NEW ZEALAND SINGER AND PIANIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2929, 4 May 1910, Page 69

NEW ZEALAND SINGER AND PIANIST.

-SUCCESSFUL SONG RECITAL. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, March 18. Of general New Zealand' interest will he the announcement of the betrothal of Mr Cyril Towsey, the wslbknown pianist from the Dominion, and Miss Mary Cooper, of Auckland, who has been living in this, country for several years past completing her vccal studies. Both have been away from New Zealand for considerably over three years, and both have made arrangements for an early return. As an accompanist and pianist. Mr Towsey has done very well here. He is thiri.kin.er of sailing by one of the Tyser liners about the second week in April. As study . was Miss Cooper's ' chief object _in coming to London/ she has kept continuously "hard at it," her instruc-tors-having been MdLK Olga Tremelli and Mr Gregory Haast. To both of these Miss Cooper dees infinite credit—a roaturallv pleasing voice has been well placed a.nd is well produced. Miss Cooper has booked her passage to New Zealand by the e.s. Ccrinthie, sailing on April 1, and she has i7>ade T up her" mind to become a teacher of singing in Auckland. Before settling down, however, Miss Cooper 'contemplates giving a series of •'«orrg recitals throughout the Dominion, beginning with Auckland in June. In this tour she will be associated with Mr Cyril Towsey, who," in "addition to playing the accompanimente, will be heard as a solo .raianist. The proposed sdng-and-piano recital tour through t.h*ir own oouirtry is sure to be' looked forward to with interest both by the performers and by the residents." eo many-of whom are personal friends of one or other. Lately Miss Cooper has been, doing a good deal of "At Home" work in London; engagements of this description are always best liked by the singers thp.miselves, but opportunities for securing them do not always occur.

Mention was .made a week ago that Miss Cooler intended to give a 'farewell" recital in London. This took place at the Bechstein Ball last Monday afternoon, and the giver of the concert had ulanmed out for Jierself a programme full of. unwonted 4 ks 6 accomplishe'd singer would have ibeen fatigued long 'before its conclusion, ■but Miss Cooper appeared to foe quite fresh to the end,. She has. a. mezzosoprano''voice' of beautiful quality. and intonation, and she use* it She has;', plenty, of:' dramatic' jtower; .and; has learned hiow to produce: with ease.: a voice'-fhat "is of sweet quality and KKK" delightful to listen to. In her Hrt ■''" Z<**-BS musical S Zealand will., so .soon.; themselves iave the opportunity of judging. This

pha.se ought to prove of great value to her pupils. Six of the songs on the programme were German, including " Die Mutter an der Wiege," Schubert's " Die junge Nonne " which was a .treat to listen to as interpreted by Miss Cooper, particularly in its pianissimo passages; three were Italian, including Guilio Caccini's four-century-old " Amarilli," into whose spirit the singer entered thoroughly; four were French, including an encore, which brought the recital to a close. "Le nil," by Leroux, suited' her voice well, and she sang it with much expression to the sympathetic 'collo accompaniment of Felix Salmond. After a group of five English songs she had to submit to an encore, and she gave very daintily " Oh, my garden full of roses." This group included Dr Blow's two-century-old " The self-banished," "Sibelius," "The Hamish M'Cunns " Strathalla.n's lament," Emmeline Brook's "To a seabird," and Lane Wilson's "The pretty creature." The last was sung with archness and charm. Mention must be made of the accompanist (Mr Towsey), who played with great expression and sympathy, to the evident appreciation of the audience, judging by complimentary whispered comments to be heard all round. Two 'cello soli were played by Felix Salmond, who is a 'cellist of deserved repute. He gave with much feeling Gabriel Faure's " Elegiie," and, with rare delicacy, Frank Bridge's sparkling little " Serenade." Miss Cooper ought to- have been gratified by the warmth of the reception accorded her. The hall was . well filled. Several New Zealanders were seen . among the listeners, including Mrs Holmwcod, Mrs A. S Ba.llance, and Miss Halse, all of Wellington. The London ■ musical critics have " spread themselves " with more generosity than is sometimes the case, and what they have to say ought to be very agreeable to the concert-giver. Take, for instance, the comment of the Morning Post: —"Many good voices have come to us from the dominions over the sea, and Miss Mary Cooper is an example of the vocal gifts for which the natives of Australia and New Zealand have already become noted. Miss Cooper is a daughter of the latter land, and is about to return to her native country for the purpose of carrying out a professional tour. Her efforts are likely to afford . much gratification. Her mezzosoprano voice is of distinctive character and excellent quality. It. moreover, has the inestimable advantage of being correctly placed and directed by intelligence and musical feeling, while the effect of her singing is augmented by her admirably clear enunciation of her words. . . . Her voics and temperament are of no common kind. "How wide her sympathies are was shown by her programme, which covered an extensive range. _. . . She showed considerable pliancy in meeting their varied requirements, and it is clear that Miss Cooper will achieve a great deal."