PAPAKAKURA —TE AU CONCERT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16448, 29 May 1919, Page 6

PAPAKAKURA —TE AU CONCERT.

A GREAT SUCCESS. The farewell concert given by the Rev. N. ±l. Papakakura and Miss Reno Te Au in the Empire Theatre was a great success ana gave good promise of triumphs in their coming tour m America. They wore assisted by Mr. N'. flay, Mrs. Jones as pianist, and Miss Ethel Jones, a very junior member of the party, as ifociler.

Miss To Au opened her part of the programme witn "Inter Nos” and "Como for ’tis June,” and receiving a vigorous recall sang the “Poi Song.” It is a pleasure to listen to Miss Te Au, for she sings with all the ease and abandon of a bird. Her voice, though powerful, is always sweet and she has good dramatic sense. Her real triumph was the singing of Tosti’s “Good-bye.” A song so well-known calls to mind many singers good, bad and indifferent, but Miss Te Au seemed better than the best and gave exquisite pleasure, in lighter vein with "The Lilac Cotton Gown” and "Fairy Pipers” she also showed charming vivacity.

The N. H. Papakakura possesses, as is well known, a beautiful tenor voice, which keeps its rich tone right through its range and flows like a stream of liquid melody. He is an ideal singer ot love ballads and one can picture him as in some former incarnation having rivalled tho nightingale as a serenade! - beneath the balconies of tho fair daughters of Spain. His most pleasing song was “Youth,” by Allitsen, though lie was also very good in the more dashing "Vorrei” of Tosti. 'Roth he and Miss Te Au received double encores, which only added to their laurels.

Mr. N. Day also sang well, though his choice of Henley’s “luvictus” was a little ambitious, since it demands exceptional vocal strength and dramatic power. Ho gave a creditable rendering, but did much bettor in "From the Land of the Sky Blue Water” and “Call of the AVild.”

Besides the solos there were some excellent duets. Miss Te Au and Mr. Day made a charming combination in "Rose of My Heart,” but “The Day is Done” by Mr. Papakakura. and Miss Te Au was even more pleasing. “Oh that we two were maymg” made an acceptable encore.

Tho pianist, Mrs. Jones, gave a brilliant rendering of Chopin’s “Marche Militaire” and showed exxellent taste in the accompaniments. Miss Ethel Jones, in her little stories of freckledfaced girls and bald-headed men, proved herself a very capable juvenile reciter.