MUSIC.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1665, 27 January 1904, Page 28

MUSIC.

NOTES Bf 0 STRING

itMir T . ~M. Jacksftjs. the well-known lAjucklarid singer, who has -been an England for some years, gave a concert in Auckland last week, wihen he was (heartily greeted on his reappearance in his native oity. Before he . left New Zealand, 'Mr Jackson, though his voice Was one of the finest tenors heard in the colony, did not sing with sufficient expression, hut he appears now to have remedied this defect. One critic says “!Mr Jackson has learned above anything oinco he left us the art of expression:. 5 ’ An Elgar Festival oif three concerts ab to he given by the Oovent Garden Opera Syndicate on Mhrcli 14th, loth, and 16th. The programme will probably include, in addition to “The Bream of Geronrfcdus” and “The Apost- , 3e®,” a new symphony composed by Br Elgar. Br Richter is to be the conductor, and will take with him froan Manchester to Bondon his own orchestra and chair. Nab for many 7 years, according to the London “Daily Chronicle.” has there been such a dearth of popular fangs in London as- tiler e is at the pre>snt time, the arrangers of music lor fentomimes had oonsaderaible difficulty piselectdng pieces which are even Ifcplerabfy well-known. For instance, Mr J. M. Glover, the conductor at Brury Lane, “read 55 ’ over 400 songs in order to find half a dozen likely to be acceptable to the patrons of the national theatre during the Oiristmas holiday. Just now no special song is being whistled in the street® or played on the Street-organs. Thhre is an improvement in both'the lyrical style of the verses of pantomime songs and the general melodic form of the music; but there is a marked diminution in the number of genuinely humourous ditties. M. Jeian Gerairdy gave a hello recital at St James’s Hall on December 10th, and delighted a large audience by Ms masterly, playing. Nothing (says our London Correspondent) could have been better than his' expressive treatment, of Edouard Bald’s ’cello 'concerto and Gevaert’s edition of Haydn’s concerto in B major, and the interpretation of Schumann’s was full of charm. N. Gerard’y Was recalled again ana again in the course of the recital.

The Becember number of “The Musical Times” contains a photograph of the building where Handel’s oratorio “The Messiah” was first performed, on April 113, 1742. This was the New Musick Hall in Fishamible Street, Dublin. Mr® Sims -Reeve®, the widow of the famous tenor, is now singing at the Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, as a member of one of Mr Harry Richard’s companies. Her selections have been chiefly songs by her late husband.— Mr Elmil Pauer has been- conducting the Queen’s Hall orchestra, London, in the 'absence of Mr Henry J. Wood in lAmerica. Three new cantatas will he performed at the Leeds Musical Festival next October, namely ‘The Witch’s Daughter,” composed by Sir Alexander Mackenzie; - ‘‘The 'Burial March of Dundee,” by Dr Charles Wood; and a Work by Dr Walford Davie®. Mr H. A. Flicker ha® been 1 appointed -chorus master, and Sir Charles Stanford will again conduct. It is stated that the variety stage has claimed another well-known singer in the person of Madame - Belle Cole, the American contralto, who visited New Zealand a few years ago. Madame Colo made her first appearance at the Hippodrome, Liverpool, not long since. iHerr Werner .Alberti, who was recently' announced 'to make hi® first appearance in London, has been the principal, tenor at tlhe Budapest Opera House and has been also successful at , other Continental opera houses during the - past few years. A sonata in E minor for pianoforte and violin, by Signor Busoni, has been recently performed with success in London, Regarding the recent visit of Richard Strauss to England, our' London corre®- , pendent write® on December 11th:—“Dr / Richard Straus®, Germany’s greatest living composer, is paying England another visit this week. Oh Wednesday evening he appeared as pianist at a song reoiital in St James’s Hall, London, the programme of which consisted entirely of vocal piece® by Strauss, interpreted v by .his wife, Frau Shraius® de Ahna. With such a programme, and such artists, it is surprising that the attendance was go meagre. -To-night <Dr Strauss conducts the Berlioz orchestral prograanme arranged for the celebration at St James’s Hall of the centenary of the French composer. Concerning the personality , of Strauss, London’s latest weekly, “The ■Bystander/’ has the following : — e As a man Strauss ha® a delightful personality. Unaffectedly modest, he has an almost”“boyish enthusiiasm for his work, which is produced under curious conditions. For, unlike most composers, he does mot want to Bhiut himself up. His heist work is done ■Whilst he is surrounded by friends. There will he a room full'of people chattang, the composer among them. But in a minutte he will go in a corner, out

come® his notebook, arid hi® thoughts will, ran over, its page® infiriusioal notation. In train®, in restaurants, anyWherei, in fact-, the notebook will come out, and work, proceed. And he hardly ever alters a note, or tries anything over. Often a public performance of a now work is almost the first time Straus® actually hear® ihis creation:.’ ”