HISLOP AND GOODMAN

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 130, 4 June 1931, Page 5

HISLOP AND GOODMAN

CELEBRITIES WITH ORCHESTRA

A large audience in holiday mood had good cause to be satisfied with the entertainment at the Town Hall last night at the first concert of the 1931 season of the Wellington Philharmonic Orchestra, auspiciously associated with Mr. Joseph Hislop, the British operatic tenor, and Mr. Isidor Goodman, a pianist of unusual attainment. The success of the concert was a further justification of the venture of Mr. John Bishop and his fine body of players in contracting with visiting artists toi present operatic and concerted works in! their rightful orchestral setting. The performances of Mr. Hislop and his young pianist associate with the orchestra provided a fitting climax, and conclusion, to their New Zealand tour.

Mr. Hislop in the first part o£ the programme Bang two of the finest tenor solos in the whole realm of grand opera. It must be a matter of difficulty for a singer accustomed to grand opera in its proper atmosphere and accoutrements to sing the part without living it, but in the celebrated "Prize Song" from Wagner's opera "The Mastersingers," Mr. Hielop managed to portray to his hearers the tenseness of the scene in which Walther in the opera, with his final vocal effort, gains the victor's wreath. The orchestral accompaniment'added to the warmth of the colourful .background, though at times the tone was too heavy for the voice to c^me through. , The lovely cavatina from "Faust," "All Hail,: Abode so Pure and Lowly," was-given by' Mr. Hislop in the original French,. as his second offering. The:audience did its best.'to induce him to give an encore, but the singer was reserving other treats in a little bracket of Richard1 Strauss and Franz Lehar—"All Souls' Day" and "Oh! Maiden, My Maiden" (from the musical play "Frederica") respectively. In his encore numbers he gave something to appeal to all British tastes, a quaint Irish song and "The Bonnie Wee Thing." Mr. Goodman, whose previous appearances with Mr. Hislop have revealed him not merely an accompanist but a brilliant pianist with a very bright future, achieved a triumph. After his playing, with the orchestra of Saint Saens's most favoured concerto in C Minor the audience insistently recalled him for two solo numbers, and-even then was loth to let him go. Mr. Goodman is the matured artist, though still very young, and possesses the rare accomplishment of being an admirable accompanist as well as a first-rate soloist. The concerto was a memorable experience in a city where such works, with celebrity soloists, are rarely heard with orchestral background. As concertos go, Saint Saens's fourth is not 60 remarkable for extreme resources to test the soloist's technical skill as for its musical colouring and rhythmical devices. It is. freely and brilliantly scored both for the piano and for orchestra,: and consists of airy and clearcut themes. Mr. Goodman's playing was characterised by exceptionally clean and elegant execution, and alike in the broad bravura work towards the close of the concerto and in the beautifully serene melodies of the opening movement he reflected his artistic personality. After four recalls, he gave the well-known "Campanella" (Liszt-Busoni), and "Arabesque" (Leschetitzky). The orchestra was at its best in its collaboration with Mr. Goodman, and the performance was a memorable one.

Orchestrally, the programme was also well arranged. The blatant "Mastersingers" overture helped to create an atmosphere for the: "Prize Song" vocal number which followed, and while none of its brilliance was lost, too insistent a call on the louder voices of the band resulted in the magnificent climaxes being obscured. The finest orchestral offering was the Mozart Symphony No. 39 in E Flat, depicting the composer at his greatest symphonic heights, for the work may be classed second only to his generally acclaimed best symphony, in G Minor. Mozart requires delicate treatment, and ■ Mr. Bishop gave-a careful and artistic reading. The concluding item, Weber's "Invitation to the AValtz" (arr. Weingartner) rounded off a most enjoyable evening's entertainment.