CRICKETERS’ CONCERT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5497, 8 November 1878, Page 5

CRICKETERS’ CONCERT.

The last of tbe series of what are knows as the cricketers’ concerts took place at the Imperial Opera House last night, and musically and otherwise it may be said to have been more than moderately successful. The dresscircle was largely patronised, and the stalls were also tolerably well filled, bat the cheaper portions of the house were comparatively empty. Mdlle. Charbonnet’a performances were of coarse tbe principal feature of tbe night, her caprice on airs from tbe “ Grand Duchess” being a splendid piece of instrumentation, richly deserving the rapturous encore to which the eminent pianisce so gracefully responded. In. the “Reverie,” Mdlle. Charbonnet and Mr. Thomas (violincello) were also encored, and her accompaniments to tbe vocal solo “II Baccio” and “The Lover and the Bird” were played soexquisitely astoevokenniversa! appreciation. The young lady who sang “Remember or Forget” has evidently a taste for ballads of the sympathetic class, and she sings, too, with a great'amount of feeling and tuneful accuracy ; she only requires a little more self-possession to enable her to do justice to a voice of great sweetueas and considerable power. She was not quite so successful in “Speak to me” as iu her first effort iu the earlier part of the programme. We have heard “ The joyous life ” sung with a stricter regard to tune, and a greater amount of dash, by Miss H- than she sang it last evening ; but she was a little more successful in “ The lover and the bird,” which was re * demanded. Miss Florence Neville’s vocal solo was too well sung to escape being encored. Considering the age of the performer, “Tbedeath of Nelson” was by no means a bad effort; but in “The angel form,” from “ Satanella.” his voice was displayed to much greater ad vantage, and the audience showed a de> elded preferenceforit by demandinga repetition “Will-o’-the-Wisp” was taken iu too low a key, and consequently too sepulchral to give general satisfaction. The gentleman who s?ng “The tar’s farewell” may claim to stand in the foremost rank of our amateur vocalists; he possesses a fine voice for songs of this class, and he would do well to study a good many that could bo enumerated as eminently adapted to the scope of his vocal powers. The gentleman who sang “ The sexW* did so' moderately well, but he labored under tbe disadvantage of singing while many of the audience were re• gaining their seats after the interval. The cornet dnet, by Messrs. Cetnino and Gray, was exceedingly enjoyable, but their response to an encore, “ I know a bank,” was scarcely so wdl played as we have beard it done by the same performers. It requires something more than ordinary to commend bo hackneyed a recitation as “The charge of the Light Brigade” to the appreciation of an audience, be it ever .so lenient or disinclined to be critical; but Mr. Pascoe can take credit for reciting Tennyson’s immortal panegyric In a way that few amateurs can recite it. Mr. H. N. Montagu’s recitation, “The Bridge of Sighs,” was no doubt the result of study, and given in strict accordance with elocutionary principles, but there was as absence of that sympathetic ring and volume in Mr. Montagu’s voice—a lack of that dee; pathos which is essential to do full justice tc Hood’s beautiful composition. The reading by a gentleman, “ How Gilead Beck became at editor,” was commenced and ended In the same key, and the nasal twang was far too pro noucced to ho even American. The performances of Mdlle: Cbarbonnett and Mist Neville left out of the question, if last night’* concert was to be demurred to it was moffe on account of the’sameness that characterised the items than tbe manner of their execution,' and this feeling suggests the desirability of oui amateurs giving a wider range to their stndicfi than they appear to devote to them, as it in* variably happens that , people hear the same selections over and over again at . every enter* tainmont they go tc, Thu hint Is thnrnn OUI

in the hope that it will ha taken in the spirit that dictates it, aurl that in future our amateur public entertainments will be more diversified in character.

In acknowledgement of Mdlle. Charbonuefc*B kindness in giving her services gratuitously last night the committee of the Cricketers’ Association request us to state, on their behalf, that they trust the cricketers of Wellington will muster in full strength at her farewell concert to-night. Irrespective of the very excellent programme which Mdlle. Oharbonnet will present this evening and the claims which she has for public support as an artiste of extraordinary ability, we think her kindness to tbe cricketers is worthy of recognition at their hands.