ANTONIA DOLORES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2142, 7 May 1914, Page 3

ANTONIA DOLORES

——^—— SECOND CONCERT Winning audiences is not the simplest i task always. At tiittes a singer way shoot into iavgur like a &tar, and re--1 main fixed in the firmament of public ) favour; others may have a tfick ot tone or stylo that wins ephemeral approval, but it is the complete artist who lays careful siege to thy hearts and minds of I audiences, antl becomes a permanent " memory. Such is Jtdile. Antonia Delores, the singer who is cliimninp: cou-cert-lovers. at the Grand Opera House I this week. There may be room for cri--1 tii'ism—where is there not? —in respect to purely vocal capacity, but tins w>»- . sideration is dwarfed by her art as ,in • interpreter, her capacity to create atmospheres, her admirable diction, and her lovable temperament. With such ■ valuable weapons she wins her way into the conscoiusiiess of those who took and . listen intelligently as a singer to be beard and remembered. Last evening's • programme- was a tklectiiblc one. It p opened with the Hattddian recitative and aria, "If I give .Thee Honour Due" and "Let Me Wander Not Unseen"—a number, like all the arias of Iknde), which makes a eousiderablc demand on ' .the inusiciauly qualities of any singer. . The clarity and HueStcy<of her voice was - heard to advantage in the long runs, s which also exhibited , her Rnishcd phrasing to perfection, In the same bracket : as the aria was given two beautiful eld English songs by Pureell, winch one as- ' eociates with rosemary and old lace. ■ Theso were the dainty lever's plaint, , "I Attempt from Love's Sickness to Fly," and the delicate Arcadian pasterale, "Nymphs and Shepherds," These were interpreted with rare intuition. The atmosphere was nicely sustained--1 in the encore number, a "Pastorale" by Carey, that lias all the- freshness and charm of a spring morning ill the., country. The singer's second essay was the familiar. "Casts JJiva-' aria* bf Bellini, which displayed the I artist's tonal vigpor arid interprctivo subtlety. "Twilight" (Massenet), sjing most sweetly in the half-voice, was a, pearl of song, new to •<-.vctj'oho; < it was richly enhanced by the artistic treatment which it received. Another rich offering was an alia from ChaJpen- - tier's opera "Lflnise," which had not : previously been hoard in "VVellinpeton. i It is a richly melodious love song, light • and peculiarly Pnrisian , ' in character, and is embellished by a very charming accompaniment which Miss Cairos-Rego played very well indeed. Mdlle. Do- ' -lores also sang a melodious serenade by Richard Strauss, ''Deee-ptieu," and . ; "Toujours," both iy Tschaikovsky, a delightful song "Vtsilehen" (the violet) by Cornelius, and "Der Vog-el iin Walde" (Tlio Bird in tire Wood) by Tuubertj and finally, to everyone's delight, "Home, Sweet Home."' • . Mr. John Prouse, who is singing weft, contributed "0 Star of Eve" from ' "Tannhaus'er" (Wagacr) impressively, , and supplemented it with tho merry • lilt "I Cannot Help Loving Time , ' (Johns). 1 His scepmj-part bracket was distinctly interesting. It included Henchel's lovely "Morning Hymn," "0 Ship That Sailest," by Coleridge Tay- ■ lor, with a poignant emotional appeal, and Allitsen's "Thy Voice is Heard Through Rolling Drums." The encore song was Ellen Wright's "Whew 1 Awake." The-pianist, Miss Iris de Cairos-Bego, who played the acconipjiniincnts, exhibited her well-tutored skill in variations on a pastoral air b.y Mozart, and a sprightly'gigno by Orailn. When recalled sho played', with, coramondable [ dejicacy, tho well-known "Wait? Ca« pnne" of Rubinstein. There will, be n complete Change of programme this evening.