Jan. 24, Chelsea Music Club, Grinke Trio, Lisa Perli

The Grinke Trio though competent enough hasn't any particularly outstanding qualities and I am inclined to think that the violinist (F[rederick] Grinke) is a little inferior to his cellist (Florence Hooton) and his pianist (Kendall Taylor). Certainly his tone was a little rough at times while Miss Hooton’s was generally smooth & rich. The Brahms Trio in C. op. 87 never seemed to come properly to life and the andante con moto might almost be said to have dragged its slow length along. The other work they played was Ravel’s Trio in A minor which I have never got hold of properly or found specially attractive. I don’t think it was a bad performance but it did not strike me as being particularly good.

After each trio Lisa Perli (who took, at short notice, the place of Dino Borgioli, indisposed, himself a substitute for Bruce Boyce) sang a group of songs. It is a long time since I heard or saw Dora Labbette but I think her hair has changed its colour with her name. The hair is now a light auburn or dark-gold. I doubt whether opera singing has been good for her singing of songs tho’ it may have improved her voice production. It is not a very full voice tho’ it can ring out. I thought I detected a trace of unsteadiness now and then. She began with Duparc’s lovely Phidylé followed by four of Fauré’s of which the best (or best sung) was Après un Rêve. Her second group consisted of 7 songs by Delius which do not call for comment.

On the whole it wasn’t quite so good an evening as one usually gets at these concerts & the audience, notably smaller than usual, visibly diminished before and during the last group of songs