EDNA THOMAS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19465, 28 April 1925, Page 3

EDNA THOMAS.

Thoro will arrive in Dunedin on Wednesday a celebrated American singer, Miss Edna Thomas, "The Lady from Louisiana,” whoso negro spirituals and creole melodies have created a furore in London and New York. The sheer novelty of the Edna Thomas’s programmes contributes greatly to their success. Her recitals will bo a revelation to music-lovers in this city. Jioth costumes and songs are authentic —the songs she collected herself, while the crinolines belonged to an ancestor. Tho 200-year-old songs from the Louisiana swamps are quite fascinating. Some of them, which are after the style of our own “Sweet Lavender,” betray a French origin, and their curious, crooning refrains arc extremely interesting. Then there are some exceedingly beautiful spirituals. almost Mozartcan in their charm, and against others, such as “I Love Thee Dear, as n Little Pig Loves Mud,” and quaint little patter songs that convulse an audience, charming love songs and street cries from Now Orleans are included in Edna Thomas’s repertoire, while every gesture that she uses is full of character and dramatic significance, and her delightful verbal annotations and lively little stories of life in tho south prove her to bo an exceedingly accomplished disease. Her voice is a beautiful, warm, mezzo, with surprising variations of colour in it, and graduations of tone. The first costume recital will he given at Burns Hall on Thursday, at 8 p.m. Subsequent recitals will be given on Saturday-, May 2, and Monday, May 4. Lending American artists will assist, ■ The season is under tho direction of Mr E. J. Carrol, who is arranging the visits to this country of Fritz Kreisler, Paulino P’redorick, and Sir Harry Lauder. The box plan is at the Bristol.