MRS. COTTERELL’S CONCERT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5183, 1 November 1877, Page 3

MRS. COTTERELL’S CONCERT.

The complimentary benefit concert given' to Mrs. George Cotterell last night may he fairiy_ classed as tfce"greatest success bT the Wellington season,' Whether we look at the number of the audience or the class of music presented to them, we must arrive at the some result, namely, that the concert was an unqualified success. The performers had been carefully selected, and only the ablest amateurs we have amongst us took a part. The result was that the interest of the audience was never permitted to flag, and in item after item upon the programme they were treated to the highest class of music it has been our pleasure to listen to for some time. The audience, if perhaps somewhat uuenthusiastic, was a select and a critical one, and, we venture to say, left the hall last evening with the same pleasurable feelings that we experienced. Without going at length into the programme it may be said at once that the gem of the evenin" was the instrumental trio by Reissiger, op. 15. Herr Schott presided at the pianoforte, and Mr. Bennington and Mr. Thomas played respectively the violen and violincello. The music had been carefully rehearsed, and each performer was a perfect master of his instrument. We cannot recollect even having beard anything better rendered in Wellington” than this trio, and it is to be regretted that with such talent among us there should be so little music of this class given to the public. Mrs. Cotterell contributed several songs to the programme, and each of them was rendered with the elegance and sweetness that always characterises that lady’s singing. But of all that she sang the palm must be given to the Hon. Seymour Egerton’s set ting of Longfellow’s well-known words, ’ “ The reaper and the flowers,” with a violin obligato played by Mr. Bennington Mrs. Cotterell sang this song at the late concert given at St. Mark’s Church, and hearing it for a second time we were more puzzled than before which to admire most, the graceful treatment of the poem by the composer, or the rendering it received last night at the hands of Mrs Cotterell and Mr. Bennington. To an encore loudly demanded on her singing “Until green leaves come again,” Mrs. Cotterell responded with that weird and lovely little song of Meyerbeer’s, “ The Fishermaiden,” and we need hardly say that it received complete justice at her hands, “ Once again was sung by a lady it always gives us pleasure to listen to, and we regret she did not accept the encore which she not only deserved but received. A gentleman well known m our amateur circles as possessing the finest voice we have, "ave us two songs, for the last of which, “Nancy Lee,” hereceived a well-merited encore. Balfe’s well-known duet ” The Sailor sighs was very pleasingly sung by a lady and gentleman whose talents and love of music deserve more than the passing notice our space is able to afford. Of the other duets we would particularly notice “Si m’ami ancor from Irovatore, which Mrs. Cotterell sang with a gentleman whose musical abilities are but too little heard at our concerts. We next come to the concerted music, of which Cursebmann’s “Tiprego” is undoubtedly entitled to the chief praise. Perhaps its position in the programme as the last piece was inappropriate, but we understand this was unavoidably caused by the necessary alteration of the programme at the last moment, in consequence _of the absence of another glee for men’s voices, for which it had to be substituted. Of the Old Romans ” we must he permitted to say that it hardly received that delicate rendering at the hands of its performers that the composition requires, and we thought we detected occasionally an unsteadiness in the bass, arising probably from imperfect rehearsal. But the faults in the whole performance were slight compared with its undoubted merits, and we * must. not be captious where so much room is left - for praise. "We cannot conclude without mentioning the violineello solo, which, with the advantage of Herr Schott’s masterly accompaniment, was a great treat Indeed this piece and the trio we have before referred to, were rendered in a manner that would throw no discredit on St. James’ Hall and Herr Joachim himself. The members of the Choral Society’s band, under the leadership of Mr. Edwards, played two overtures in excellent time and with great spirit, and together with the orchestral pieces we have already referred to, formed a pleasing complement to the vocal part of the concert.