Newbury-Spada Company.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 182, 5 February 1896, Page 2

Newbury-Spada Company.

This Company appeared in Wauganui on Monday night, and of their opening performance there the Chronicle says : — Last night the Newbury-Spada Company gave the first of their Wanganui concerts, and, relying ou the foreshadowed reputations of the artiste, a large number of patrons assembled to participate in the promised treat. And -what a treat it proved ! Beautiful and highly trained voices, an artistic selection of the best and most popular vocal items of the day, and a combination of artists such as rarely visit these colonial shores. ' Madame Spada's sweetly modulated ' soprano voice held the audience captive, especially in her cultured interpretation of Handel's supurb air, " Angels Ever ; Bright and Fair.-." A host in himself is Mr Philip Newbury. His first song, i '•'The' Holy City, 1 ' is spmefibing to be 1 remembered. In it the extensive range ] pf his belj-like tenor voipe was heard to ] full advantage, and the vociferous applause which followed the final note was j only what could have been expected. 1 As an encore pieoe he gave the well ( known ditty " Sally in our Ally," and 1 his exquisite rendering of this very '. humble composition clearly indicated y the extent to which culture and art can c elevate the commonplace. " The Death 5 of Nelson " was his item for the. t second part, and in response to the 1 encore which followed he gave that c charming operatic solo " When Other ; Lips." Miss Kitty Grindley's intro- 3 ductory solo was " Sunshine and I Bain," but it was in the second half that c she scored her greatest success, her \ rendering of V She Wore a Wreath of 'J Roses" winning a double recall. She c responded with the quaint Scottish song t " O Whistle and V\\ come tap ye," in c which she was again successful. My t Frederick Hobbs welj deseryes his flape f lin the pompapy, and his deep and s powerful voice could nqt well he spared, t Last, but not least, comes Madame t Louise Herbert, who, in a few words, r can be characterised as one of the best t pianistes that has appeared on the local li boards. The duet, " Una Notte a Vene- \\ zia," sung by Madame Spada and Mr i Newbury, and the two quartettes, were n each of a high order of merit. 1 — —— ■ h