ORCHESTRAL CONCERT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 166, 12 July 1912, Page 3

ORCHESTRAL CONCERT.

■ ■ There was a large and highly appro- I ciative audience in the Town Hall" last I evening to hear the Auckland Orchestral Society's second concert of the ninth j season. A tine programme was presented, [ and a performance was secured of the \ , works which brought out to full advan- i tage the beauties of the compositions and i the skill of the executants. There was a ! repose and confidence throughout the I r concert, the players even in the pres- j _ tissimo passages nwer giving the listener ' „ a feeling as though they were hurrying. ' _ ■ There was always movement about the L performance. nothing draggedi. much I j ' I intelligence was displayed in the way the J r phrasing was done, the rhythm was I v specially' well looked after, while the ] transitions, accentuation, shading, and | _ , climaxes were always carried out in ai . musicianly manner. The tone produced ' by the baud was, as a rulf. most satisfy- ; ._ ing. specially pleasing being the breadth j x and wealth of tone given by the strings, ' r while the wood-wind players in their oft j , intricate music proved themselves to be quite equal to the demands, scoring a triumph always. The brasses also did | good work, worthy of special mention :r I being the round quality of sound emitted it by the horns. Herr J. Wielaert conducted, i v land there was always a feeling of symI pathy between director and performer, | J I There was a very large attendance of the I i orchestra, which was capably led by Miss 11 jWhitelaw. ' L The famous French composer Ambroise 'c i Thomas' celebrated overture to "Mignon" I J. I—ai —a work which recites the leading ! 0 : motives of the operawas the first nam- ! - J ber on the programme, and a picturesque I 0 land highly enjoyable rendering was given j ~ •of this effective tone-poem. The strings',. gave a delightful interpretation of the c : pleasing melodies written for them: the _. ' harpist. Miss Hutchison, treated her j. i arpeggios most delicately: Mr. Craig, in c his horn music, was very successful. and _, ] the wood-wind and brasses gave an pxeel- _- i lent account of themselves. The first two _■ I movements; from, Beethoven's fifth sym- _ ; phony in c minor received praiseworthy . I interpretation. This symphony is pro- _. -, j bablv the best known and most admired i ■j of the nine, perhaps because it is the j 1 ; most human in its qualities, and it is - , worthy of note that during th? hundred _, i years of its existence the London Phil- ■. harmonic Society has given 77 perform- . , j ances of this immortal work. ''No. C in F" i | "The Pastoral") coming next with lift : ; renderings. The orchestra, in its perform- , lance of the allegro con brio, played in I .'a manner that brought out to good pur- j, •pose the manifold beauties of the con- j, ': position. Admirable precision wasp ■ displayed by tbe strings and wind in the ] -' opening measures, and the persistency of ] '.tbe theme was carried forward with a , building up of tone, while the forte notes | of the horns in sustained degrees and the j lieautiful theme in crotchets for strings . and wind received adequate treatment t I The pathetic adagio phrase was delight- f i I fully given by the solo oboist, and in the , • 1 passage wherein the winds alternate T " : during .',2 measures with the str-ng- the . 1 ; performers were very successful, while the . ; i last pages, with its octaves and strident j -I harmonies, received a rendering which _ I exhibited the full significance of the _ music. In the andante eon tnoto__lhe _ I cellos and violas acquitted themselves | _ with distinction in their opining theme i _ I : and subsequent variations, and the first _ • ; and second violins and winds played their | ] - . music with accuracy and a fine feeling I . 1 I for time and rhythm, while the whole , 1 ; movement- was charmingly phraseS aud I ?! expressively rendered. A graphic per- • ; forma nee was given of Saint-Saens' I '. "Dance Macabre,'" the striking violin solo l _ part being effectively prayed by .Miss I • Whitelaw. Massenet's "Les Erinnyes" ' ; suite was a splendid selection, and it t ' received a delivery which proved most -! enjoyable. Much delicacy was displayed ■by the wood-winds, strings, and harps in ', : the reading given of "Scene Religieuse." , 'and Mr. G. A. Paque was most successful ;! in the expressive "cello soio. which was accompanied by the strings in pleasing i i ; style. The oboe, 'cello, and whole ot woodrwir.d lent valuable service in the charming solos of the andante, and; some fine tonal contrasts and excellent ensemble ; playing was revealed in the performance ! given of "The Divertissement." Mr. G. E. Poore gave with marked suc-.-e-s Doppler's "Fautasie Pastoral Hongroise," j to which was added a suitable accompani- i ment by the orchestra. The autist executed | l ■the florid parts with great facility, dis |i I played a fine legato and full to;-.,- in th? i,i i sustained degrees, and phrased his solo ;<■ artistically. He was honoured with all I hearty double recall at the close. Mr. O. 'j. !E. Farrow gave a finished rendering of j ] Schubert's "The Wanderer." and vocalised, i c with facility CJiacomo Carissimi's "I j v Triumph: 1 Triumph!" securing merited I applause after each. A most enjoyable . x performance terminated with a fine inter- J s ' preUtion of Raffs "Lenora March." The _. i accompanists were Mrs. Macandrew and ' _ i Herr Wielaert. 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