684 



REVIEW OF REVIEWS. 



September 1, 1913. 



his pictures owe much of their accuracy 

 to his special knowledge of the anatomy 

 of beasts. 



Through the kindness of an early 

 patron he was able to devote some years 

 to improving himself in his art without 

 having to trouble his head about the 

 financial problem. Later he went to 

 Paris, where he gained knowledge of 

 technique, and thence to London, where 



he now has a studio. Most of his best 

 pictures were done in the stag-hunting 

 districts of Exmoor, or amongst the 

 kennels of the Midlands. Mr. Powers 

 has had many pictures " hung " at home, 

 and several have been acquired for gal- 

 leries here. He is at present engaged in 

 painting the Governor-General's chil- 

 dren. 



OPERA, CONCERT AND STAGE. 



Sydney and Melbourne have had an 

 opportunity of hearing an operatic 

 singer of the highest genius in Mme. 

 Nordica. An opportunity, though, 

 which great numbers of people missed. 

 The concert platform is cold and diffi- 

 cult after the operatic stage. Songs 

 which in their appropriate setting make 

 an immense impression too often fall 

 flat and lifeless when heard isolated, so 

 to speak, from the rostrum of a public 

 hall. Mme. Nordica's triumph was all 

 the greater, for she was able, by her 

 wonderful art, to convey the pulsating 

 atmosphere of opera on to the concert 

 platform. Her magnificent rendering of 

 the Battle-cry of Brunnhilde, and the 

 way in which she swept the listeners out 

 of themselves with the " Erl King," will 

 long be remembered. 



Not only was Madame herself in good 

 voice, those who supported her all 

 reached a high level of excellence. Mr. 

 Default has been in Australia before, 

 and his clear tenor voice has lost none 

 of its charm during his absence ; his 

 beautiful French enunciation was a treat 

 to listen to. Mr. Ramayne Simmonds 

 easily proved his claim to be one of the 

 greatest accompanists in the world. The 

 orchestral effect he produced on the 

 piano in some of the Wagner pieces was 

 almost startling. Mr. Holding showed 

 himself a violinist of high technique 

 and sentimentality. 



THE QUINLAN COMPANY. 

 The Ouinlan Opera Company has been 

 received by Melbourne with open arms. 

 This great success is remarkable in view 

 of the fact that with one notable excep- 

 tion none of the artistes have achieved 



any great distinction in Grand Opera at 

 home or in Europe. There is, however, 

 a high level of excellence amongst them 

 which gives a pleasingl)', if not bril- 

 liant, rendering of Wagner, Puccini, 

 Offenbach and Gounod. The orchestra, 

 under the guidance of Sig. \'oghera, 

 has done excellently, and even in the 

 Wagner operas, though lacking in in- 

 struments, led by Herr Eckhold it 

 has rendered a splendid account of 

 itself. Though hampered by the Eng- 

 lish rendering, the "Ring" was finely 

 given. Wagner's marvellous music is 

 a revelation to those who hear it for the 

 first time. We reproduce on the oppo- 

 site page one of a great series of draw- 

 ings which appeared in the Illustrated 

 London News whilst the "Ring" was 

 being given in London, Melba, Caruso, 

 M'Cormack, and other operatic stars tak- 

 ing part. 



Miss Felice Lyne maintained her great 

 reputation. She has not the figure for 

 a Wagnerian character — in these notes 

 last month we inadvertently stated she 

 had taken such parts — but in " La 

 Tosca," " Tales of Hoffmann," and other 

 lighter operas, she repeated the trunnph 

 she achieved in London. Her voice has 

 a great compass, is wonderfully clear, 

 almost metallic. 



The compan)- visits S)dney in Sep- 

 tember, but will appear nowhere else in 

 Australia, departing by steamer direct to 

 Vancouver. Such a number of artistes, 

 and such tons of properties, are not 

 mobile, and the less travelling they have 

 to do the better. The luggage, which 

 weighs in all some 300 tons, is contained 

 in no less than 800 packages! The 



