CONTRALTO RECITAL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 118, 15 November 1939, Page 15

CONTRALTO RECITAL

MISS ZENA WILMS

An interesting recital, unfortunately only sparsely attended, was given by Miss Zena Willis in the Town Hall Concert Charpber last evening. Possessed of a/ pleasing contralto voice, well modulated arid controlled, Miss Willis selected: a fairly wide range of songs to which, she did rfull justice. Two lieder by•; Robert Franz; "Marie" and "To. the.Night," were followed by two others, rather better known, by Richard Strauss, "Dream Iri/the T\vilighf' and "Devotion." All>four were sung with expression and purpose. Another very charming lieder group con^ sisted of Schubert's "Benumbed," "Thou Art My Rest" and "The Fishermaideri;^- Miss Willis also contributed an attractive, group of Russian songs, "The Dreary Steppe" (Gretchaninoff), "Star of the North" (Glihka), and Tschaikowsky's "None But the Lonely Heart." Handel's "Ombra Mai Fu" and Tirindelli's "O Primavera" were followed by a group bf modern songs, which included "The Statf' (Rogers), "The Wind's an Old Woman" (York Bowen), and "When I Have Sung My Songs" (Ernest Charles)." 7 After each appearance Miss Willis was deservedly recalled, her encore numbers being "The"Hills of Home," "Arise, O Sun," "O Can Ye Sew 'Cushions," "There Is No Death," "I Heard a Forest Praying," and "Two Little Words." Mr. Thomas Wood, whb was also stage manager, contributed several vocal items in a characteristically robust: mannery These ; were "Devotion" (Schumann). "O Could I But Express in SongT. (Malashkiri), any exacting. Verdi aria, "We /.Sw&y Along the .Ridges" (Albert Mallinson). "Clouds." and "The Road to. Mandalay." Miss Jocelyn Walker and Mr. Leslie Soulless opened the programme, with Mendelssohn's. '.'Midsuinhier Right's Dream" hs a; piano- dtiet. This was effectively played and 7was suggestive at times of the orchestral score. Mr. Sour hessT: subsequently played with distinction Weber*s ''Invitation to the Waltz'? and::Schumanh!s "Cradle Song." The vocalists h&d *6 sympathetic and eflv cieritTacddiripahist in Miss Jean KirfcBurnarwL 7; y, :'. .