A DRAMATIC TENOR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7945, 22 January 1906, Page 7

A DRAMATIC TENOR.

Recently a Congress of Commerce and industry was Held in Venice, and the local committee oy way of -entertaining their guests, engaged the Verdi Orchestra, and gave them a concert. In Venice, alike Queen of Arts and Commerce, such an arrangement seemed particularly appropriate; one could not help wondering, remarks a Melbourne clergyman, who was present on the occasion, how long it will be before the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce spends a couple of hundred pounds in providing a similar artistio entertainment for its visitors. The concert was held in theTeatro Goldoui, close to the- JRialto Bridge, the prettiest, though not the largest, theatre in VeDicp. The reverend visitor thus described the performance of one of the artists—"There was one vocalist, Signor Faoli, a magnificent tenore robusto, and evidenty a popular favourite, judging by the applause which greeted his first- appearance. He sang two scenes from Meyerbeer's'Africana and I'Profeta' respectively, and a song by Giordano. Like ail the Italian singers, whom 1 heard, he showed immense dramatic energy and abandon. He acted as well as he sung. His facial expression varied with every phase of feeling in the song, and he did not hesitate to use hands and arms and legs to emphasise the emotional effect. Just at first it seemed exaggerated, and a trifle ridiculous; but one soon got used to it, and realised its really great effect. He had* the universal fault of all Italian tenors—he shouted all bis high notes at the very top of his voice, and held on to them until he was nearly blaok in' the face. He was uproariously encored after his song, and, after much show of reluctance, consented to sing again. He struck a single note on the piano, and tnen.'thruwing back his head and puffing out his chest, he posed in a dramatio attitude, and shouted a couple of lines all on his very highest notes, in which be bade the guests welcome to Venice and the concert. Tbis quite -brought the house down, and the shouts of 'Bis! Bis! Bial' (encore) became almost alarming. There was much walking to and fro, and consultation with the conductor, and at last the singer gave another improvisation of the same extraordinary character, which was received with the most unbounded enthusiasm on the part of the audience."