MR. AND MRS. CHAS. SAUNDERS’ SONG CYCLE CONCERTS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 965, 3 September 1908, Page 16

MR. AND MRS. CHAS. SAUNDERS’ SONG CYCLE CONCERTS.

More enthusiastic audiences than those which assembled at the Choral Hall on Saturday and Monday evenings could not have been wished for, and the concerts proved very enjoyable. Mr. Saunders wisely departed from the beaten groove of ballad concerts, and instead gave something in the nature of a little essay on each song on the programme. This had the effect of heightening the interest in the song itself, and the innovation proved very acceptable to the audience. On Saturday Mr. Saunders, who possesses a tenor voice of remarkable power, got through a big task, as may be judged from the list of songs entrusted to him. These were as follows: —“Lend Me Your Aid” (Gounod), “The Enemy Said” (Handel's “Israel”), “Twentyone,” “ The Irish Emigrant ” (Barker), “My Pretty Jane” (Bishop), and as an encore the dainty song “To Mary,” “ The Death of Nelson ” (Braham), and as an encore, “ Let Me Like a Soldier Fall”; the magnificent “ Sound an Alarm ” (Handel’s “ Judas Maccabaeus ”), while he joined with Miss Robson in the duets, “ Home to Our Mountains ” (Verdi) and “ GoodNight ” (Sutton). Auckland audiences are somewhat unreasonable, and with such a big programme it savoured of greediness to encore item after item, although of course it was a fine tribute to the singer’s ability. Miss Clara Robson possesses a sweet and well cultivated contralto voice, and her renderings of homely old ballads were full of expression and charm. Particularly good in this respect were Molloy’s “ Darby and Joan ” and Lady Nairne’s plaintive “ Caller Herrin,” the melody of which is said to have been founded on the chimes of St. Giles, Edinburgh. Miss Robson was recalled

again and again, her other contributions being. “ Come, Sweet: Morning,” “A Land of Roses,” “ Lascia chio pianga ” (Handel):,:“ The Auld .Scotch Songs,” “Killarney,” and the evergreen “ Good-by.e (Tosti). The second concert on Monday evening proved just as, popular, an excellent programme being submitted. Included among , the list were, such gems as ‘ Siciliana ”, , (Mascagni), “Waft Her Angels” (Handel), “Come into'the Garden, Maud ”■ (Balfe), “My Queen” (Blumenthal), “I will arise . and go to my Father ” (Sullivan), “The Macgregors’, Gathering ” (Lee), “ Take, a Pair of Sparkling Eyes ” 1 'Miss Marjorie Lusher, Mr. Max «■ Scherek, and Mr. Midgley lent able assistance at the piano.