ENTERTAINMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18224, 18 October 1922, Page 11

ENTERTAINMENTS.

MEMORABLE CONCERT.

TOUR. Following upon a highly successful concert tour of Australia, those famous stars of the American operatic and concert world, Paul Althouse and Arthur Middleton, inaugurated, under the direction of Mr. Frederic Shipman, of International Tours, Ltd., at the Town Hall lasit even- j tng, what promises to be a memorable tour of this Dominion. Both vocalists come to us at the zenith of their fame, and such is their superb vocal equipment and far-reaching powers of interpretation that it was small wonder that last night's audience was unstinted in its applause! as the concert ran its course. Many en- I oores were demanded, while after the magnificent closing duet from Gounod's "Faust" the scene was one of unprecedented enthusiasm for a first night. Cheers were freely given from all parts of the hall, and though the admirers of Messrs. Althouse and Middleton had already taken considerable toll of the gifted artists, oft-repeated bowings were a small solace to the many who would gladly have welcomed yet one more contribution. The tenor and baritone made fast friends in the superb opening -duet, "Solenne in Quest'ora" from Verdi's "La Forza del Destino." The cantabile passages by the individual voices showed perfection of style, while the ensemble singing throbbed with vitality. I Mr. Paul Althouse is a tenor with a ! delightfully vibrant and sweet-toned voice, , musically brilliant in the higher register, ' which he employs with marked effect in securing many thrilling climaxes. His special metier would appear to be operatic music, yet he readily adapts himself [to the concert platform. He possesses I the rare gift, of visualising the possibilities of an aria, and can also exploit the i art-value of the more commercial type of I song, to such an extent that its musical importance is for thie time being in creased.

Mr. Althouse"s first solo was " Celesta | Aida," from Verdi's opera " Aida." The j excerpt speedily proved his powers of in- i terpretation and his wide range. For j sheer beauty of tone it would be difficult j to surpass the bel canto passages in the ; aria proper. A group of French songs • by the tenor included, " Cui's " Enfant si i J' etais roi," "Le Sais-ttJ" (Massenet), j and " Chevalier Belle-Etoile '* (Holmes), I while later, Mr. Althouse scored a final I success in a group which included " The Minstrel" (Martin), "Page's Road Song" (Novello), and " The Great Awakening " (Kramer). The different moods of these j were faithfully depicted, the last-men-tioned creating a furore of applause. Mr. Arthur Middleton proved himself a finely resonant baritjne of enviable quality. He is an artist of mature experience. His voice is beautifully controlled, and capable of expressing many shades of emotion. While his legato singing is exquisitely polished, he is equally well suited in passages demanding incisive or fiery declamation. Tbe Handelian recit,, "I Feel the Deity Within," and the commanding aria, " Arm, Arm, Ye Brave," served to introduce this sterling artist in the capacity cf soloist. Every line was replete with feeling, the whole making a deep imprestion. As an example of ready vocal command and rapid articulation, it would be difficult to equal Mr. Middleton's later effort, " Largo al Factotum." the great buffo aria, from Rossini's " II Barbiere di Siviglia " An important _ group subsequently given by tbe baritone, included j " Follow Me 'Ome " (Bell), the quaintly descriptive " The Bellman" (Forsyth), and Damrosch's intensely gripping setting of Kipling's " Danny Deever." These widely different Bongs practically brought into play all the .tone colours of the voice. Mr. Rudolph Gruen, who accompanied entirely from memory, proved himself a pianist of infinite resource. The second concert will be given in the Town Hall this evening.

ALLAN WELKIE SEASON. The Allan Wilkie season was brought to a close at His Majesty's Theatre last evening, when " Othello " was played before a good house. At the conclusion of the performance the curtain was' raised, and the artists were greeted witSi prolonged applause, while several Presents were handed on to the stage. The company will commence its country tour atj Hamilton this evening.

ORGAN RECITAL. An organ recital will be given by the city organist, Mr. Maughan Barnett, at the Town Hall this afternoon at three o'clock. '

UNITARIAN CHURCH CONCERT. A concert and social will be given at the Unitarian Church to-morrow evening, An attractive programme will include items by the New Zealand Quartette.

ANNUAL RECITAL. Mr. Barry Coney will give his annual recital in the Town Hall concert chamber on Saturday, October 28. The box plan is at Lewis R. Eady and Son, Ltd. TTVOLI THEATRE. The last two nights of the current programme at the Tivoli Theatre are now announced. The leading films are "North of the Rio Grande," with Jack; Holt and Bebe Daniels, and, " The Magic Cup," featuring Constance Binney. Heading the new bill to be screened for the. week commencing on Friday will be j " The Ordeal," with Agnes Ayres in the leading role. This is an adaptation of j the play by W. Somerset Maughan, the: English dramatist, and depicts a storm I of emotions beating against the troubled i heart of a girl. Agnes Ayre will be seen j as a young widow who inherits a fortune, | which she will lose, if she marries again. ' There are said to be several novel fea-1 tures about the picture, and the dressing and staging are described as rich in the extreme. The second attraction on the new bill will be " The Travelling Salesman." This tells the story of a commercial traveller who arrives in Grand River homeless and hungry. He falls in love with the first girl he meets and for her sake dives right in to plot and intrigue. The story ends with the hero's honeymoon.

a C n {• It d d B v a b o E t r f t a e t c £ l« !( i A picture remarkable for its novel' J story is to be screened at the Broadway Theatre, Newmarket, to-day and to-1 '■ morrow. This is " Heliotrope," de i' scribed as the successor to " Humor | esque." t A young girl, Alice Hale, on aj vacation from a convent, becomes engaged to the brother of her friend, a!' millionaire's daughter. Alice has the misfortune to be the daughter of a criminal who is serving a sentence in prison. He j learns that his wife intends to black-1 mail their daughter and her fiancee by threatening to reveal his secret, and, in order to protect Alice, he obtains leave to be temporarily freed on parole. The action from that point becomes intensely dramatic, and there its a strong and path-. etic climax I STRAND THEATRE. '' A diverse and entertaining programme is being screened this week at the Strand Theatre. The leading picture is " The Primitive Lover," in which the favourite actress, Connie Talmadge, plays the chief role. It is an amusing tale of a young wife obsessed by the idea that she has chosen the wrong husband, her soul mate seeming to her to be one who poses as a "cave man." How she is cured is told in a most fascinating mai.ner, Heading the new bill on Fridav will be the Mary Pickford feature, "The Love Light.", This is described as being full of charm, j GRAND THEATRE. |i The popularity of the Grand Theatre i is being well maintained, and the nj£ war prices being charged are meetmfc < with Sue appreciation. *»£%& gg , gramme is a strong one. The cnier fs " My Husband's Other Wg. 0 the AustraUan actress Sylvia t^ lead.' lv »