FAREWELL CONCERT TO MISS ROTA YODNG.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14841, 5 December 1913, Page 9

FAREWE LL CONCERT TO MISS ROTA YODNG.

Practically all tno concert stars of the city appeared at the Choral Hall last night when a farewell concert waa ! tendered to Miss Rima Young, who is about to leave Christchurch for Sydney. The programme consequently was an unusually brilliant one, and provided a feast of music which afforded the utmost enjoyment to tho largo audience present. Of tho many excellent items submitted eeveral stood out with un doubted prominence, chief among these being the pianoforte soli contnT luted by Mi&s Rima Young herself, and tho vocal numbers given, by Madame Gower Burns. Miss Young,' oa a „_ pearance, was greeted enthusiastically. She opened vim a "Romance" by Sibelius, charmingly played, and followed with an."Arabesque" (Debussy) and "Fa-taisie-lnipj omptu" (Chopin). The elaborate aud varied movetneuts of the 6econd number wero skilfully interpreted, and a high pitch of excellence was reached in tlie third, was played sympathetically and d__j*_ily. Prolonged appiauo*. greeted iiiss Young when she concluded, and on recall a bower of bouquets were harded up to her. Miss Young's abilities as a solo piani-ste were well demonstrated in tho numbers played, ard the enthusiastic reception accorded ler testified to tho appreciation of those abilities by the audience, composed as they wore largely of musical experts. Madame Gower Burns was in splendid voice. Her main items were a recitative and aria from ••f/E.-fant Pt<;digue'* (Di bussy), into which a va-jt amount, of operatic feelinc was thrown and an elaborate number from ■ r 'Fra Diavolo" which mado great oernands on the resources of her voice, t-nd not in vain. Her most-successful efforts, however, were hor encoro numbers, which were of a lighter character, and gave the artiste a better opport'iiiitv of making use of her undoubted facility ard ability in bringing out ail the life, brightness and joyousness .charauteristieof the songs *'he selected. Her items were a notable oontributio-i to the progran.me. Considerable interest wa.s taken in tho appeararce of Miss M'Uiccnt Jennings and Mr Frank Charlton. The two gave the duet "Dear Love of Mine." This number was one of the artistic triumphs of tho evening It'excelled from a technical point of view; it showed also the possession on the part of the two of the genuina nrtiitio temucrament in tho interpretation of songs. Miss Jennings also achieved .**ucces3. in a solo from "La Figlia" (Donniuettii. and Mr Charlt-on -sang "Had a HoW" witn considerable dramatic force, 'and for an encore '"My Fairest Child " H,is voice was full ai;d smooth and was used with precision The instrumentalNitems were prominent and ■ enjoyable* features of the programme. A quintet, an allefro by Schumann, was played by Misses . 'Morris (violin), V. A'Court (vioiin), N. Mclntyro Mola), Mrs J. Guthrie ('cello), anrl-Mtss Rima Young <jriano). This produced hearty applause. A trio by Mrs Guthrie, -Miss A'Court, and Miss Young was equally successful. The third instrumental selection was a duet for two violins by Misses I.' Morris and V. A'Court, who played two movements from a suite by Moskowski. Tlio ladies did not seem to be at home in the first movement; it was played unevenly. Tho second, however, received a wry fino and spirited interpretation. Songs by Mr George March and Mr Harry Gill completed what .was altogether a notable musical event.