MADAME GODDARD'S CONCERT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 264, 6 November 1874, Page 2

MADAME GODDARD'S CONCERT.

The Provincial Hall was again filled last night with a de ighted audience on the occasion of Madame Goddard 'a last appearance In Ne eon. To speak first of the minor stars, we may s *y that Herr Doebler played hia pieces with great brilliancy and effect, and was twice encored. Mrs .my the appeared to increase in pub ie favor, and was encored in every one of her solos. Mr Skinner's voice is not powerful The accompaniments by Mr Harcourt Lee attracted very general attention by their brilliancy of execution, and the manner in which they were adapted to the voice or instrument with which tbey were played. Of Madame Goddard's performances on the piano we cannot speak in sufficiently high terms. Her great piece last night was Beethoven's Funeral March Sonata, in which her playing waa grand in the extreme. The andante was perfect in its simplicity and d.pthof feeling; the third variation gave the player an opportunity of displaying bery wonderful elasticity of wrist, and delicacy as touch, the staccato with both hands being really marvellous. But all the changes md ■ variations lhat preceded ife, beautiful as/they were, sunk, as it were, into absolute nothingness before the magnificent Funeral March. Our pen is quite inad< quate to give even the faintest idea of the way in which the great artist rendered this really sublime worky Commencing softly, solemnly, and meloit*. ously, the marcfr gradually works upwards/a tone andexpresaion until under thehandsof tjhe magician who controlled it, the piano poured forth volumes of sound tbat might almost have been likened to those produced by a full orchestra. And then came tbe muffled drums, and the w-.il.ng melody dying away in the distance, and falling, aa it were, to the faintest of whispers. The effect upon the audience is not ea-ily described, and it wav n>t dispelled until Ma 'ame G ddard dashed into the vivacious finale, which .ho played with exquisite lightness and delicacy. Throughout the whole of the twenty minutes that were occupied in paying this beautiful sonata, there was a breathless silence in the crowded room, in strong contrast to which was the bur-t of applause that followed it. The next piano selection was the "Prayer " fr m Rossini's « Mose in Eglto." In his arrangement of this piece Thalberg seems W huve been determined to include s eve/y im ginable difficult. , the chords sweeping from one end of the keyboard to the other, while, at the same time, through the volume of sound thus produced, ithe melody always c lines out with clearness and distinctness. At the conclusion of this most fatiguing piece Ma ame Goddard was so loudly applauded that sh > could not refuse an encore, and with great sweetness and pathos she played a number of the most familiar Scotch air?. The last piece on the programme was a most fitting one with which to bring the concert to a close, being a Fantasia introducing "Ruli^ Britannia " and " God save the Queen," c* pressly composed ior Madame Goddard pf Jules de Sivrai, who, in doing so, had fa deutly carefully studied her rare gifts./ Ih the latter air especially her playing was wonderful, there being something grand in the extreme in ihe crashing chords in which the old spirit-stirring tune was conveyed tb the ears of the audience, who, as Madame Godd rd rose from the piano, rose also from their seats a d greeted her with three hearty cheers, while bouquets innumerable were show, red upon the stage. We are glad to , hear that Madame Goddard i . to delighted witb the reception she has met with in Nelson, that sh^ means, if possible, to give another coiicert here when on ber way to Auckland.