MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10014, 28 December 1895, Page 4 (Supplement)

MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC

Mb. Bund Holt and hit company have been playing this week to crowded houses, so crowded, indeed, that there has not been standing room, and that with tho intensely hot weather prevailing of late. "The Prodigal Daughter" and "The Span of Life" have been produced up to the present with great success. The summer provincial tour of Miss Amy Vaughan opened on Boxing night at Dargavillo. The Trivoli Comedy Company hare done excellent business during the Christinas holidays. The London World, referring to Madame Melba, says :—lt is quite uncanny to hear her singing like an angel, and to see her acting like a mechanical doll. M. Kes, the new conductor of the Scottish orchestra at Glasgow, count* 39 years. He is a native of Dordrccht, and his talent as a child was so remarkable that ha obtained a violin scholarship, and studied under Joachim, David, and Wieniawski. As chief of the municipal orchestra at Dordrecht, his fame spread rapidly beyond local limit?, and he was invited to Amsterdam, where he created what Holland has never possessed before—an orchestra that obtained a European reputation, and tanked with the (Jewandhaus at Berlin and the great bands of Vienna. Whilst M. Kes conducted at Amsterdam he introduced many examples of early music. He is also a great composer, and ha? pioduced sonatas which exhibit original talent. His departure cause* great regret. The Dutch complain that- their artists, whether i > sound, like M. Kes, or in form and colour, like Ary G. C heifer and Alma Tadeoia, leave them; whilst their authors, like Maavten Martens, are taking to write in English. At a meeting of the Leeds Festival, hold recently, it was reported by the hon. secretary that a thousand pounds 11101 had been received for tickets than at the analogous period of ISH-, and that the demand for certain performances—notably that of the "Messiah," at which tho Prince of Wales will be present, already considerably exceeds the accommodation. Some difficulty had arisen in providing the necessary seats for those who accompanied the Prince, as the places in question had long since been sold to the guarantors ; but, thanks to the courtesy of individual members, who placed their seats at the disposal of the official*, adequate provision had nov? been made for the royal party. An admirable sample of Hadyn's happy power of paying a compliment is afforded by the following story, relating to Mrs. Billington, of whom Sir Joshua Reynolds painted a portrait, representing the celebrated vocalist, in the character of St. Cecilia. listening to celestial music. " Yes," said Haydn, on bein-ra«ked what bethought of the painting, "I: is indeed a beautiful pictuie ; it if just like her, but there is a strange mistake. "What is that?" Niid Sir ,Joshua. " Why,'' replied Haydn, " You have painted her listening to the angels ; you oui;ht to hare represented the angels listening to her.'' This is how an Irish journal describes the singing of a popular vocalist She was heard with rapt attention, and had sung bus little when those developments that have lifted her to her present distinguished position were recognised. Above all was the brilliancy of her vocalism, the perfect finish that gives the singer's voice distinction and charm. Here was the notable feature. The liquid richness, the flexibility, and power had been seized and utilised to secure brilliancy, eo that the result was not mere brilliancy of local wealth—great purity and ringing sweetness—but brilliancy of training and method. And the vocalisation, which is quite a different thing, callin as it dots for effort from the singer and dependent on her perception, was found to be as noteworthy."

Mr. Walter Bentley has been appointed lecturer on elecution at the Technical College, Brisbane. Mr. Johnston Weir has been engaged to take the late Arthur Dacre's part in "The Silence of Dean Maitland," and Miss Alice May takes the part allotted to Amy Koselle.

One night, it the old Dublin Queen's, Othello " was on, and the audience was spellbound by the realistic way in which the Moor was bolstering his wife. After a terrific struggle Desdemona got away, rushed down to the footlights, and exclaimed, " Good God ! what a narrow escape I've had ! The drunken brute really intended to finish me."

The Quarterly Review for November is one of the best of the eleven yet issued by Messrs. Robert Cocks and Co., 6, New Burlington • street, London, W. The opening article on the education of audiences is one which all will appreciate ; the other contributions are all up to standard merit.

"La Belle Theresu," Messrs. Williamson and Mingrove's latest introduction, staged at the Princess, says an Australian writer, has taken the city by storm, and bids fair to rank as one of the brightest of gems in their extensive repirtoire. This says a great deal. It is brimful of fun, sparkling, tuneful, splendidly mounted, and goes with the swing that stamp? all the performances by the Royal Comic Opera Company. To the merit of this a warm testimony was borne by the late Arthur Dacte, who, in speaking to me, said, "You Australians are spoilt as a theatre-going people. Williamson and Musgrore have completely spoiled you. They put on the latest London and Parisian successes. They ransack tho world for novelties; they mount them as perfectly a; they are presented in any part of the world, and they charge you half the rates you would pay in London. Then, instead' of a thing holding the boards here, as there, for a year, or years, they giro y6u a change of bill every week. I tell you j they have spoilt you." The following telegram from Sydney, recently appeared in the Melbourne papers: —"This morning Mr. H. A. Leigliton attended the rehearsal of 'The Silence of Dean Maitland.' When he reached the stage the cathedral scene was set, the bell was tolling, and the choir was singing 'Adsste Fideles.' Mr. Leighton was on tho altar steps, when the remembrance of seeing his friend, the late Mr. Arthur I)acre, in the same position, so affected him that he broke down, and he has since thrown up his part." The death of Sir Charles Hal 16, from cerebral apoplexy (says a correspondent of the Canterbury Times), inflicts an almost irreparable loss upon English music. More, perhaps, than any man he created a taste for classical compositions in this country, and rescued the concert-room from what the Pall Mall has termed " mere mindless tune." As an executant, Sir Charles has been censured as cold and unimpassioned ; but when bo was in his hoy-day of popularity as a player, less was thought of technique than at present. His playing was invariably correct, and to the critical generally convincing, however much it may have been disappointing to admirer* of wrist strength and abnormal digital dexterity. He had no rival in the pure restrained style of execution. His own compositions (few in number, alas!) have a peculiar fascination for the educated ear. But Fir Charles will be chiefly remembered as an educator. To him England owes the Haiti Orchestra, which Von Biilow pronounced to be incomparably the best in existence, and which has done more to raise the standard of musical execution in this country than any other undertaking of the kind. Mdsico Dramaticos.

The recent election in Auckland was in teresting, inasmuch as it gave the public ail opportunity of seeing how far the local newspapers will go in urging their favourite's claims to the support of the " free and independent." No one fact was recorded by cither side that was not denied, or qualified, or misrepresented by the other. Perhaps Emile Zola's suggestion to let every article carry a signature would have a salutary effect, but alas! we do not in New Zealand limit our " guiding power" to leading articles. We distort facts; we wilfully ignore current events, in order to bring about that consummation—the election of " our party" man. There is one subject both sides agree on, and that is that Vanity Fair Cigarettes ire worthy of the confidence of both parties. Clearing out bamboo tables at half last year's prices; 1900 yards green window hollands, job, from gjd per yard; Japanese Kioto muslins, just opened.—J. Tonsoa Garlick,"The People's furnishing warehouse.—[Advt.l

To visitors for the holiday season A splendid stock ot tennis, cricket, and boating jackets, trousers, fancy shirts, kummerbands, etc., at Shackelford's, hatter and mercer, next Auckland Savings Bank. Know the best and use the best, Brown, Barrett and Co.'s unxld coffee, unxld tew, uQxld brtkiug powder, unxld pepper.