MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 592, 21 August 1909, Page 9

MUSIC.

.. »- :—. ■ ■ . (Bx Treble Clef.) ~ • "The Wrecksrs." | This-13 the title \of an ambitious attempt at Grand Opera made by Miss Ethel Smyth, , 'l the English composer of "Der , Wald," played j in BerJm in 1902, and in the Grand Opera season at Covent Garden that year. The plot of the new opera is not uninteresting. When the curtain rises (says the "Standard"), tho assembled wreckers aro angrily complaining of .their recent bad luck.. .Their fury is in-, creased when Lawrence, the lighthousekeeper, tells them of the fire in a distant creek warning tho ships, and henco robbing :the wreckers, of 'their prey. They agree to watch for the "traitor.. . .'■.. lii .the second act, Mark and Thirza meot at'night, and, in a long duet, declare their mutual .lore, and decide to light tho warning fire.. This Pascoo discovers, and, finding his wife's shawl, thinking her guilty, falls iii a swoon. There.hisconirades find him, and denounce'him as tho traitor. In'the third, act tho wreckers are assembled in a sea;C3ve to pass judgment on P-ascoe, who refuses to tell what he knows. Mirk, confesses. Avis tries to ■ save him ; by '.'saying' , ho was with' her tho, previous evening. Whereupon :Thirza de.clares that she and Mark did the deed. They are condemned' to bo left to drown in tho cave, into which the incoming tide is rushing. The.: wreckers hurry away* chanting a solemn psalm to the dying. The lovers are left ito tlioif fate, .and, locked in each others arms,, sing a love''.duet and meet their death. ."■ " _ ; .. Tho composer-has been considerably handicapped 'by ,tlio libretto. The theme of the story is "thin and, wanting in dramatic interest, wlii'e. the language is sometimes singularly inept. Tho situations aro'conventional,; and; such as might be found in any. melodrama, while ..the characters and their environment are neither convincing . nor striking. With the exception that tbp folksongs and- revival, hymns, aro well' treated, and that there is some attempt at creating colour and atmosphere in the prelude to the , second,act, .where.nature. mu:jic ; is cleverly suggested, there.is littlo individuality in the' music. ■' Whdro it is strongest it is reflective,. as in tho love duct of the second act. Madame do Vero.Sapio was tho Thirza of the; cast. Children in "Luoia." , . • , ': ■ ■ • . Since the days of tho children's "Pinafore" (says the London "Standard" of Juno 22) there has been no moro remarkable troupe in London , than the. City, 'of Rome Children's Opera Company, which opened for a .brief season of Italian opera at Terry's Theatre last night. Tho.-'opera-was "Lucia, di.Lammermoor," and,if. the" performanco i called forth much' hearty laughter, from'the' audience it was. also, warmly applauded for the excellence of the work done by the singers, none, of whom is, v in Gilbert's .famous,, phrase/:,"over tho,ago of twenty-one." Indeed, the tenor, the baritone, and the basso are each only fourteen years old, while tho prima donna, Signorina Dora Tbcor,'.confesses to sixteen. ' As'to tho members of, the chorus, some of themido not seem yet to be' even on tho verge ; of the teens. •' '.''■ '-. . The company are accustomed to playing together, and there was a finish and a'sparkle about'the playing last night;, to-, getlter an enthusiastic interest in the work, that' it was a pleasure, io see: Tho work of the chorus iii particular was .cxcolleirfr, and' tho enunciation throughout/ was clear to a degree almost unknown to. ihdia whoso experience of Italian opera is.confined to.England. ■ , • .'■.-'■' :. ' - A Creat Achievement! The performance of Mendelssohn's "Elijah," which opened the' Handel' Mendelssohn Festival- at tho Crystal' Palace yesterday afternoon' (says the London "Standard", of June 23), was one of the greatest achievements which 'the\nuisical world.■has'known. Dr. Frederic Cowqn, who conducted, had got' his choir and orchestra to the very pitch of perfection. It was evident from tho manner in which he. led .them -through tho National Anthem that the audienco ,wero to hear, music which--would live in their memories. The first 'Verse was sung by tho sopranos, who were followed by the altos and basses, and the last verso was given fortis-, simb with the greatest effect. The dramatic rendering of "Scatter his enemies" waa an innovation iand a revelation which should not pass unnoticed. . .•' ' . Sir Charles Santloy then gave out tlie introduction, "As God the Lord," and it was noticed that tho veteran singer, who was singing at his sixteenth Handel Festival, was in "surprisingly robust voice. He sang with, splendid power and dramatic'force throughout tho afternoon, and brought the most consummate.artistry to bear upon the. many; exacting recitatives and airs which fell to his lot. : The manner in gave out "Hear arid answer, Baal," aud,'"ls not . His. word"- roused the audienco.to the greatest enthusiasm,' and in- the second part of the. oratorio tho air "It is enough" was a verify' able triumph of vocal art: , ■■. ■' . '■'.] .'■.;, Mr. Ben, Davies was heaid to great advantage in.tho air, "If with all your hearts,"' but a slight straining was noticeable; Miss Agnes Nicholls sang with' delightful ense : and smoothness, and the excellence of her production was evident from tho manner.in which her voico .carried •to the farthest' rows of seats.in the transept. The orchestra was a huge sea of faces, white dresses, and black coats, looking 'down on the audience—another, but' brighter-hued, sea in tho' centre transept. Tho audience must , havo numbered .nearly 10,000, a noticeable feature of which was the largo number of people who had , copies of the score. ■' Caruso's.Trouble. . ; .In a dispatch from Milan, dated Juno 10, the special correspondent of 'the 'London "Standard" says: The ailment for which Signor Caruso is to bo treated in the Delhi Vedova" Institute is ji common one among singers. It may bo described as a small fibrous tumour of the vocal: chords, a sort of .callosity,, which must bo removed to prevent ii : chronic laryngitis. A similar callus; affecting tho-left chord; had to be taken away, last year, by Professor■.' Delia Vedova. Now the right .vocal ■ chord, is swollen, and must bo surgically treated. The chief danger throateninc the uvula consists n tho jtjossihle rcourronoe oi the nllm.flnt.; v