MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1728, 19 April 1913, Page 9

MUSIC.

— ■ L - * ' s, ■ FBt Treble Cief.T

"Carmen" on Tuesday. On Tuesday next tho Royal Wellington Choral Society is to perforin l in concert form Bizet's opera, "Carmen," which ranks to-day as one of the most popular of grand operas extant. The rolo of Carmen has been represented , in at least two distinct ways by prominent .exponents —the one as a light-hearted irresponsible Spanish coquette, who is not conscious of the tragic havoc she is tho author of in jilting Jose, and the other as a designing adventuress, who finds morbid pleasure in toying with the great passions. The singer who created the part, Madame Galli Marie, was criticised for her coarse animalism. Her interpretation, however, was doubtless near Bizet's ideal, and has been followed by Pauline Lucca, Mdlle. Marie Gay, and the greatest of all Carmen's Calve. . Those who have given softer representations ai» Minnie ITauk, Mario Roze, Patti, Trebelli, and Zelie de Lussan. The concert performance will not lend itself to histrionic elfort, as the play 1 of emotions, will bo. confined to vocal interpretation. The cast will include Madame Carmen Pinschof (of Melbourne) as Carmen; Mndiuno Weilenrt (of Auckland) as Micaolci; Mr. Frank Graham (of l'nvercargillj as Don Jose; and Mr. Hamilton Hodges as Escamillo. Tho minor parts will be puiiK bv Miss Gertrude Hunt. Hiss Muriel Bennett,-Messrs. E. .1. Hill, H. Philips, and F. W. Laycoek. This will be the last performance of the society lo he conducted by Mr. Maughan Harnett. The Butt-Rumford 'Support. What is said <o be a good company has been secured to support Madame Clara Butt and Mr. Kenncrley Rumford on their forthcoming tour of Australasia. The leading artist is Mr. \\ illiam Murdoch, the famous Australian pianist, and two other members of the company are Mr. Harold Craxfon, the well-known London accompanist, anil Mr. Mowat'drier, a distinguished violinist, who studied with success at Leipsie, and has made several distinguished apuearances on the Continent.' Madame 'BullVlour will be inaugurated at lhi.> new Auditorium Hall iu Collins SI reel, Melbourne, on May 17. and Hie renowned' ionlr<illo will co In Adelaidn, where -lie will open h°r |:-iir nn .liiiif 7. Iter Sydney -w-mi com nances en .li;u« 21, and liiler on Mio nill visit Bijftbau l , Auilralin,

and Now Zealand, making a comprehensive tour of the Dominion. Miss Rosina Buckmnnn. This criticism of 'the New Zealand soprano, who tang with success as a. member of .Madame Molba's Opera Company in Australia, appeared in llm London "Daily Telegraph," February 27:—Only a. month ago Rosina Buckinaiin earned vvry favourable comment in these columns on tin; occasion of her first appearance ill London as a. ballad singer. Tlio work she did in the court-re of a recital at Steiinvay Hall last night showed her gifts in a different aspect, for she elected to bo heard in the air, "Hi Cluamano Mimi," from "La Boheinc," and in a group of lio'der, from. Wolf and Strauss. If only [Miss Buekmann would be content to avoid tho soprano's besetting sin, and not force her liigh notes, her singing would deserve unreserved commendation. When she keeps her intensely dramatic impulses well under control it is a real pleasure to listen to her, for her diction is admirable, her phrasing smooth and intelligent, and tho quality of her voice—especially in its lower range—warm and appealing. Activity of Saint-Saans. Tho composer of "Samson and Delilah," the most successful opera of Madame Mclba's productions in Australia in 1911, is wonderfully active for a. man of 78. For thirty years Camillc Saint-Saens had been thinking about an English oratorio. Ho is now finishing "Tho Promised Land," which,is to be performed for the first time at the Gloucester Festival in England during tho month of September. Interviewed last month about music in England, Um composer said:—"Your lan. guagc is against successful English opera, but if you have no opera you have oratorio in which you excel. It is your equivalent. lam at the moment naturally .imieli interested in this particular musical form. And how suited it is to your English character! 'The Promised Land' is drawn, of course, from 'Exodus,' and I find tho language of 'the Biblo splendidly suitable to serious- musical treatment. You ask me whether I think tho English are a musical nation? How can I not say 'Yes,' when I remember all the concerts at which I have assisted in England, and the magnificent hospitality you have always shoirn to mo? And you have some fine composers. Elgar is a friend I admire, and Parry I love. Sullivan, too, was a great friend of! mine. What charming work he did! I remember many years ago when I was in England visiting Cambridge to receive an honorary degree; there I met Tschaikbvskjv He had then just written the 'Symphonic Pathetique.' He was'enjoying himself immensely, and ho seemed as happy as he could be. A few weeks later we heard of his death from cholera at Petersburg." i Saint-Saens lias been honoured by the two great English Universities. In 1892 he received his Doctorship of Music at the University of Cambridge. In 1907 ho was similarly honoured at Oxford. In lS79,he wrote a cantata, "The Lyre and the Harp" for the Birmingham Festival. Hardly any branch of musical art has been left untouched by ■ Saint-Saens. An Extraordinary Incident. An extraordinary incident was witnessed during one of tho scries of concerts that Paderewski is now giving in Poland (says a cable message to a Sydney paper). The famous pianist is in his native land, and his countrymen have been manifesting, the most intense enthusiasm over his performances. In Warsaw.-recently Paderewski met with a tremendous reception. Several of the audience- brought boqucts and wreaths of red and white flowers, decorated with amaranth streamers, but as these are the Polish colours tho Russian police seized the floral tributes and cut off the streamers before allowing tho flowers to bo handed up to the platform. Death of Thomas Riccardi. Mr. Thomas Riccardi died at his 'residence, Darlinghurst, Sydney, on April (i, nt tho ago of Gt years. He"was a notable singer ill his day, and had a wide reputation in Australia and Now Zealand in errand and comic opera.- Ho was born in 'I'higland, but studied 'foi' five years in. Italy,' afterwards appearing in that country in grand opera, and in. the United States. Ho went to New Zealand in the Seventies on a. holiday, and decided to stay there. The reputation of the new Gilbert 'and Sullivan operas was just beginning to reach New Zealand, and peoplo wero curious to hear this music, which had become such a Tago in London. Riccardi organised a company of amateurs and produced "H.M.S. Pinafore," and "The Pirates of Penzance." The success of the production- was extraordinary; the company was developed into a professional one, and for several years toured New Zealand. Riccardi camo to Australia and was.engaged by Mr. J. C. Williamson for tho first productions in. this country of several of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. His most successful partfr were the MajorGeneral in "The Pirates of Penzance," and Captain Corcoran., in "H.M.S. Pinafore." After leaving tho stage Mr. Riccardi devoted his time to teaching singing in Sydney. 'Miss Grace Palotta has received good news of Miss Amy Castles from a friend, who wrote to her from Vienna last month. It seems that when the Australian cantatrice made her first appearance at the Vienna Opera House late last year, she soon succumbed' to colds and throat trouble, but she resumed work in January, and made pronounced successes as Madame Butterfly and as Mimi, and in other characters. It is exactly three years since this lyric soprano made her grand opera debut as Cho Clio San at tho Sydney Theatre Royal, and she then sang threo or four roles in English. Originally she studied her repertoire in French under M. Bouhy iii Paris: so that her engagement at the Imperial Opera House was preceded by arduous study of the various characters, in German.