The Stage.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume 4, Issue VI, 1 July 1902, Page 308

The Stage.

I

By Hilda Keane

THE AMY CASTLES' CONCERT COMPANY.

fHE tour of Miss Amy Castles through our islands was eagerly looked forward to, not only by music-lovers, but also by those merely anxious to hear a singer of whom so much had been predicted. Consequently the young soprano has had to face very critical audiences. A fact which added greatly to the unusual

interest displayed in all centres was that the verdicts given by the various Australian journals differed so greatly. Some had prepared us for a rich "velvety" voice, improved by training, and likely to excel that of Melba in the very near future. Others, again, were not afraid to say that the native freshness of the young Australian's voice had gone. New

Zealand audiences were therefore stimulated to judge for themselves.

During an interesting chat with the young artiste, I was greatly charmed by her modesty and her ingenuousness. It was almost pathetic to hear her say how she enjoyed the fun usually indulged in by those of her years, and yet how she had to remember that publicity was given to her actions, and that she must preserve a certain staidness. She

was so obviously nervous of criticism by New Zealan ders, and yet so anxious to make a good impr c ssion. Again, she was far from •well, having, since landing in Australia, and between two of her concerts, undergone an operation. She confessed to being often prostrated s behind the scenes, with nervousness, and she was so evidently longing for a rest. New Plymouth should feel proud that she was so

enamoured of its beautiful Recreation Grounds that she entertained some idea of coming there for a rest after her Australasian tour. She was very grateful to those who had encouraged her in her career, and she spoke feelingly of the love she had for her native country. She realised that coming "on tour " after only some months of training, people might be disappointed in her singing ; but said that she could not resist the temptation of seeing the people to whom she belonged . 1 confess that criticism was disarmed by her modesty, but let me endeavour to make a few remarks. Frankly, I think the young singer was ill-advised in visiting New Zealand as a " star." In Australia she was able to show

her friends what progi'ess she had made by

; means of their generous assistance. Here \ she had to face thos6 who read occasional i paragraphs of her good reception in London, and predictions of a future which was to eclipse that of Mme. Melba. Again, there is no doubt that her managers " boomed " | the tour well, and, financially, are to be i congratulated on their success. Consei quently, in spite of her own modesty, Miss Castles has had to meet those who were prepared to be electrified with her vocal powers. In truth, however, her voice, though rich and sweet, is not phenomenal. tt has promise undoubtedly, very great promise, but it is by no means faultless. Her best work is in operatic selections, where the florid passages are admirably suited to her range and execution. But even here a little stiffness is apparent in the cadenzas, and the respiration is sometimes evident. Her enunciation of French and Italian words is decidedly better than that of English : possibly because her study has been mainly in those languages. The slightly nasal accent which improves her articulation of French is not good in our language, and thus in her own tongue, her voice lacked clear articulation. Again,

ballad singing seemed to fail to bring oat

the better qualities of her voice, and I am of opinion that her forte is most decidedly n opera. As she herself expresses a very

great wish to devote herself to operatic work, it seems wisest to let the youthful artiste follow her own bent. A girl of twenty years has so much to learn, that it is practically impossible to fairly estimate her powers. Her training under Mr. Bouby was only for a few months. Therefore her career and her work are all before her. In a few years her voice will have matured, and she will have corrected the present deficiencies. On this account and on that of her illness I should have preferred that she had postponed her visit to critical audiences. However, encouragement should be given to her as a student, for her talent is undoubted, and we shall all watch her English career with great interest. ISTo mention of the excellent all-round company would be complete without an expression of admiration for the unusual quality of Signor Carlo Dani's voice. It is a tenor unlike nny we have heard in New Zealand. His sustained higher notes simply thrill his hearers, and the passion and sentiment which he puts into his delivery are excellent. Excellent, too, is his utter lack of apparent respiration. The way in which his voice swells to crescendo, dies down to pianissimo, and then runs on to a quick florid movement freely enunciated — and all this without a pause for breath — holds the audience spellbound. Another artiste whose work is most talented is Miss Nora McKay, a very young violiniste, in her teens. Her bow at times " romps " over the strings, and she produces some splendid effects with interspersed right finger notes and also with double string. She plays with much feeling the less florid music of her repertoire. Miss Una Bourne, a pupil of Herr B. Sherek, is a brilliant pianiste, but her mannerisms detract much from the artistic nature of her very skilful execution. Miss Maud Dalrymple and Mr. Needham are also two valuable members of the company.

Much praise is due to the clever musical director, Herr Benno Sherek, of (Jrand Opera fame. His accompaniments to all the performers were faultlessly played.