A RUSSIAN SINGER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2958, 22 December 1916, Page 4

A RUSSIAN SINGER

MR. EUGENE OSSIPOFFS CONCERT. Fivo years havo elapsed since Mr. Eugene Ossipoff last visited Wellington, and tho period appears to have' been long enough tor dim the memory of some very brilliant performances. Tho audience that met Mr. Ossipoff in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall last, night was not a .largo one,' and can scarcely bo said to hav6'bccrt r fcp'resen"tativo of the music-lovers of ..tho'city. But good humour is ono of tho characteristics .of this Russian singer. Mr. Ossipoff bxplaiiied in 'his quaint way that ho could not blamo those who wero present for tho neglect of those who had stayed away, and ho proceeded to demonstrate that the people who were not in the hall must blamo themselves for missing a very great treat. His style has mellowed a little since ho was last in Wellington, but ho is still_ remarkable for the perfervid dramatic treatment of bis numbers. His voice is a'rich baritone of considerable volume, and he imparts to his songs a degree of expression, both facial and vocal ; that is unusual as well as attractive.. Mr. ■ Ossipoff's -speciality is the rendering of Russian folk songs, and ho adds materially to the charm of his i numbers by tho chatty comment with which ho introduces them to his audience. Three of theso Russian folksongs wero. on the programmo last night, and their interest and intrinsic musical value wero ■undeniable. One of them was a song of labour—"sung by the workmon when guiding their rafts on the river that the New Zealand geographical books call the Volga" —and another was a dance song, with a curious lilt that somehow brought with it a picture of;the humble gatherings where tho peasant folk dance to'tho music of their primitive instruments. The singer's strongly temperamental method was illustrated well in his opening number, a dramatic solo from Rubinstein's opera' "Nero," followed by'tho familiar' Toreador song from. "Carmen." Mr. Ossipoff was supported by another talented vocalist in the person of Miss Ethneo Clegg, who possesses a musical mezzo-soprano voice of good range and pleasant quality. Miss Clegg joined him in singing tho lightsome Kissing Duet from "Zaza" (Leoncavallo), and tho tuneful "Come, Let TJs Sail" (Mazzoni). Her own' opening solo was an aria from "The. Huguenots" (Meyerbeer), which sho sang with.admirable sympathy and freedom, and all her contributions to the programme were attractive. A third member of the small biit talented combination was Miss Bessie Rogers, ati; elocutionist, who learned her craft from Mr. Laurenco Campbell, the gifted performer with whom Mr. Ossipoff visited Wellington five years ago. Miss Rogers showed herself to bo° a worthy pupil of a groat master. Her chief number was a selection from "Twelfth Night." Tho accompanist was Miss Sylvia Roberts, a clever pianist, who opened the programme with a pianoforte solo. Miss and Mr. Ossipoff sang the Russian National' Anthem and "God Save tho King" at the close of the entertainment. The audience was • warmly appreciative throughout, and insisted upon numerous recalls.

Mr. Ossipoff will givo his second concert this evening; and a third to-mor-row evening, tho programme being entirely new on each occasion. To-night his numbers will include tho aria from the opera "Ruslan" (Glinka), "Prince Ivan's Song" (Allitsen). and Mephisto's Song from "Faust" (Gounod).