MISS PHYLLIS LETT.

Wairarapa Age, 9 March 1927, Page 5

MISS PHYLLIS LETT.

GREAT SINGER IN MASTERTON. A TALENTED COMPANY. One of the great voices cultivated in the Mother Land is that possessed by Miss Phyllis Lett, the English contralto, who, since leaxing her native country, has gladd< <1 the hearts of thousands with her magnificent gift. This talented singer appeared in Masterton last night, and though the audience was not what it might or should have been, it was none the less enthusiastic, and Miss Lett, and the members of her company, wer< accorded a flattering reception. The' famous contralto p ■ ,es all the grace and charm of a < ulitr*d Englishwoman, and it was th;- ogether with her polished artistry . immediately captured her audi< Ond of her most pleasing numbers v “Softly Awakes my Heart,” from Samson and Delilah.” The volume a I colour of her voice were adjusted ; mirably to the mood of the moment. hroughout her generous offerings, it as possible to realise that here s rare genius and exceptional abili >. Miss

Lett chose from a wide ranp f composers, and numerous select is from, such masters as Beethoven. Saint— Saens, Bruneau, Martin Shaw nd Walford Davies testified to the e ‘ent of the contralto’s repertoire. Wf n it is realised that her compass in < ; ression and vocal acting is as broa i us her choice of works, Miss Leti place among the great singers of the day is undeniable. In addition to having an unusually effective and well produced voice, Miss Lett has the happ,*. faculty of conjuring up mind pictun as she sings. This was certainly th< case in her rendering of Bruneau’s “L’Heureux Vagabond,” where the listener could easily visualise the depredations of the vagabond appropriating the white bread and crowns as the singer unfolded Bruneau’s lightsome - -ng. No less pleasing was the ; orformance of Mr. Norman Benni . whose wealth of tonal expression re\ uled the thorough training and artis' sense which characterises the forej t singers of the day. He was nil 1 - lerness when it was required, and dra tic and forceful when such was nece ry. By hjs rendering of Lehmann > “Ah! Moon of my Delight,” Tosell “Serenata,” and Leoni’s rollickin “Tally Ho,” he proved himself a sin : in the first flight. An acceptable part the p gramme was the playing of Miss Ma* -t MacGibbon, a talented young A istralian violinist, who transformed qu’ moderate music into- melodious mor > U. This varied musical fare was all d< light fully played with that finish and faultless technique that might be expected of the great and popular favourites on the violin. Her rendering of Paderewski’s “Minuqt,” and Schubert’s capricious “Moment Musicale” was delightful.

The heavy task of accompanying the singers and the violinist fell upon Mr. Maurice Besly, the noted English com-poser-pianist. All who heard his playing will agree that his sympathetic interpretation of both accompaniments and pianoforte solos was that of a highly talented musician. Unfortunately his solo items were restricted to two offerings, but in these the ear was ravished by a beauty of tone which would have done credit to a symphony orchestra. * The concert was the most acceptable offering of high-class music presented in Masterton for some time, and was worthy of better patronage.