Theatre Royal.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4977, 9 April 1889, Page 2

Theatre Royal.

THE SPANISH STUDENTS. The “Spanish students,” a quartette of instrumentalists who are now making a tour of New Zealand, after doing the Melbourne Exhibition, arrived yesterday, and gave the first of two performances in the evening. Their management, we may suppose, paid Timaru too high a compliment in assuming that most of the people visited the exhibition, hoard them there, and would not need.raucb pressing to go and bear them again. Whatever was the reason they have not had the advantage that most ttavellers enjoy of numerous “preliminary notices” to draw attention to their coming and their abilities, and as a consequence there was a poor, or as it was put by one attendant, a fairly bad, house to receive them last evening. They well deserved a full 'one. The Students are four good looking young men, who appear on the stage in (we assume) Spanish academical costume—a tight-fitting tunic and short “ continuations ” in black velvet, white lace cuffs and collar, black stockings, shoes, a short loose cloak over one shoulder, and jaunty black peaked hats with a white bone spoon gleaming on one side of it. Their instruments are two mandolins, a guitar, and ’cello. They play by note, and appear to have most complicated compositions at their fingers’ ends. Their opening item was the overture “ William Tell,” which requires a full orcbc:tra to do it complete justice. The rendering given of this extremely varied work on only four stringed instruments was marvellous, skilful alternations of pianissimo and forte frequently causing the illusion that a powerful oichestra was at work. The delicacy of tone of the mandolin, and the skill of the ’celloist, made the items as enjoyable for their sweetness. Altogether the little company performed ten items, including an amusing acrobatic waltz with tambourine by the younger of the party, to the music of the other three. Benor Fernandez played a ’cello solo, with Miss Lack at the piano, beautifully. The quartette were assisted by members of the Timaru Orchestral Society, by Miss Lack and Mr J. W. Holdgate, who sang, and Air C. Wood, who contributed a violin solo. Those’ who like novelty of any kind, especially musical novelty, and all who like to hear good music well discoursed should take advantage of the one opportunity now left to hear the Spanish Students. The audience last night never felt the coldness that usually marks a thin attendance, but applauded warmly all through. The company deserve a full house and we hope they will have one to-night. Whoever goes to hoar them will be well satisfied.