MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1972, 31 January 1914, Page 12

MUSIC.

[I?r SVLVIVS.J

The Late Mr. James Mule. Madame. Antonia Bolorgi, the popirlar vocalist, will have to seek out a, new manager for her pending Australasian tour, consequent upon the sudden death at Wangamii of Mr. Jlw3.es T. Muir, who has managed tlve two last tours of this distinßuiahed singer, and who had Hfraftgea to manage- this year's tour, Madame Dolores,, accompanied b.y her guido, philosopher, and friend, Madame Vaxidottr, is hew qji tho water, and wifl arrive in Melbourne about tli-e- niid-dleof February.' It was the late Mr, Muir's intention to meet tho party on jt» arrival in Melbourne, and to conimenco the ■ tour of Australasia in Wellington. Mr. i\|uir was secretary of tho company which owns the nesv His Majesty's Theatre at Wnngantii, and was ono of the oldest members of the Wangann.i Liedertafei. Wanganui will miss him. He was a bright active- spirit—one never at rest—a .man with a keen een-so of humour, which he never attempted to veil on any occasion. On "timt account he may have been misunderstood (ag most of ,us arc by some <if the people all the time), but he was out, to produce the be3t results always, whether it ffas as chairman of the Tramways Committee, of tho Borough Council, or hustling for Dolores or tho Wanganui Gairispa Band. " '

Pi»ul pufault Aeain. It k a pleasure to fcnfipuncd the reapijeafauGe in Wellington shortly o f Mr. Pau! Pufault. li'ho is conceded to bo the finest tenor beard in New -Zeajajid far a generation. Mr. pufault, who ts a ireiieh-Canadiari, has iftheritcd all the refinement, deliqaey, and adroitness or French artistry, and to it has edided S. manly strength and reserve wjiich ends impre6senießt to his work, \7ikmi last in Wellington, with Madame Nprtlica there seas no doub't in anyone's mind as to who was the real star of tho combinatioii—it was Mr, Dulault, 3'Ust as it was frhen tho tehp-r aacomRatued Eieanore di Oisnerpa through New Zealand.

Wit-h Mr. John M'Cormack preceding Mr. Diifault by a, few days, ft was inevitable that ooinparisons should lie made- between tho two tenors, both so eminent i« theif profession. I do."not think that thero are many with an jntimate knowledge of the work cf both on the concert platform who rill Jiot concede pride of place to the FrenchCanodjaii. Mr. M'Cofmack has a cliaruiing lyric voice, extremely sweet and pnro, but ho sometimes forces it obviously in a manner detrimental to quality. Hβ sings many of the arias from the Italian o'pj>m very beautiful, and is irresistible in his interpretation of Irish 'ballads, in which his sense-of humour and brogue ore an invaluable aid. But Dufault sounds a de.oper artistic note. There is sterling quality in every note, a perfect Mentling cf tho registers, and he is conscientious, and deeply convincing in his style. There h more body in his voice than there is iu Mr. M'Ctirtna-ek's, and ho line a natural dramatic tang and emotional grace that are linrdlv so veil developed in tho Irishman. Paul Default is certainly tho finest tfliior 1 have heard. - He. fa to sing at tho Opera House on Febnjaro 10, 11, 12, s nd 13.

Notes. ' Cemments ott Sir Edward llgnr's ranst recent wotk, an orchestral tone poem on tho subject of "Falstaff," which \yas ! roeesitly produced in England, seem' to ■ indicate that the work is dull in spots I with brilikint moments. This is sug- ■ ilfto' Jjasliftil, j ;.ymtnj»':'rfnnjsf.orj'whoj on being. aslfcH' if the egg ho was eating ■β-us: a good one, replied, "Paris at itfniy fcord, are exceJient." • It is expected that G-ust,fve Carpontier's, now lyric comedy, '%'Amaur au Faubotirg," reported to ha cast in tiie old style of opera eoffiic(Uq, will bo prodneed in Paris early mjxi spring. Tho same composer's "Julieii," the'successor to ''LoMiso," is to bo prosonted at tho ] Metropolitan Ojiera House iii Noiv York vv-itiiOeraldhie Farrar and Caruso in the leading roles. ■ * { Paderewsld has just won a .suit in i London against tho concert manager T. ] Arthur llussell. Mr. litisscD, it seems, billed a young artist n&med Egon Petri as "an artist whoso playing is to be classed with that of Padercw-1 ■iki." 'flio concerts given by Petri in London wc» fiiven at a small hall at a somewhat reduced price of admission, and Paderewski Won his case on tho ftround that there wa3 an implication i that h§ was no longer able to draw the laTgo audiences that ho h-aS been doing ■ in tho past. There is ample evidence in liis present tour of America to prove thnfc this is nnt so. Hans Richter, the creat Waßiverian rondurtor. wlio speitt iso man;? splentlkl years in England, is uo\y in'retirement in Germany. He has received many requests tn conduct "Parsifal" ftt B&v----renth. but ho invariably declines. "I have bnrnsd fill mv lintons," he declared to a friend in Berlin.