OPERATIC SELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 208, 28 May 1921, Page 7

OPERATIC SELECTIONS

Sir,—On reading (his morning the criticism in your paper of Signor Notariello. I was very surprised to see. the following passage:—“The singer would please many were he to select some of tba better known tenor music from operas such a» ‘Faust,’ ‘Cavalleria.’ 'I Pagliacci,’ etc., instead of selecting numbers that are strange to the large, majority of those he would entertain.” Surely, Sir, this does not stand for progress in that.particular class of music. We in New Zealand have little enough chance of hearing high-class operatic music; why, therefore, try to debar us when we do? I quite agree that the operas mentioned by you are better known than those from which Signor Notariello has selected his songs, but. unfortunately they tend to become hackneyed and are always with us. Do let us further our musical education with, something new!

U was with the greatest satisfaction that when in Auckland a few weeks .ago I saw this gifted artist was selecting songs from operas little, known to this country, such operas as “The Girl of the Golden West,” “Mefistofeles,” and “Tosc-a." operas which are. equally aS beautiful as those you mentioned. It is only by 'hearing such songs that, many New Zealanders have the opportunity of learning that there are very' beautiful operas wliiclr are as yet quite unknown to (hem. It will he a boon to tho musical circles of New Zealand, when they will be able to witness the performance of operas well known in America and England, such as “Aida,” “Gioconda,” “Louise,” “Manon Lescaut,” and many others scarcely known here.—l am, etc, ALUSICAL. May 23, 1921.