THE EVANS-GANGE CONCERTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18032, 4 September 1920, Page 5

THE EVANS-GANGE CONCERTS

Continued ixequmniaiico coiiiirnis the early impression tixai Muss Amy Ilvaiiis and lYir .v roser Gauge rank amongst tiio moat cuiturod and mo uioso piwis.ng voouusts wno visited tins city. evening's yrogrtimme drew mostly upon lyignsn uaiiuuts, in wJiicii ttieso ailiists appear to specialise, liio only departure irom the Jinguah ianguago was in tho final duet of tiio evening "La ci Darem," l mm Alo/.art'H "Don Gio"vunni. Ilintiiusiaaiu waxed as tho evening woro on, until as the vocalists roached then* linai programme numbers tney were bomg asked tor three encore items, which were pleasantly conceded. Mr Harold living's unobtrusive, but always nelptul, accompaniments und his scholarly pianulorte son wero accorded a generous siiaro 01 appreciation by the audience. Ho played Liszt's "ikmmta del Petrarca ' (notable lor tho Ciearly-artieulated meiody), a dainty scherzmo t>y Ornstein, and iiaint-Saens s "Etude en 1' orm VuJse," adding an encore in response to a spontaneous uemand. Miss Amy opening number was trie arm, "Ono I'iiie Day," from "Madam Butterfly." 'i'ho theme was taken quietly, the iulness and nenness of the mezzo voce having lull scope until approaching the climax, when the pure bell-like tones of the upper register proclaimed the true soprano. In the delight! ul o;d English song presented as a recall solo, the penect voice control was evident in tho even, linip.d quaiiLy of the sustained pianissimo. Miss Jlivans's breathing is well managed, and her phrasing is linxieccable. Tho character of her next song, "iio We'll Go A'o More A'rovin* w (Maud V. WliiteJ, served to luustraCe flow evenly pure is tiio quality of tile voice throughout all tho registers. ''Down in the i'orest," interpreted in Miss Evans's distinctive way, was added by itquest, and had To be followed by a tmiiT olieririg, by Montague 1 hillips. But tho song that pleased this vocuhst's audience best was Dorothy bolster's 'T Wonder if Love is a Dream?" It was so charmingly done, and the beautiful sustained final notes were so telling, that two supplementary songs—"l Know a Lovely Garden" (D'Hardelot) and "Tho bongs My Mother 'Taught Me"—had to bo sung. Mr Eraser _ Gauge's first number was tne ever-popular '"The Two Grenadiers." It was a song-story full of dramatic power, invested with tho singer's own interpretative ideas. The audience was made to understand the depth of tho grief and the strength of the patriotism of the two splendid -trench soldiers. '"The Marseillaise" theme, with which tho soajj closes, discovered tho full dramatic power of Mr Gauge's robust and resonant bass. By way of contrast, the singer contributed as encore item tho ballad "Last Night I Had a Dream," tone quality being the feature. '"When the Swallows Homeward Fly" gave further evidence of Mr Gauge's cultured methods, and "The Bonny Earl of Murray" was added .by special request. Where this vocalist caught the farcy of his audience iriost effectively, however, was in tho lighter type of song. "A Smuggler's Song" was the first of these, and Mr Gauge imbued it with such life and meaning that there was instant clamour for more of tho kind. "Because I Were Shy" and "There's a Girl of Kildare," songs with a similar appeal, found still greater favour, and a fourth number had to be added, Tosti's •'Beauty's Eyes" being .chosen. The two singers concluded with three attractive duets —"I Know the Place" (Vannah), "Trot Ilero and There," and the "La ci Darem" number already mentioned. Another concert is to be given this evening, and the management announces yet another couple of concerts —on Tuesday and Saturday of next week.