STAGE FOLK

Evening Star, Issue 22086, 20 July 1935, Page 5

STAGE FOLK

J. and N. Tait will present in Australia a new and interesting musical attraction, commencing in _ August—the Viennese Boys’ Choir, which has been in existence for over four centuries. It was inaugurated in 1498, and was attached to the Imperial Chapel adjoining the Royal Palace. The repertoire of the choir includes masses by classical composers, sacred anthems, classical choruses, folk songs, negro spirituals, waltzes of Johann Strauus, and excerpts from opera. The Viennese boys appeared before crowded audiences at the Queen’s Hall, London, during October last, and were one of the musical sensations of the year. ;

The attendance at the opening rehearsal of * The Geisha* was the best yet experienced by the Dunedin Operatic Society. ‘ The Geisha,’ which had a long run at Daly’s Theatre, London, was hrst presented in Dunedin by the Pollard Company in 1900 and a return season was inevitable after its success. ‘ The Geisha ’ is scenically and musically a most attractive play, and the Operatic Society lias reason to anticipate both a financial and artistic success when it presents the piece in September. The date of the society’s summer production has been advanced, past experience having proved that a presentation'in December does not exercise the greatest appeal to theatregoers. Writing in the ‘ Daily Telegraph,’ Sydney, on April 29, the critic said of Yehudi Menuhin: "The youthful violinist had been acclaimed by the most competent critics in the old world musical centres as the genius; of a generation. For that reason, one expected much. But his work was so amazing that the indelible impression was formed of a person being in their midst who was the reincarnation of sonie famous musical identity of_ the past. Here was youth demonstrating, apparently without an effort, the virtuosity of the foremost violinists of the age. The technique was a revelation of consumate artistry, and with it all there was revealed a depth of understanding hitherto regarded as only possible from the . most mature musical minds. Well might, the bewildered audience be pardoned for thinking that some deeper

meaning lay beneath it all—that for the solution of the mystery which had baffled such men. as Elgar, Toscanini,; Henry Wood,, and others, something? beyond natural forces must be soughtThe fact that Yehudi Menuhin comes of a musical family is no key to'on*? of the musical riddles of the past half-, century.” Menuhin has just completed record-breaking seasons in Auckland and Wellington,-and his opening concert at Christchurch takes place this evening. One concert only is to be given in Dunedin Town Hall on Saturday next, July 27.

Bernard Manning, who is now a menu her of the J. C. Williamson Ltd. Gil-; bert and Sullivan Opera Company atft His Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, has the pirate king in ‘ The Pirates of Penzance ’ as his first role this season. Jn ‘ The Yeomen of the Guard ’ he will be Sergeant Meryll, Arac in ‘ Princess Ida,’ Dick Deadeye in ‘H.M.S. Pina- 1 ! fore,’ Earl Mount Ararat in ‘ lolantheA! and, of course, perhaps his most popu-. lar role, the Mikado. Bernard Man-j ning was brought up in Derbyshire on;| a farm forming part of Lord CurzonV; estate, which his ancestors have held* under the same name since 1443. As art boy he sang in the choir at Cathedral, Staffordshire, and, later on,i owing to a persistent cough, hiss parents sent him for a year to a cattle’: station near Maryborough, Queensland. The good news of a complete cure was’] coupled with the amazing information ': that he had left the cattle behind and •; was singing as a tenor in Brisbane An-1 glican Cathedral. His next move war" to London, where Sir Landon Ronald declined to listen to him as a tenor atall, and in three months he won thei prize for bass singing at the Guildhall; School of Music. After concert appear-i ances, and three years at the war, ha • joined Mr D’Oyly Carte’s companies,and- played 20 different roles in the series.

Mr Denis Dowling appeared in as# sociation with the Invercargill Mala Choir at a recent concert and scored ah outstanding success there. Of his performance th© ‘Southland Daily, News ’ remarked: —“ Th© most not# able feature of the evening was the singing of Mr Denis Dowling, of Eanfurly. Mr Dowling was recently was recently successful against the best. of the younger baritone singers of Australia and New Zealand in winning the Centenary Contest in Melbourne, and he intends to leave in the near future to advance his studies in Europe. His notable success is readily understood, and his future should be bright. Possessing a voice of beautiful quality, wide in range and smoothly produced, he has also the gift of imagination and the capacity to make his songs alive. His style is easy and entirely unforced, but to everything

he brings the clear light of insight which makes the vital difference between merely acceptable and really fine singing. The operatic numbers he sang were impressive, revealing resonant power, colour and a beautiful clarity of enunciation even in such an exacting song as the famous ‘ Largo al Factotum,’ which, especially in English, is almost as difficult a test as could ba found. There is quite a striking resemblance between Mr Dowling’s voice and that of Mr John Brownlee, and it would not be surprising if his success is as great.”

A forthcoming musical comedy event of unusual interest will be the first production in Australia by J. C. Williamson Ltd. of ‘ Ball at the Savoy,’ from Drury Lane, London, with tha famous Hungarian comedian, Oskar Denes, in his original role, as created by him in Vi enna an< T London. As Mustapha Bei, attache at the Turkish Embassy, he has the rollicking type _ of part in which he excels, and for which he has become world-famous. Another feature of particular itnerest will ba the appearance of Mabel _ Gibson, the well-known Australian artist, who will make her first appearance since her return from abroad. She will appear in the principal feminine role of Madeleine, which she also played in the Eng« lish production. Miss Gibson is well remembered by playgoers in several musical productions, including ‘ The Vagabond King,’ ‘ This Year of Grace,’ and Gilbert and Sullivan operas.