THE "AUSTRALIAN NIGHTINGALE" IN ASHBUBTON.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1794, 20 March 1888, Page 2

THE "AUSTRALIAN NIGHTINGALE" IN ASHBUBTON.

Ao might have been anticipated, the appearanea of Mfsa Amy Sherwin at the Oddfellows' Hall drew a full house last evening, though not bo orowded as we had thought would be tho oiqg ; and certainly, high an expectation had run, tho estimate formed by the public of the treat m atnre was more than realised, the only fault which It was possible to fiad being that the enjoyment was not more prolonged, the concert, including the interval, oooupylug barely two houra. The programme opened with tho duet " Tha Fiahermtvo," In which the tenor and baritone voices of Messrs H. W. Stock well and Arthur Shorwln wore heard to great advantage, being delightfully balanosd ; and this was followed by Mncfarrea'a well-known song " The beating of my own Heart," Rn eatabliehed fr.vorite, to which the clear, bell -like soprano of Miss Finoher did comploto justice. Then came a Btirring reDderlng of " Tha MacgregrcrB 1 Gathering," which gave Mr St'.ckwtll tha cppoituuity of displaying tha noh volumn of hta full, pure, rounded torea, used with » verve which thrilled tho hon;-e and won for him loud and well deaerved applause. Thia had Boaroaly died away when Mibs Shorwin made her appearance and wa3 greeted with a demonstration of weloome, auoooeded by the stillness of hashed expectation as her magnifioent voice trilled forth the opening notes of "The Swiss Echo Song." And it is a magnificent voice, auch as is BBldom Bpproaohed iv truth, purity, volume, and power, and every mueioal ear was delighted aa each intricate passage of a d ffisult and ornate composition waa rendered with a perfection reatful and satisfying m its completeness A burst of applanso, at the conclusion, rang through the hou3o, and the fair oan'atrioe had thrice to return and bow her acknowledgments. Then Mr Leromone gave a tagte of his qua'lty a3 & fhutiat — and a raretaatelt wan— in " The Carnival," a fantasia, m which hia execution was simply perfeo', "The Soldier's Goodbye," Mr Sherwin, whioh succeeded, scarcely calla for any cpeolal remark, and then came the cloeuiog item of the. first part of the concert, the trio (from the Robo ot Castile) "I'm not the Quoon " m which Mlsa Sherwin'a glorious tones were well complemented by the well-balanced performance!! of Miaa Flachpr and Mr Stook*ell. After the interval, Mr Stockwell, who waa by thia time evidently suffering a little from hoaraeneas, due to a cold whioh he had unfortunately contracted, eeaayed 11 Good Night Beloved" which owing to the cause mentioned, ho wag nnable to complete, and Mr Sherwin kindly filled the hiatus by giving admirably "I will conquer or die." Tbia waa the prelude to the masterpiece of tho evening, Mlsa Sherwiu's rendition of Biahop'a "Lo here the^ gontle Lark" with flute obligate, by Mr Lemnaono. Worda fail ua to desorlbe the exquisite treat whioh thia afforded to the delighted audience, who { llatenod with rapt attention to a performance simply perfect both aa to voo»Haation and instrumentation, voice and flute being m the moat perfeot acoord through the intrioato mazia of the moat delightful harmonies, oloac and beautiful m the liquid softneai of their notea, aa the musio of silver bells stealing over the watora of a placid lake; The loud plaudits which burst forth at the conclusion, and the reiterated encores admitted of no denial, and Mlbs Sherwin graoefuliy yielded to tha demand by giving " Way Down tho Swarmee Biver " with a beauty of tone and a power of expreoaion of which | no one until now had Buapectecl the little ditty of being capable. Than came "Forgive Forget," which afforded M(bb Sherwin another opportunity of deepening the good impression she had already made upon the audience, and next, another exquisite treat m Mr Lemmone's rnatchleea rendering upon the flute of a Fantaaia upon well-known Wolah airs This was, indeed, a wonderful performance, Mr Lemmone'a fingering and breathing are Blaiply marvellous, the instrument, m bis hands and under his lipa seeming to be duplicated, nay, almost triplicated at will, and full of 'hurraoniea and oohooa of harmonics,' which pour forth ns if under the control of a musical magician. He was loudly and enthualaatljoally oncored, and vouobaafed m acknowledgment a wonderfully executed series of variations on the well-known Scottish »lr, " Thoro ia no luck aboot the Hooao." The trio, "Through the World " (from tha Bohemian Qk\), jMlbb Fiocher, and Messrs Stockwoll and Shorwin, completed the programme of the greatest musical treat we have had m » Aahburton for many a long day. We Bhonld not forgot to' mention that during the ending Mr W. H. Koeen frequently acted ao accompanist (pianoforte) with excellent taste and admirable s^ill,