27
RHEA SILBERTA
cordial reception that she received and the beautiful playing that she offered upon this occasion, she should not slight this side of her work. Miss Silberta is finely equipped technically, she phrases well, and colors her playing charmingly. For her first contribution she played three Chopin numbers—nocturne, op. 48, No. 1; waltz, op. 64, No._ 1, and ballade, op. 47. Later she increased the favorable impression made by rendering a group, the high lights of which were Whithorne’s descriptive Pell Street and her own delightful fantasie-ballade.
The Message, Consolation, Samson Said, The Theft, and the famous Yohrzeit were the songs of Miss Silberta represented on the program. They were warmly received by the audience. Again one refers to Rhea Silberta’s versatility.
Mme. De Veau is the possessor of a fine dramatic soprano voice which she uses with taste. She sang numbers by Chausson, Grovleg, Silberta, and Tschaikowsk/s Jean D’Arc aria.
Mr. De Hieropolis also made a very agreeable impression, for he revealed a rich, sonorous vioice and he sings well. He was heard in a group of songs and the Avant de Quitter from Faust, Gounod. All in all, the program was a well chosen one and well rendered. And one must add that Rhea Silberta should be heard more frequently as a pianist!
May 3, 1 9 2 3	MUSICAL COURIER
MATZENAUER AND MACBETH PLEASE AS
SOLOISTS WITH BOSTON SYMPHONY
Guy Maier Plays Krazy Cat—Elman in Final Concert—New England Conservatory‘ Notes
telling the story as he played it. Mr. Carpenter uses jazz and syncopation artfully, humorously, without any sacrifice of musical values. But the work lacks consistent inventive quality and not even Mr. Maier’s interesting comments could make up for the absence of accompanying stage action which the piece plainly requires for effective and convincing performance.
The balance of Mr. Maier’s well chosen program comprised an impromptu of Chopin, a gavotte of Bach, Chadwick’s The Cricket and the Bumble Bee, Debussy’s Evening in Granada, Lane’s Crapshooter’s Dance, some waltzes of Schubert and Chopin’s polonaise in A flat major all of which he played with his customary skill and communicative ardor.
Elman in Final Concert.
Mischa Elman, violinist, gave his final Boston concert of the season Sunday afternoon, April 22, in Symphony Hall. Mr. Elman’s maturity as virtuoso and musician was amply and pleasurably disclosed in an interesting list of pieces which included Mendelssohn’s familiar concerto, a smoothflowing sonata in D major by Nardini, Sarasate’s melodious Gypsy airs, together with lighter and displayful numbers from Mozart, Boccherini, Chopin, Brahms and the violinist himself. The audience made up in enthusiasm what it lacked in numbers.
N. E. Conservatory Notes.
Old Italian church music and old English madrigals, both serious and joyous, characterized a concert by the Conservatory Chorus, Wallace Goodrich conductor, and advanced students, given in Jordan Hall Thursday evening, April 26. The motet, Christus factus est pro nobis, of Felice Anerio, revived an interesting piece of church music. Merrie England of three centuries ago was represented by When First I Saw Your Face, Thomas Ford’s madrigal for four voices; John Wilbye’s Flora Gave Me Fairest Flowers, a madrigal for five voices, and Thomas Morley’s ballet for four voices, Now Is the Month of Maying.
Soloists who had numbers on the program were Joseph Follen (Bellaire, O.), Elinor Colby (Claremont, N. H.), Elizabeth Bingham (Woodstock, Vt.), Lonnie Ogul (Mansfield), Susanna Thompson (Keyser, W. Va.), Katharine Nolan (Cedar Rapids, la.).	J• C.
Rhea Silberta in Concert
On Sunday afternoon, April 29, the Rose Room of the Hotel Plaza was completely filled with an audience that went to listen to Rhea Silberta, pianist, assisted by two sterling artists, Vivienne de Veau, soprano, and Leo de Hieropolis, baritone. Miss Silberta, who is well known as a coach and composer, is now devoting much time again to solo playing, and she certainly should follow ■ that branch of her art. To be sure, she is a very talented young woman and she does everything well, but, judging from the
Boston, Mass., April 29.—Two singers of deserved repute added to their laurels in Boston during the past week. At the symphony concerts of Friday afternoon and Saturday evening, April 20 and 21, in Symphony Hall, Margaret Matzenauer, mezzo-soprano of the Metropolitan Opera, gave a fresh demonstration of her superb vocal and interpretative resources in Weber’s Scena, and Ocean, Thou Mighty Monster aria from the. opera Oberon, and Isolde’s_ impassioned narrative of love from the first act of Tristan. She sang with the sensuous'beauty of voice and dramatic fervor that are the distinguishing characteristics of her art, stirring her audience to tremendous applause. For purely orchestral numbers Mr. Monteux presented Haydn’s charmingly simple Surprise symphony and two novel items: a suite of two movements from Rimsky-Korsakoff’s opera, Tsar Saltan—music of a pleasing folk song flavor but less colorful and inspired than other compositions from the same pen—and Respighi’s fantastically frenzied and grotesquely sardonic Ballad of the Gnomides.
At the fifth and last concert of the Monday evening series, in Symphony Hall on April 23, Florence Macbeth, the charming coloratura soprano of the Chicago Opera, sang the wistful, beautiful air, Ah, lo so, from Mozart’s opera, The Magic Flute, and the relatively animated and playful aria, Con vezzie, Con lusingue, from his U Seraglio. Her singing revealed a lovely Voice of good range, vocal skill of an uncommon nature and a fine appreciation of the classic spirit. Although she did not fully express the emotional appeal inherent in Pamina’s moving plea. Miss Macbeth had a splendid success with her listeners in the more animated music of the second piece and was recalled many times.	,	,	,	.
A number of novel interest among the orchestral pieces of Monday’s concert was Saint-Saëns’ septet for trumpet, piano and strings. M. Saint-Saëns was a facile music-maker, and this septet, although agreeable music, will hardly be reckoned among his more significant works. The trumpet part was played with notable skill and musicianship by Georges Mager, solo trumpet of the orchestra, while the piano portion received an incisively rhythmed and altogether admirable performance from the highly talented young pianist, Jesus Sanroma, of the New England Conservatory of Music. The remainder of the program comprised Mendelssohn’s songful and masterfully written Scotch symphony, Weber’s stirring overture to the opera, Oberon; Wagner s joyous and ever-welcome prelude to Die Meistersinger, and for spirited closing number and climax, Berlioz’s dramatic Rakoczy March.
Guy Maier Plays Krazy Kat.
Guy Maier, pianist, gave one of his enjoyable concerts of music for young people, Friday afternoon, April 20, in Jordan Hall. For novel departure Mr. Maier included m his program Carpenter’s. jazz-pantomime of Krazy Kat,
For terms and dates, address
CHAS. N. DRAKE, Manager Marionette Concert Company
507 Filth Ave., IM. Y.
“Miss Bensel has a mellow, appealing voice and her enunciation is unusually good. Her charm and graciousness of manner won her audience and she responded with encores to enthusiastic applause.”—The State, Columbia, S.. C.
“A program of rare brevity and good taste. A voice of opulence.”—;New York Times. “Made a favorable impression and sang with confidence.”—New York Tribune.
Extolled by the Pittsburgh Apollo, St. Louis Apollo, Harrisburg Apollo, Schenectady _ Male Chorus, Oratorio Society of New York, Singers’ Club of New York, Glee Club of Nutley, Contemporary Club of Newark, General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Mozart Society of New York, Beethoven Society of New York, New Jersey Federation of Women’s Clubs.
Colleges
Coker, S. C. Eton, S. C. Averett, Va.
N. J. Coll, for Women, New Brunswick.
f ARYI	RENSEI, "A Popular Club Soloist”
AMERICAN U MJ SOPRANO U	.............=—
“Miss Bensel was one of the best choral society soloists we have had. She has a voice of cello-like richness and she has breath to waste. She made her trills convincing and not accidental. In the old Scarlatti ‘Gial sole dal Gange’ there was speed and dexterity and a very pretty trill. In the Handel ‘O Sleep, Why Dost Thou Leave Me?’ there were many lovely sustained effects. The Veracini ‘Pastoral’ was sprightly and smooth.
Miss Bensel also gave two integral obligati. It is to be hoped she will return.
—Pittsburgh Post (By HARVEY B. GAUL).
Orchestras
N. Y. Symphony Lancaster Mun. .
“Caryl Bensel came here unknown and unsung. She leaves after last night’s performance with many friends. She has a voice of uncommon sweetness and of great pliability. She trills like a coloratura and enunciates perfectly. Handel’s ‘O Sleep, Why Dost Thou Leave Me? was legato singing at its apex.”—Pittsburgh, Sun.
“Miss Bensel as soloist of the evening was delightful, and much can be said of her superbly rich and resonant voice which easily filled ׳the large auditorium. She sang several songs in French beautifully enunciated, and charmed her hearers into rounds of applause.”—Harrisburg Evening News.
“She is not only an artist but also has a very pleasing personality which ingratiates itself to her audience and- we bespeak for her a very brilliant future, and wish to thank her through you, for her contribution to the success of our concert.”
Yours truly,
C. W. Hughes, Secy, and Treas.
St. Louis Apollo Club.
“In firmness and fluency of tone production, tonal shading, polish of technic, phrasing that adroitly conveys the significance of the text while clearly defining whatever beauty of line there is in the melodic curve and merging the ideas of poet and composer jj! general finish of her work, she has advanced to the point that makes her singing a refreshing experience.
“Her voice has warmth, her tones are round, finely musical and edgeless. She has the intelligence not to force them up or below the natural range within which beauty clothes them. By avoiding such temptation she preserves an equable quality of scale and leaves the hearer satisfied.”—Newark Evening News.
“She displayed a beautiful voice and musicianship^ of a satisfying quality. She reached a splendid climax in her second group and was obliged to respond with an^ encore.”
—Danville, Virginia, Register.