"THE MESSIAH."

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 17022, 20 December 1920, Page 8

"THE MESSIAH."

' V • PERFORMANCE IN THE OPEft Tho charming: hospital gardons, prawnM an animated picture yesterday ■when tho Royal Musical Society repeated lbs performance of "Tho Messiah" for tho #scellent objects of charity. The ground choaet for the placing of choir and orchestr* via ~ •well suited for tho purpose; a hoarding «t | tho back, decorated with flags, protected th» ; singers and 110 doubt acted boneficMj" fat throwing forward tho waves of sound. At least a. portion of the occupiers of ressntd seats enjoyed a. grateful shade from th* lovely trees surrounding the enclosure. Th» weather was genial in temperature, and ft via tho fierce nor'-wester, blowing at an •arlitr hour, relaxed its yehemenoe for such good a cause during tho greater part of the performance. There must liave been, come thousand* of people on tho grounds, hundreds oomfocttMy. Boated, whilst behind ropes a goodly crowd stood and listened patiently to th» end. The, takings at the gate wero subeUa-; tial. and for that reason alone the «&'' periment wae worth trying. Perhaps in th# promoters' minds thero lurked also ft «W* ; picion that, as things lie at present in Qw way of accommodation, tho Society anyhow irifght find itself without & roof overhead some fine morning. They must ,hsrro* ooms speedily to the conclusion that from a musical point of view the open-air performance .proved not an encouraging suocees. It migbti' be if they enrolled 2000 instead of 200 members. The tone-power was largely reduced, and erratic, the resonance practially extinguished in some oositions. Sitting near tta , choir you could hear little more than u*; high voices, a better effect of harmony complete" was procurable a good distance WW. In tho open it is largely a 'matter'of position, sound is dissipated in all The orchestra suffered most in tho conveying of sound, placed as they were farthest froa j the screen at the back, towards the end of • tho Pastoral symphony the light tone-shidw were practically inaudible at a moderate distance, and the poor soloists had a hard titiWof it as well. The choir sang lustily, fli orchestra did their best, but &TSjthlDtjiß tho eh ape of criticism under these canditMM would be entirely uncalled for. _ ■ JK • "With the exception of Dr. Pairman, WW again sustained nia arduous paort m&liiuHy, - all the former soloists had. Jfl, be replitUa The tenor, in fact always a "ram tnk,'' ' was missing altogether, the eoli for to# »■ pra.no, this timo, were most kindly ttna«* taken at a moment's notice by Miaa Milliorot Jennings, and, without even a practice, Russell came to the rescue to the ben«6t of tho i contralto parts, all singing as brawf i and aa well as circumstances would permit* Dr. Bradehaw wielded the baton joat well outdoors as in. ' -VTh® Mayor expressed his pleasure at tie gratifying result of the novel enterprise,• and in eulogising Dr. Brads'haw'.e wrricaa, handed to him a scroll signed by the _ membra of tho choir as a token ot their *9- , prestation and regard for _ their oonduetor. And this little note of sentiment was one of the best and most resonant of all Bounded in the gardenß.of the hospital, when tho Hot*' I Musical Society attempted "Tho Messiah. ! Tho Hon. G. TV. Russell said that seeinr , the entertainment was for hospital purpose*., tho prooeeds would carry » subsidy of 24* in ilie £. . •The takmcs at tho gate,amounted to awl £140, to which has to be added tho procMw from the 6alo of tickets during the wee*With the subsidy, a Tory substantial «bM should be available for the Chiistmss cnMr . of the orphans and destitute hcspital P**. j tients. ' '