MUSICAL RECITAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 December 1920, Page 5

MUSICAL RECITAL.

LEATHAM—SYMONS CONCERT. The audience that greeted Miss Leatham and Miss Symons last night at tile Empire Theatre was an enthusiastic and thoroughly sympathetic one, and, while they gave close and careful attention, there was a drawing quality about the whole performance that compelled attention, and more than once drew weli-merited applause. The platform was tastefully decorated with dainty greenery, and was a pleasing relief to the bareness evinced on previous occasions, and with the auditorium lights left on the whole effect was bright and cheerful. This is the first occasion on which a New Plymouth audience has had the pleasure of hearing Miss Symons, anil she gave us of her very best! Possessed ot keen musicianship, clear insight, and a beautiful instrument, she threw herself heart and souT into the varied moods that the music called for. Her tone was round and full, at times verv rich and though passages were frequently intricate, even to the keen listener there was hardly ever a trace of faulty intonation. '

The programme opened with the Gric Viohn Sonata, Op. ]•), ff hich gave her plenty of scope for every shade of feeling and expression. In the opening movement she displayed a great, breadth of tone, and taking this 'section at a rapid tempo, she played with great brilliance. In th« allegretto movement she | was certainly overweighted «;th her [accompaniments, where much of the isuotle beauty was lost by want of delicacy. This was certainly tp be regretted, as the whole movement is one that lends itself to a wealth of poetry and tantasy. But the last movement'made amends; the pace was fast, and the whole finale was magnificently fiery and impetuous. Her next solo was a Rondo capriccioso by Saint Saens, which was beautifully played; the piano being closed caused the solo part to stand out with much greater clearness," when the audience had far better opportunity of estimating her musical interpretation. For a well-deserved encore she played a plaintiff air by O'Connor Morris, with winsome daintiness. Her closing numbers were her best; the Kol Nidrei by Max Brush was beautifully played, the nuances befog well worked out, and tempo rubato used wtyh great discretion. In the closing Preludium and Allegro by Kreisler she gave a splendid display of her mastery of bowing; two contrasts could hardly have been better selected, the first dreamy and plaintive, and the second abounding with technical difficulties that to her seemed quite easy, '-hi' was ably supported by Miss Leatham, who played these accompaniments W'th more effectiveness than anv of the Others during the evening. For a most decided encore Miss Svmons plavcd a brilliant Saltarcllo by E. German. Miss Leatham has' lost none of her fire and brilliance of execution. At times one might wish for a little more poetic sentiment, but ripening experience will surely bring this; bill, on the whole her playing was wonderfully exact. Her most important contribution was the Symphonic Etudes of Schumann, of which she played the whole twelve num'ers. except for making a well-chosen cut m the last page but one of the ! Finale. There was a disposition at tunes to force the lone of the piano, particularly in No. 11l and No. VI, and this was distinctly harsh; but she'took the whole set at such a high speed that one may perhaps overlook the question of tone. Miss Leatluun opened with N'huhcrt-Liszt '"Soiree de V'ienne," to which her audience asked an encore, and she responded with McDowell's "Hescentiiiiz. Miss Leathnm closed the recital with a spirited performance of Lisa's magnificent l'olonaisc in E, a work requiring .tremendous power, and almost at an instant changing to passages at once of fairy daintiness and furious speed. As concluding encore she played the Liszt transcription of the Pilgrim s Chorus from Tannhauscr. During the early part, of the evening both ladies were recipients of a con-' j siderable number of beautiful bouquets, j