Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-12-18
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Mime. Friseh in Norwich and Boston.

Mr.. Editor: 1t was the privilege of
the writer to hear Nine. PovIa Frisch
sing in Slater hall recently, in the first
of the series of concerts arranged fer
this season and was greatly surprised
on that occasion, to note that the hall
was not crowded to hear this superb
artist. / could not help thinking that
Norwich was lacking in musical in
tereSt or Slater hall would not hold
the audience that would be attracted
by the announcement of a recital By
this distinguished Danish soprano.
Nine. Frisch gave recital in Bos-
ton on Wednesday evening, Dec. 18TH.
and the following criticism by Philip
Hale. musical critic for the Boston
Herald, will be OF interest to those
who had the pleasure of hearing Nine.
Frisch give practically the same pro-
sramme in Slater hall:
Nine. Povla Frisch, soprano, assist
ed by II. Jean Verd. pianist, sang for
the first time in Boston yesterday aft
ernoon in Jordan hall. The program
was as follows: Beethoven. Gloirc q
la Nature: Handel Air of Poppea:
Steppe: BOrodin, La Refine de In Mer;
Saint-Saens, La Cloche: Gounod
Chanson du Printcmps; G. Faure. Au
Cimetiere; Loeffier, Les PaOns: Chaus-
son. Les Papillons; Georges. LYNNE
au SOleil: Schumann. Schneegloecfr-
chen, Auftraege; Strauss, Wiegenlied:
Brahms, Nergebliches Staendchen;
Schubert. Wohin? Erlkoenig.
Nine. Frisch is a remarkable singer
of songs: in certain respects the most
remarkable that VIC have heard for
several years. Her genius shines i'm
classic German Lieder: in Italian airs
of the 18th century; in the modern
songs of France and Russia. Her tech
nic-as. for example, her uncommon
control of breath-enables her to in
fprrlrat without
Grafton of mechanism. So great intel
ligence and imagination. such taste
and true dramatic power are seldom
to be found in one singer She sings
with brains as well as with voice and
heart.
Announced as n dramatic soprano"
she is not a dramatic soprano as the
! pedagogue Classics singers. She is
| lyric singer with unusual dramatic
ability.
Born in Denmark. she has spent
! the greater part of her life in Paris
where she has been associated with
such artists as Tribaud, Pugno. CasalS.
| Cortot. Not only Paris has applauded
| her; her art has been recognized in
| Germany and England.
| THE voice is eXquisitely pure and
| fresh; il is flexible: il allows itself
/ to be so COlOred rs to express the most
| opposite sentiments and emotions. All
| this was made known. even in the first
| group yesterday. She sang the fam
| liar song of Beethoven so majesticalIy
| that one did not miss the tonal volume
/ that has" been associated with the
| proper Interpretation. And then she
sang with delightful fluency and in
| innate ROBUSTNESS an air of Poppea
| from Handlers Agrippino, if we are
not mistaken.
| The program was pIeasingly uncon-
| ventional How admirably did the
/ voice express desolatiOn and loneliness
in the first section of Gretschaninof' S
| impressive song, Borodin's Sea Queen,
| composed nearly so years ago, is today
| ultra-modern in its impressionistic
| spirit, its vague and enchanting haT-
| monic structure. Other features of
| this group We're Gabriel Faure's song
| in which the eternal quiet of the grave
1 was expressed by the singer with
| awe-inspiring monotony of tone and
| color: BoeffieT's fanciful and beauti-
| full Paons; and the huttering fight
| of Chausson's Les PapillOns Even
Nine. Frisch could not give substance
to the enthusiastically empty song Of
Georges. but she lent distinction to
| the inherently commonplace melody Of
| Strauss and imbued the hackneyed
| song of Brahms with new life. 1t was
4 pity that more lovers of Schumann