PAUL DEFAULT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2927, 13 November 1916, Page 3

PAUL DEFAULT

FAREWELL SEASON OPENED

Tho "Colosto Aida" aria, the Shadow Song (Dinorah), a duet from "Carmen," and tho fine Rondo from Spanish Symphony (Lalo); these were the outstanding features on last Saturday's programme at the Grand Opera, House. Their Excellencies Lord and Lady Liverpool were present, and Goneral Henderson was of the viceregal party. The house was crowded. Tho concert was one of a series of farewell performances, and the music-loving public of Wellington is sorry—the chanco comes but seldom of hearing a tenor of Mr. Dufault's calibre. Mr. Dufault is musical interpreter as well as singer, uniting a charming personality to a well-managed voice, and even the simplest music is invested witK new meanings. Opening with the aria, "Celeste Aida," from Verdi's opera, the tenor proved to be in excellent voice, the somowhat heavy music calling for range and flexibility. As an encore Mr. Dufault sang (by request) "When Song is Sweet." In this number the singer was not so pleasing. The song itself is not great—it is obviously faulty in construction; tho words do not suit the slow movement. Such a fault doubtless accounts for the merging of "is" into "only," as in "life izzonly sweet, my dear." There also seemed a tendency to clip the "t" off "sweet." However, we must censure the song rather than the singer—perfect enunciation is ordinarily a strong feature of Mr. Dufault's work. "Audacity" was added, piquantly sung in French. The "Carmen" duet ; in which the tenor was associated with Mass Pauline Bindley, evinced nice balance. The encore was "Nearest and Dearest," and was- rendered pleasingly. Another of Mr. Dufault's offerings was a song bracket, . "Sacrament" (MacDermid), "Tho Kiss" (Thomas); and "Peace Triumphal" (Marshall). The latter, rendered in a spirited manner, was an appropriate item. One of two encore songs, "The Four-Leaf Clover," was delightful. "The Birth of Spring" (Steffen), Massenet's Elegie (with violin obbli<mto), and "Inter Nos" (MacFadyen) were other of Mr. Dufault's items, not forgetting the "Marseillaise," without which a Dufault concert would bo incomplete. Easily the best of Miss Pauline Bindley's work was the "Shadow Song" (Dinorah). Tho difficult unaccompanied passages, in which the voice can so very easily lose key, were correctly sung, and the singer accorded tho music proper delicacy of treatment. Miss Bindley's upper register is of singular purity. She was thus heard to great advantage in "The Wren" (Lohniaun), and in the Chaminado item, "L'Ete," using a trill judiciously and effectively. One would have liked to hear "Tho Fairy Pipers," a dainty conceit rendered by Miss Bindley on her previous visit.

. Miss Florence Scapini is a young and clever violiniste. The Rondo from Spanish Symphony was a sound piece of work, carefully played, but a little cold in tone. "Hojro Kati" (Hubay) suited her better. Miss Scapini's encores were "Salut D'Amour" (Elgar) and Lemare's charming Andantino. Tho second farewell concert is advertised for to-night. The box plan is at the Bristol.

To-night Mr. Dufault will introduce several songs that aro new to Wellington audiences. Among these are "Ecstasy," by the American composer, Mrs. Beach, and "Requiem," a beautiful new song by Sidney Homer, the composer of "How's My Boy?" The programme will also include two new French songs, whose titles, translated, are "The Three Prayers" and "Love Me Well." The operatic selection for to-night is the prayer from "Lo Cid." '