THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES By Puck.

Otago Witness, Issue 1499, 7 August 1880, Page 20

THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES By Puck.

Herr Benno Scherek gave his first soiree musicale in Dunedin. at the Temperance Hall on the 4th inst. There was a good attendance, the hall being crowded from floor to ceiling. The concert was an unqualified success, and it is our pleasing duty to have to speak in terms of praise of every item of the programme. That the entertainment was going to be one of a high-class order, and one which would be creditable even to the now acknowledged musical town of Dunedin, was only what was anticipated. Herr Scherek came to this city with a high reputation, which it was confidently believed on all hands he would thoroughly sustain, and, supported as he was by those who contributed to last night's entertainment, it was to be expected that a rare treat would be afforded to all music-lovers. Of course great interest was taken in Herr Scherek's solo-playing on the piano, last night being the first time the public here have had a proper opportunity of judging his abilities as a soloist. As accompanist to the Urso Conceit Company he earned well-deserved tributes of praise, and we need only say that we are as well satisfied with him as a soloist as an accompanist. Besides playing all the accompaniments last night he contributed two solos. The first of these was a moreeau de salon by Bendel Scharwenka's "Polish Dance", and a paraphrase of the wellknown opera of " Martha." The first-mentioned was treated in masterly style, being most brilliantly performed, and the applause which followed the piece was well earned. The dance, too, was executed m capital style, and proved a fitting sequel to the other. The selection from " Martha" is an arrangement by Herr Scherek, introducing the well-known tenor air of the opera "Fair as a Rose. " The melody is taken up in the basa with the left hand, and is at one period charmingly accompanied by chromatic runs in thirds by the right. The piece concludes with a brilliant and well-finished variation on the air. The other solo was Chopin's pretty little Funeral March, Op. 35 Schumann's Warum? Op. 12, No. 3, and Raff's "Valse de Juliette". These pieces were also dealt with in a most satisfactory manner. Perhaps the most appreciated was the waltz, the brilliancy of which Herr Scherek brought out to perfection. The notes of the piano assumed a aeries of ripples under the hands of the performer, delightful to listen to and most fascinating. The other selections given on the piano during the evening were the overtures to each part of the progarmme. The opening of the concert was Weber's over; ture, "Jubel," arranged as apiano duet, which wasperformed by Miss Tewsley and Mr Kelsey. To put addi tional body into the piece Herr Scherek played portions of it on the harmonium, and the effect was good. Miss Tewsley and Herr Scherek gave the fantasia on " Norma" for two pianos by Liszt, need we say admirably. The remaining instrumental selections included a violoncello solo— (a) air from/ Meistersinger" (Wagner), \b) Gavotte "Mignon" (Thomas)— by Mr Chas. Waud , treated in that gentleman's usual good style; and the scherzo from fteissiger's trio for piano, violin, and violoncello in E, op. 85, which was performed bi Messrs Scherek, Norman, and Waud. This latter gives* the pianist an opportunity of showing some brillian j playing, and the piece was given with excellent effect. In the vocal portion of the entertainment a new singer, who at once established herself a favourite, made her appearance. We refer to Miss Frederica Mitchell, who up till recently was a well-known amateur in Melbourne. She possesses a delightfully rich contralto voice, of good compass, and capable of interpreting 1 all classes of music. Her debut was made in the cavatina, "Nume que feci mai," from Mercadantes " Nicotri." The piece was admirably calculated to give the audience a good idea of the capabilities of the singer, who was rapturously applauded. Satisfaction was not given until Miss Mitchell sang as an encore "The Maid of Dundee." "The Two Worlds," by Campana, was the other song set opposite her name on the programme, and she was again encored for the rendering of this number. She complied by giving with great pathos the Scotch song, "At the window" It may not be out of place to here state that Miss Mitchell will niake her next public appearance ' at a concert to be given shortly by Mr A. J. Towsey, in the Garrison Hall. Another new face to Dunedin audiences was Mrs F. Stone, a lady amateur gifted with a light, well-cultivated soprano voice. She gave Bevi"-nani's cavatina " La Fioraja" in a most sparkling manner, and an encore being demanded rendered that sweet little air "A Little Mountain Lad." In the second portion of the programme Mrs Stone sang "The Angel at the Window." Mr A. J. C. Baber, our old favourite, had an opportunity of displaying his fine baritone voice in " The Wanderer" (Schubert), and his singing was appreciated just as much as usual. Ho also contributed Molloy's •Postillion," for which he was encored, and he thereupon gave "The Three Jolly Sailor Boys." Tho Private Motet and Gleo Society, under the conductorship of Mr A. R. Kolsoy, rendered during the evening two part songs—" Lullaby of Life " (unaccompanied), which was encored, and "Now Tramp." The latter brought the soiree to a close. We may mention that the grand piano used was one of Carl Beckstein's, belonging to Madame Mueller,

In Meyerbeer's opera Madame Pauline Lucca is as much an ideal heroine ac Madame Nileson is in Gounod's chef d'ceuvre ; and new exponents of either character must run the gauntlet of comparison with those great artists. The last Selika Mr Gyehas introduced or the , favour of GajarreandSjgnor vm Mephiß topoles. ESSKStt and Signor Niccolini reappeared &«• Keo and Juliet," and B he afterwards was heard in ' ' The .Barter' of Seville," " Traviata," and * Dinorah." Her reception was marked by excessivecordiality. On the same night rfof Madame Patti re-appeared, Mr Mapleson | w«t iht season with Faust. Madame Nilsson are not two Sons about her claim to be regarded as the X Gretohen the operatic stage has. From first to last her representation was an unbroken triumph ; every number she sung was applauded ? the crowded audience, which was beside itself with excitement after she sung the jewel soni. The Faust was Mr Joseph Maas, a late member, of the Carl Rosa Oompany-who made Souldnotbe improved on, but his acting was lif eleBS to a degree. Madame Trebelh was the B ebel Signor Ardetti the conductor, vice Sir M Costa! resigned , and Herr Strauss, the conductor vice M. Sainton, 'also resigned, A promising debut has been made by a Miss Kevada,- who takes her nonide theatre from the State in which she was bom. _ Royalty ha* been patronising the opera, very largely this season. Up to the first week in June no novelties had been produced. At Her Majors, Minnie Hauokhas proved that she is tihe Carmen par excellence, while Madame Rozee has been seen to the utmost, advantage, as Aida, with Mdlle Tremelli as Amne'ris-a highly satisfactory performance. At Covent Garden, Mesdames Albaniand Patti have been' playing a round of favourite characters. Path as Juhet is. simply perfection. The performance of " Lohengrin ' with Herr Richter, conducting has been postponed to allow of complete rehearsals. V Herr Hans' Richter, of Vienna, 1 will soon be regarded in London, as in Germany, as the first of living oonduotors. He has conduoted four concerto at St. James' Hall, London, at which the musical world of the great metropolis was represented. At them the nine great symphonies of Beethoven were/ perfermedin chronological order by an orchestra in which was collected a hundred of the best executants in London. At his first concert the programme comprised Wagner's overtuie to the Meisterting&", Beethoven's first B ymphony; Schuman s eymphony in D minor, written m 1841. and revised ten years later '; and a concerto for piano and orchestra in F sharp minor,, composed by O. H. H. Parry, and performed by Mr Danreuther. The symphonies and Mr Parry s work ware received with applause that can only be described as tumultuous. Herr Richter s manner of conducting is described thus ;.— Jle has the secret of oommunicatmg bis ideas to the instrumentalists in an almost electnoal manner,. if one may so speak of the; duties of a conductor. Th/plan of beating the.time » similar to that advised by Spohr, whose system has never been surpassed, although the somewhat sluggish temperament of Spohr prevented his making the most of his own admirable theories. His plan was to make such deoided movements with the baton in markiDg the time that the orchestral player had only to glance at the conductor to see at once the movement of the bar, or, if he was in danger of playing a false note, or missed a rest, or prolonged a note too muoh,' the infallible beat of the conductor at once corrected or prevented the error. While lending himself with wonderful readiness to every light arid shade, every piano and forte of the composition, there is such decision in his his method,' such promptitude in taking the time, suoh admirable skill in increasing or diminishingthe speed of each movement, and so completely has he literally,* at hisfingers' ends the njarks of expression and all the exquisite inner spirit of a great orchestral work, that the instrumentalist of average ability can hardly fail to play better than under ordinary, circumstances, when an uncertain, undecided conductor leads him. Herr Richter, has an almost magical power of ( .imparting his own feeling of the music to the orchestra." A Paris correspondent writes:— ln the musical world no novelty has been produced, and lyrical establishments' Jiave , to , live on revivals: the. National Opera has served up 11 Sylvia, where all the gods and goddesses appear to have descended from Mount Olympus to indulge in a series of wonderful acrobatic feats to the souDd of soft music j Offenbach's " Tie Parisienne" has been revived, and perhaps retouohed: this amusing extravaganza seems to please as much as when it was first brought out 13 years ago. The theatres will bring out nothing important till next season. Old pieces will be submitted to the admiration of country )m cousinß and cosmopolitan tourists, with an ¥ ■ occasional summer piece, possessing visible strength, suited to temperature, as a side dish. M. Paul Ferrier has produced at the "Vaudeville theatre a feur-aot comedy called " Nos De'pute'a, en robes de Obambre :" it is a burlesque on the kind of reßt a member of parliament enjoys when in vacation : one voter calls upon him to witness his marriage ; a second, to follow his mother-in-law' 8 funeral; another solicits his help to extinguish a fire, &c. It is humorous, but local. At the Theatre dcs Arts, " Madame Gregoire" is the title of. a vaudeville, written ostensibly for Theie»a, whose voice possesses all its popular attractiveness and that dash of pleasing melancholy, which made her under the empire the dira of the people. The concerts Besselievre, formerly the Mueard, have fine weather in their favour 5 it is a safe place always for a lady to go. and the fashionable Friday nights are well attended. The circuses are crowded, but, I think, that of the Champs Elysees has a superior bill of fare to tho Hippodrome; in the former there is an Italian lady who rolls herself up into every shape, and suvpasßes the Japanese in perilous climbing feats 5 there is also at the same establishment, Mdlle EHsa, whom people go to see on account of her intimate relations with the Empress of Austria ; her performance, making a horse march to music, is Lot extraordinary, bnt Bhe is better in jumping over hurdles. ■ At the Turcadero, the organ concerts of M. Guilmaut are very much followed, and deservedly bo. Sara Bernhardt has left us to seek her fortune ; she has made a great mistake to run away, as she has done. Her caprioionsness is all studied, calculated, and the jokers now call her " Monsieur Sara." Verdi's new composition " Pater Noster," the words taken from Dante, has been performed at the Soala Theatre, Milan, with great success, he himself conducting. Honours are being heaped on the maestro, who was the recipient of