MR. SPENCER LORRAINE'S PUPILS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 984, 26 November 1910, Page 8

MR. SPENCER LORRAINE'S PUPILS.

It is-distinctly regrettable that' : Mr.' Spencer Lorraine .is leaving .Wellington. Quite unobtrusively he came hero eighteen, months, ago , to teach voice production and interpretation,.: and what he has accomplished, in that brief period opened the eyes and astonished the ears of the audience which packed the Concert Chamber last evening. The usual,'run of pupils' concerts leave something to be desired, but in. the case of. .Mr. .Lorraine, it may be stated that he has discovered a garden where a desert.was.thought. .to .exist. "The standard maintained, throughout a long and ambitious programme was surprising.- Not only were there admirable voices, .but the production, interpreta-. tion, and. enunciation were in almost overy case astonishingly good, and at the conclusion of the concert. Mr. Lorraine was accorded an ovation which he well deserved. The programme opened : with Barnby's part-song, "Sweet May," sung, very. , nicely, by sixteen female voices, in. ■ three parts.. Mr. ■C.. H. Blundell, the opening soloist, displayed a: lyrical baritone; voice .of musical quality, in.. Tschaikowsky'e. song, "Oh,. iSut to Hear Thy Voice.-V.v-:Miss!-Chad-/ die Beauchamp, the possessor Vof a, pretty, .little soprano -voice,, sang ;Eva dell'Acqua's "Villanelle" (With the Swallow), very charmingly, the many'trills and cadenzas with which,: the song abounds, with' commendable assurance and .finish. As an encore sh« sang "You and I," 'a dainty cameo in song, slightly marred by an affected pronunciation, which she would ■■ do well to correct. Miss Zolma Hugo, who sang.Schira's difficult "Sognai," has, a contralto voice with lots -of good notes, but somewhat uneven in quality. Sho . was encored, and gave. a very sound reading of "Still is tho Night." One of the : delightful surprises of 'the evening was the • singing of' the famous. "Bel Raggio" Cavatina from Rossini's opera "Seniiramido" by Miss Rita Lyons. This young lady has a pure, lyrical eoprano voice, with a fine glint. of gladness which makes it vocally magnetic. Her phrasing was good, and she sang the rapid cadenzas .without any suspicion of sliir, and made the best use. of her superb top register with a .freedom and spirit that gave the keenest pleasure. She was accorded an ovation,' and sang the "Priere,"fromPuecini's "La Tosca," very creditably Mr. Ernest Parkes "fired his admirers to enthusiasm with a spirited interpretation (in English) of the celebrated Prologue to Leoncavallo's one-act tragio opera, "I Pagliacci." It was an ambitious effort, but Mr. ,Parked-• blessed with' a-voice naturally rich in quality, made light of the work, and achieved, what was little short of a, triumph;' He was similarly successful in tne "Toreador" song from "Carmen," which' he isa'ng in ringing stylo. His.-.encores were "Absent, Yet Present" ! (M. V. White) and "Out of,the Darkness" (d'Hardelot). Miss Eileen Ward, ridding herself of a certain vocal flaccidity, acquitted herself well in Gounod's "La Remo de Saba," aiid, warmly encored, sang Brahm's "Good Night" acceptably. Mr.R. R. Orr set himself a task in selecting -Korbay's folk-lore soiigs for his debut numbers, but his serviceable baritone and vocal sincerity carried him to success. His songs were,; ','Had a Horse'? and "Shepherd, See Thy Foaming Mane." Another distinct" triumph was scored by Miss May Newman, whose vocal capabilities have been improved beyond recognition. With fine repose, and without apparent effort, she gave an almost faultless interpretation of .that florid aria "Piano, Piano," from "Der Freischutz" (Weber). Her voice has been brought right forward, whilst still, held under sure control. As an encore sho sang Grieg's "Swan-Song," with much charm. Miss Cleo. Fernandas has" aprecious jewelJn-a contralto voice "of fine range, life, and colour, 'which should keep her in demand for the concert platform. Her number was Cherubini's "0 Salutaris," which she intoned with good expression and deep feeling. As an encore sho sang ."If Thou Wert Blind" (Noel Johnson). Mr. Clifford O'Kccfe, a fine bass, sang Halcvy'e "So II Rigor" and Gounod's "Vulcan's Song." Still another surprise awaited the audienco in. Miss IC. Davis, whose bright, flexible voice,-trained to the 'vicinity.of perfection, was heard in tne ".Ah, Fors e Lui" aria from "La Traviata." Her effort revived the enthusiasm, and she had to supplement tho operatic number with Maliinson's charming/song. "To An Isle in the Water." ."A quartet, consisting of Messrs. R. Robertson, E. J. Hill, E. Parkes, and R, K. Orr, sang Schubert's "Serenade," and Misses "Newman, Lyons, and Fcrnomlos' sang the trio, ,"Ti prego o padre eterno" (Curschm.imi), really admirably. This voryreiinarkablo concert concluded amidst great enthusiasm with- the jolly "Spinning Wheel"! quartet from- "Martha" '(Flotow), sung with delightful abandon , ■by Misses Newman and Fernandos arid Messrs. E. J. Hill and R, R. Orr, The i accompaniments of Mr. Spencer Lorraiuo were consummate art. He is the .best/accompanist heard in. Wellington since Mr. Mallinson, and tho success of last evening's concert was largelj I due to this feature. ■■