DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS.

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 96, 23 April 1940, Page 11

DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS.

On Saturday night in the-. Town ■-•,. Hall the opportunity, will be given ;; Wellington people of seeing and hearing outstanding Empire artists at the ; first of two special ■ concerts arranged in aid of the National Patriotic Fund. . . Since his return from abroad, where , he gained many triumphs, Oscar Natzke, the New Zealand bass, has created a very fine reputation as a _ singer of great distinction among all who heard his five programmes broad- •, ■ cast from 2YA. This is small wonder, for in England this brilliant young' singer made a name for himself "of • which any artist might well feel proud. - He is the youngest bass to have sung in that great opera house, Covent Gar-^ den. Musical authorities such as Sir ; Granville Bantock have praisedNatzke's voice in the highest terms, and-K- ■ wherever he appeared in England his singing attracted wide notice. Appear?i: ing with Oscar Natzke will be three.:1 leading English artists, Miss Isabel:-: ' Baillie, soprano, Miss Gladys Ripley,::- ---■ contralto, and Heddle Nash, tenor: - Heddle Nash is regarded as one of.-" England's greatest tenors, and has - a long list of successes. He sings in-. . English, Frenph, German, and Italian,----1 and besides the standard choral works > and oratorios has a - repertoire of" - twenty-four operas. The fine record iof Miss Gladys Ripley includes many--1 successes at the Royal Albert Ha 11,.-. London, and at leading concerts and- - festivals in London and throughout the-'----provinces in England. So instantaneous" was Miss Baillie's success at her first--.--appearance in London that the Queen's ; , Hall claimed her six times in the first.-;; season. Apart from these outstanding^; artists, the concert will also feature the.- • \ Centennial Festival Symphony Orches-{ c tra under the conductorship of Mxy.Anderson Tyrer. This orchestra of over-*. . SO • instrumentalists will be specially. * augmented for the occasion by the 2YAv.~. ■ Symphony Orchestra, so that actually""!. the orchestra will comprise over .50-. players, something unique in this counsr. try. The entire proceeds of the con-;. cert and also of another on May I. / will go to the National Patriotic Fund..

Representatives of the Karon Auxi-^ liary of the R.S.A. and membersof the ": , Druids' Lodge attended a special.';1 Anzac service at the Karori Methodist - Churchr The preacher was the B.ev'S' : A. M. Costain. The subject of his ad- =- dress was '.'Cowardice and Courage,"^"' and he added,to the impressiveness of*--the* occasion by singing, "A Soldier's"^ Requiem" (composed by Lance-Cojv - poral Joseph Lee "during the iast^war). The reading at the service was taken ! by one of the returned soldiers. Mr, J, Cable, and this was followed by"-th»v reciting of the .Requiem. An anthem"

was sung by ;the, choir..