THE CHORAL HALL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 996, 8 April 1909, Page 17

THE CHORAL HALL.

THE HAMILTON HODGES BENEFIT A crowded building! Every seat filled; gallery and organ-loft alike overflowing with an intensely critical yet profoundly interested and enthusiastic audience. Such was the sight that met Mr. Hamilton Hodges as he stepped on to the platform of the Choral Hall on Friday evening to take part in the complimentary concert tendered to hiim by the musicians of Auckland. The rounds of eager applause with which he was greeted attested both the popularity and the fame of the singer. For Mr. Hamilton Hodges is famous. He stands in the front rank of New Zealand vocalists; is, indeed, the premier bass singer of the Dominion. No other singer now before the public exhibits such magnificent powers. His voice is rich and melodious to a degree; he sings sympathetically, interpreting with wonderful fidelity the mood—one might almost say the thought—of the great composers in the numbers he selects from the most massive oratorios or from the lighter gems of minstrelsy in which idyllic warmth and rapture are uppermost. In splendid voice on Friday, Mr. Hamilton Hodges sang magnificently, and (as those who have repeatedly heard him say) as he has seldom sung before. But the occasion was an inspiration in itself, and the honour conferred upon the singer by the large audience which had gathered to hear him, seemed to be reflected back in every note sung. There was infinite variety in the numbers Mr. Hodges selected for his farewell performance in Auckland. In the celebrated air from “ Elijah,” “ It is Enough,” he was heard at his best, the bass solo being given with thrilling power and effect. In forte as well as in pianissimo passages there was not even the sign of a break in the

harmony, and with it all there was a subdued sweetness of expression which in no way detracted from the more rugged parts of the music. An encore, loudly demanded, resulted in a delightful little number being sung, which strangely moved the audience. In his other programmed numbers, Mr. Hodges was equally successful. Masse’s “ L’Oiseau S’Envole ” (Paul et Virginie), Von Fielitz’s “ Ja, Du Bist Elend,” and the aria, “ Largo al Factotum,” from Rossini’s “Il Barbiere,” all sung in the original tongues; and Lohr’s ballads: “You Lov’d the Time of Spring,” “ Eyes that used to Gaze in Mine,” and “ Youth Has a Happy Tread,” made up a widely diversified and sufficiently tuneful selection, such as would have taxed the powers of any singer. And Mr. Hodges came through it all smiling—winning by the mystic charm of song and the wealth of musical notes the hearts of all his hearers, as was shown by the prolonged applause and the repeated encores, which afforded him the opportunity of airing his favourite solos, always chosen in the best of taste. It was really a delightful little programme Mr. Hodges contributed himself, and his final appearance with Mrs. Hodges in the duet, “At Love’s Beginning ” was made the occasion of a great demonstration. The Lyric Quartette Party, consisting of Messrs. Colin Muston, G. E. Poore, G. A. Paque, and T. E. Midgely, assisted in the programme by singing “ The Day’s Farewell ” and “ Tattlebury Market ” (both of which were encored), while Madame Wielaert sang Bishop’s “Lo! Here the Gentle Lark”; Miss Blanche Garland gave the English version of Schubert’s “ Der Wanderer ” (both ladies being deservedly encored); pianoforte, flute, and violin solos being also rendered by Miss Elsiie Hamilton, Mr. G. Edward Poore, and Mr. Colin Muston, L.R.A.M., the

whole making a very effective programme. Miss Hamilton’s playing of Liszt’s Legende, “ St. Francis Walking on the Waves,” was possibly the finest instrumental effort of the evening.