MELLOW BARITONE GIVES FINE RECITAL

Opening his recital at Jordan Hall last evening with "Promesse de mon avenir" (from 'Le Roi de Lahore' by Massenet), Mr. Henri Marcoux, baritone, impressed his audience at once with his mellow charm and confident vigor. As one would expect of such a finished singer, a protege of Mr. Isadore Braggiotti, there was no trace of diffident restraint, and by the time that M. Marcoux had concluded the second number of the next group he revealed the richness and subtle nuances of his unusual voice and stirred more than polite enthusiasm.

In rendering "The Moon Goes Drifting" by Homer Grunn and "Nocturne" by Pearl G. Curran, M. Marcoux sang with a lyrical power which is at once his peculiar beauty and forte. The quality of simplicity was unmarred by sentimentality and the full purity of voice awakened keen appreciative pleasure.

The third of the five groups consisted entirely of French songs of an increasingly deep emotional tinge "Toujour a Toi" by Tschaikowsky, and "Le Captil" by Gretchaninow bracketed the numbers, causing most comment, and aroused the responsive audience for his superb recital of the Prologue from "Pagliacci." Here M. Marcoux first sang with more than authentic charm and purity of tone. His attack on the concluding strong passionate bars, almost beyond the range of the ordinary baritore's voice, removed any lingering trace of uncertainty as to his unusual power and dramatic intensity.

The succeeding series of operatic Italian arias presented new opportunities for display of interpretation and technique. Indeed, had M. Marcoux not possessed a delightful surety of tone combined with extreme simplicity of manner, the widely varied program might have been colored with a suggestion of braveura

Despite the singer's unquestioned conquest of his hearers, it was not until the last number he showed that he had not as yet reached the crescendo of his ability. "The Airman's Creed" by John Adams Loud completely took everyone aback. M. Marcoux had all the while not been able to bring out his true superbness. Excited applause brought him back at last for an encore, which was sung with a power that convinced everyone he at last had reached his best. Another encoure was demanded; and M. Marcoux sang ::The Open Road" and received a redoubled and prolonged applause which ended as splendid a recital as Boston has recently heard.