TWO FINE ARTISTS

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 239, 6 July 1931, Page 10

TWO FINE ARTISTS

Hambourg and Dawson HAPPY COMBINATION Wellington concert-goers were given the rare opportunity of hearing two World-famous artists on the one platform at the Town Hall on Saturday evening, and so impressed were they with the chance that they filled the large auditorium to the back wall and the organ loft. The Governor-General, with Lady Bledisloe and a party from Government House, attended the concert The artists iwere Mark Hambourg, the long-famous pianist, who needed no introduction to the older concert-lovers, as this is his fourth visit to New Zealand, and the none less famous baritone, Peter Dawson, whose voice is known all over the world through the medium of the gramophone and radio. The combination is a daring but happy one. A Master of Contrast. Mark Hambourg returns to Wellington as vehemently dynamic as ever. Not that he cannot subdue the passion of his fiery soulj but his art more generally finds expression when exerting the full power of the grand piano, which, under his flashing forceful fingers, becomes a. full band. There are other moods which Mr. Hambourg expresses, with equal skill. The softened splendour of a Chopin nocturne found him a master of contrast, while probably no one present has ever heard a more subdued or beautiful imaginative reading of Debussy’s “Le Cathedrale Egloutie” (the submerged cathedral). Once more this giant of the keyboard entranced his audience with his graphic reading of the “Appasionata” sonata of. Beethoven, one of the high peaks of the composer’s magical invention. He was very forcible, perhaps hard, and not overcolourful in his playing of the opening movement (allegro assai), but there were ample compensations in the loveliness of his treatment of the slow movement, while he was electrical in the final presto. The encore was a simple melody from Gluck’s “Orpheus and Eurydico” (arranged by Sgambati), nicely intoned. The pianist, while a brilliant exponent, does not perhaps get the maximum lure that exists in many of the compositions of Chopii?; or maybe he holds that the music was never intended to have such a quality as “lure”; nevertheless . the Chopin bracket was full of interest. It included the seldom-heard “Nocturne in B Flat Major” (Opus 9), two brilliaiit etudes (one the popular “Black Keys”), the fascinating waltz in C sharp minor, > and that major work, the great “Scherzo in C Sharp Minor,” which make® full demand on technique and temperament The encores were the charming waltz in D flat (played with unusual velocity) and three preludes (in G, A and F major). Mr. Hambourg’s final bracket included the Debussy tone picture already mentioned, Liszt’s brilliant transcription of Schubert’s song “Hark, Hark, the Lark,” and the rarely-played tenth rhapsody of Liszt. The enthusiasm was - immense, and the pianist had to' play three en'cores, which were the well-known Beethoven’s “Ruins of Athens” patrol, arranged by Rubenstein, a masterpiece in tone gradation; the morris dance “Pick Up the Handkerchief,” by Percy Grainger, and a soothing “Berceuse” by Chopin. Wonderful Welcome to Singer. Peter Dawson received a wonderful welcome and proved worthy of it. He first sang the ■ Bach recitative “Ah, Shall Not This Great Day of Wrath” and the air “Thou Most Blest, All Quickening Day,” from the cantata “Wachet, Betet, Seid Bereit” The air is one of extreme beauty, and Mr. Dawson sang it with delightful expression. His encore number was the Handelian air “Hear Me, Ye Winds and Waves,” which suited the singer’s declamatory style. Mr. Dawson’s second bracket of songs was most interesting. It comprised the “Die Mainacht” of Brahms (sung iu German), the sad “Marins Islande” of Felix Feurdrain (sung in French), and the intensely dramatic song, “.Edward” (traditional), which dates back to the eighteenth century, and to which the singer gave most vivid expression. Again Mr. Dawson was charming in his recall numbers, the ever welcome “Who is Sylvia” (Schubert), and that gem of song “Sunday” (Brahms). The final bracket' of songs was Shakespearean, with some new settings to tickle the ears of lovers of these undying lyrics. “Come Away, Death” (Dr. Arne), the lively “Autolycus’ Song” (J. Greenhill), ‘‘Crabbed Age and Youth” (Parry), and a new setting of “Hey, Ho, the Wind and the Rain” (R. H. Walthew), were each and all pleasingly sung. It was in the encore numbers, however, that- the audience was permitted to recognise ita own Peter Dawson. The first, number was “Boots,” a ballad written by one McCall (really Dawson himself), to the jingle of Rudyard Kipling. The composer has caught the spirit of the poem exactly, and he sings it with a rich grim humour and haunting rhythm that delighted the big audience. He followed it up with the popular ballad, “I Tlravel the Road” (Thayer), which also pleased inordinately. The singer then gave the amusing “Largo al Factotum” patter song from “The Barber of Seville” (Rossini), and became romantic once more in the song. “O Could I But Express in Song” (Malashkin). a yearn that seemed vain from such an excellent singer. The accompaniments were played with unostentatious artistry by Mr. Alan Richardson. There will be further concerts tomorrow evening and on Thursday evening.