,” and a pretty Mozart minuet. Miss Kathleen. Fitzgerald played Chopin s Fantasia Impromptu” very well, and. later, a somewhat fantastic “Nocturne” and “A Romp by York Bowen. The final concert, for which a special programme has been . prepared, will be given to-morrow evening.