FIRST CONCERT OF EVANS-GANGE DUO IS WELL RECEIVED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18448, 26 April 1928, Page 9

FIRST CONCERT OF EVANS-GANGE DUO IS WELL RECEIVED.

The first of the three concerts of the Evans-Gange season was given in the Municipal Concert Chamber on Tuesday evening. It was varied enough to please every taste, and it was much appreciated by a large audience, the three, artists winning wholehearted favour.

The programme opened with Chopin’s “Scherzo in C Sharp Minor” for piano; a difficult piece both from the technical and interpretative point of view. Miss Enid Conley was quite successful with it, winning a very decided encore. She responded with the “Musical Box.”

Mr Fraser Gange followed with the prologue from Pagliacci. He treated this perhaps a little too floridly, his voice pleasing better in more restrained work.

Three bracketed numbers “Traum durch die- Dammerung” (Strauss), “Wohin” (Schubert) and “The “ Two Grenadiers” (Schumann), the two former being sung in their natural tongue and the latter in English showed clearly what a gift the singer has for interpretation and the art of inducing “atmosphere.” His rendering of “Wohin,” the story of a rocky streamlet and a wanderer, called forth a most insistent encore. Ease and grace of delivery were very marked in this number, and as a second encore the evergreen “Mandalay” made a decided hit. Mr Gange's voice is a rich baritone, of good range and development, but his greatest gift is sure!}'- interpretation. In the later group of three ballads “The Sound of the Pipers” (Warner), “Farmer John” (Warner), and “A Smuggler’s Song” (Mullinar), local colour showed up very clearly. These three would have been puerile from the music point of view if the interpretation had not been so splendid. Encores were frequent, “Farmer John” being repeated, and “Athol by the Sea” and “Green Grow the Rashes O! ” being given.

Miss Amy Evans, charmingly gowned and of most graceful stage-presence, immediately captivated her audience. Her voice is a clear, pure soprano, of very even register, and with the head notes wonderfully developed and controlled. Probably the memory of her exquisite bird-like head-notes will linger longer than any other. Her first numbers “Porgi Amor” (Mozart) and “Depths le Jour” (Charpentier) were excellently treated, but her rendering of Max Rcjer’s “Weigenlied” (Virgin Slumber Song) made the most impression. This had to be repeated, with another encore, Landon Ronald’s

“Down in the Forest.” These two were realty very beautiful, the head-tones perfectly produced and sustained. Schubert’s “Almighty God” was imposing and dignified, and three bracketed numbers “My Lovely Celia” (Monro),

“Whene’er a Snowflake” (Liza Lehmann) and “We Company Along” (Richard llagemann) were each ver3 r satisfying, encores again being demanded.

Miss Enid Conley gave a couple of very charming waltz cameos, Brahm s “Waltz in A Flat” and Chopin's “Waltz in E Minor,” responding again with a bit of very able tone-painting, “A Mexican Serenade.”

Mention must be made of a charming little Welsh song, sung in Welsh, by Miss Amy Evans, which thoroughly delighted the large number of Welsh people present. She was the recipient of several bouquets and a basket of grapes from the local members of the Cambrian Society. Two extremely popular duets “Figlia Mio Padre” (Verdi) and “From Here and There” concluded the programme. If the remaining concerts equal this one in versatility and perfection, the memory of the Evans-Gange Company will long continue green.

SECOND CONCERT TO-NIGHT Another fine programme has been arranged for the second concert, which will be given in the new Concert Hall to-night. Miss Evans’s items include the famous aria from Verdi’s opera “ Aida,” “ Ritorna Vincitor,” “ Botschaft ” (Brahms), “ Stille Thraenen ” (Schumann), “Do Not Go, My Love” (Hageman), “Homing” (Del Riego), “Just For To-day” (Blanche Seaver), and the duet with Mr Gange, “ Still As the Night” (Goetz). Mr Gauge’s songs include “ O Star of Eve,” from “ Tannhauser ”; three Salt-water Ballads by Frederick Keel, the words being by John Masefield; “In Summer Time, on Bredon ” (Graham Peel), “ Puna ” (Josephine M'Gill) and “Mandalay” (Oley Speaks). Miss Enid Conle)', the pianist, will play Brahms’s Rhapsody in G Minor, and Scherzo (York Bowen). The box plans are at The Bristol, and the day sales at the San Toy Confectionery, opposite the Council Chambers. The third and final concert will be given on Saturday.