ITALIAN OPERA COMPANY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 37, 10 September 1892, Page 899

ITALIAN OPERA COMPANY.

THE Italian Operatic Company opened their New Zealand concert season to anything but a good house ; but notwithstanding the comparative smallness of the audience the Company must have felt gratified at the enthusiastic manner with which each item on the programme was received. Signora Cuttica is the possessor of a soprano voice of rare quality and very considerable range ; the low notes are rich and full, and somewhat approach the qualities of a contralto, whilst the upper notes are particularly clear and free from the least trace of harshness. This lady has most perfect control over her voice, and renders the florid passages, trills, and scales with an ease and truth which has seldom been equalled by any vocalist appearing in New Zealand. These qualities were fairly tested in the Signora's opening solo from Thomas's ‘Mignon’ which was enthusiastically encored. Signor Cuttica has a clear penetrating tenor voice of what we mar term • operatic ' quality : his high notes are particularly sweet and his range very considerable. In the Miserere scene from 1 Trovatore (which, by the way, was persistently encored i, his voice was heard perhaps to the greatest perfection, whilst both in the duo from ‘ Cavalleria Rusticana ' with Signora Cuttica, and in the duo from ‘ Barbiere’ with Signor Sisco, he exhibited that thorough command of the voice, combined with dramatic expression, which stamps him at once as an operatic singer of the first rank Signor Sisco has a powerful and pleasing baritone voice, the upper notes round, clear, and straight from the chest. His singing of the ‘ Toreador’ song from ‘ Carmen was extremely fine, and it was through no fault of the audience that the number was not repeated. This gentleman was also heard to very great advantage in the duo from ‘ Don Giovanni' with Signorina Matioli, who has a pleasing and highlycultivated mezzo soprano voice. This lady's best number was the waltz song, ‘ Salut au Gai,' which she rendered with feeling and spirit, the final B flat being clearly taken without effort. She also scored a success in the duo, •La ci darem,' with Signor Sisco. Signor lorio, another baritone, received an ovation for his singing of the beautiful romanza, ‘ Ebreo,' and in the second half of the programme for his rendering of the ‘ Yeoman's Wedding Song.' This gentleman's voice is particularly rich in quality, and his style thoroughly artistic. Signor Travaglini, who is the bass singer of the Company, possesses a deep, full voice of great power and flexibility. His principal effort, the romanza from ‘ Lucrezia Borgia,' was a splendid specimen of vocalisation. The accompanist. Miss Brabazon, well known in Auckland, is a pianist of very great promise. She possesses a thorough knowledge of technique, and plays with great delicacy and feeling. She receiver! a unanimous encore for her rendering of List's ‘ La Regatta Veneziana' Altogether the Company is a thoroughly good one; good all round, ami not like most concert companies visiting New Zealand, made up of one star and a background of mediocrity. We trust to see full houses during the remainder of the Company's stay here, and hope that the Auckland people may not find out, when it is too late, that they have missed a great treat by not properly supporting true artistes when the chance is given them.