IMMEDIATE POPULARITY

Evening Star, Issue 21079, 16 April 1932, Page 6

IMMEDIATE POPULARITY

CHRISTCHURCH ACCLAIMS DUNEDIN ARTISTS 1 A Contralto and Boy Soprano Superb,’ was the caption of a Christchurch paper to its notice of. a concert in which two Dunedin performers—Miss Mary Pratt and Master Lex Macdonald —won the warm praise of a large audience. The concert was held under the auspices of the Christchurch Harmonic Society last Thursday night. “ The feautre of the_ evening was the appearance of two visiting soloists,” said the’ Christchurch ‘ Star.’ “ Miss Mary Pratt (contralto) showed beyond doubt that dominion talent is fully deserving of the praise and appreciation usually reserved for luminaries of overseas concert platforms. The <depth and vibrant richness of Miss Pratt’s voice will not readily be forgotten by members of last evening’s audience. She has succeeded in eliminating that harshness in changing to the lower register which mars so many contraltos—a change of gear is probably the most expressive description of this prevalent fault. Her platform manner was charming, and there have been few better contraltos heard in Christchurch —certainly none in the Civic Theatre. The smooth peace of Mendelssohn’s ‘ 0 Rest in the Lord,’ the paean of joy which rang out so richly when Mis Pratt sang Handel’s ‘ 0 Thou That Tellest,’ and the deep feeling and poignancy of ‘ He Was Despised ’ (Handel), were high lights of Miss Pratt’s superb performance. “ Master Lex Macdonald, boy soprano, proved that what all Dunedin critics had said of him was true. His is a flawless voice. Listening to the purity and sweetness of his splendid voice, one felt a pang of regret that such an instrument must soon be lost. Master Macdonald’s singing of Mendelsohn’s ‘ Heay My Prayer,’ _ which Master Lough has made so familiar to the . music-loving , public of New Zealand through the gramophone, was probably the number which will linger longest in the memory of the audience. Master Macdonald’s voice, while most remarkable for its purity, has a lyric quality which greatly enhances its value. “Miss Pratt and Master Macdonald made their first appearance in Handel’s beautiful duet, ‘ 0 Lovely Peace.’ Their voices blended happily, and the melody rippled smoothly on. The singers were enthusiastically encored, but the duet, although admirably handled, did not give them the same opportunity to shows their powers as later solos.” The concert was repeated on the_ Saturday night, and a Dunedin resident who was present stated that Miss Pratt created such a wonderful atmosphere with her singing of ‘ He Was Despised ’ that the conductor asked the audience not to break the spell by applauding. In honouring the request, the audience paid a striking tribute to Miss Pratt’s performance.