MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 633, 9 October 1909, Page 9

MUSIC.

(Bl TttEßtß CLE».) Wellington Choral Society., ■ An : event ! of. some musical importance, is 4m?bodied in-, programmo tp.jb'o; submitted' bj the Weliihgton.Choral-Society.iott Eriday'evon-. ing'next;' This\ia tho first performance lington of a vocal work by\Mr. Edward Elgar, the eminent, English composer, who has come to the front' so rapidly during the .last six or' seven years. The particular composition selected is the catitafa. "Tho' Black Knight" ("Der Schwarzo Ritter"),, the lyrics -being a translation, by., Longfello.w of' Roem,, which oommences— ',' ; ''

•• 'TwasPentecost, tie feast of -gladness,; When woods, fthd fields put! off their sadness,. Thus began, the king and spako:* "Sa from ; the halls \ ■ Of ancient: Ho,fburg's walli A.luxuriant spring shall break," r. . • And goes ,on ; to relate, of the coming into, the lists of tho mystic Black'Knight,'who slew the King's doughty son, and aged and withered all with whom he came in touch. :It is a cheerless,.dreary theme of the "blackly .magical" description beloved, of the German poo.ts of the eighteenth..century, which , gives .considerablescope, to the of l 'the composer.'.' The: work,'whicli-'i's srenes;-Is'="wholly-: choral j -and{gives af fine" insight into'thiS'lcolbtature' hariponies'.'of l Elgßfi'; now"'bailed as, Efigland's'; greatest /composer. ,f ' "The -.Black Knight-'. w.ill- be 'sung'- in . conjunction :with Schubert's "Song, of Miriam'," a picturesque cantata for. Koprano'and chorus.

The/New Opera "Tess." "Tess," the-' latest, "operatic novelty: of - tho season, which was .produced at Covent! Garden on July 18,; before .a distinguished iaiidience, which included Her Majesty;-- has a- special, claim upon the favour of English audiences; being an adaptation of, ill-. Thomas-Hardy's famous novel, "Tess of .tho D'Urvilles." ;■ It is true that in the process -of becoming' an opera ! it has lost a good. deal of its typically- English flavour. Under the magic touch of Signo* I]lira, the- author of the libretto (says' the "Daily Graphic"), Mr.' Hardy's lhcy Wessex peasants' are transformed ' into tho- vaguely cosmopolitan beings who inhabit : the world ot opera;, and. Bnron Frederic '.d%-lnngeVV music, which .is so. deeply saturated, with tho infill-, ence of Puccini' as to be,-to all-intents and purposes, Italian, carries . them . still further from'the hills and dales of their native shire.' ,Mr. Hardy, ; however, who whs present last night, has expressed himself as . well satisfied. ; frit considerable liberties. have been.takeii with the'plot.. . The sharp angles of Mr. Hardy's tragic story are smoothed to a draw-ing-room level,of elegance."'. Alec'D'tlrvillo is no longer a vulgar' libertine, but'a romantic young gentleman who apostrophises nio muuit in honeyed accents. After tho betrayal p{ Tees.'.lie vanishes from the scene, and the opera ends with Tess's confession.'of her. .past to Angel Clare, a transparency later showing her in the act of plunging' into the mill-race.' In other respects the main, outline of ■ the novel'is followed with' tolerable closeness; We see Tess'' first at. her .father's' cottage,' then as a : waiting-mpid to Alec D'TJrberriil'e mother, later at' the 'Talbothay's dairy' farm;' where Angel Clare wins her love, while theclosing : scene, as. we . had said,- takes place-on the. evening of, their , marriage. ' ' In a. cdiiventibnal way the libretto is an expert piece.. of work,- and, M. : d'Erlangers music,' if one can .forgive the total absence of' any, suggestion .of "a : typically English atmosphere, is by; no Cleans devoid of talent.. 'No on®' could' call it 'original, bnt it flows oh gracefully enough in its suave Italian idiom,and in-the scenes rises'at times to-climaxes of considerable power. : The opening" scene, ; with its charming pic-, hires'-of simple country life,', is deftly handled, and, though' .the,second act is.not very effective, the. love music 'of the two final scenes fall gratefully upon the, .eiir.. In/n' word,' "Tess," though anything'bnt a great work, affords an. eminently,, pleasing .evening's entertainment, . especially at Covent Garden, where' the performance' satisfied car and eye alike'.'-' v .■■■"■

Mile. Destinn, on whom fell the 1 chief burden. of the work,, was superh both as. actio* and singer, in the orduons-rolo of Tess, .while Signor Zenatello as Angel, and Signor, Sanimarco as Alee, supported' her ; in faultless style. Even tho smallest roles, were taken by accomplished artists, Mlle. : Do.i Lvs, Mme. Lejeune, Mile. Bourgeois,, M. Gilibert,' and Signor Zncchi being content' to' glorify qui to insignificant parts with tteir talent. Signor Pnnizza. conducted, "and "Tess" was received with every mark of favour. \

Note. . The loveT of' statistics who happens also.to b? an admirer .of Puccini will bo glad to know that the Italian composer's "Tosca" has been performed in 63 theatres in France, eight in Germany,'and in Austria, 12' in Spain, and three in Switzerland (says a .London critic). "La Boheme," it is said, has been given in 38 French theatres, in the saino nunibcr of houses' in Spain, in 22 in Germany, !!0 in America, 10 in Belgium, and two: in . Switzerland. - Our country, for some, reason, is l<>ft ontVoUtlio account, but we can assure the statistician, just quoted that.. : this opera' is quito 'frequently given over here, and has heen: heard at Coven't Garden. Twenty-four -theatres, in Europe! 'it: is added, have - staged ""Madame \ Butterfly," .while 'in America this work has obtained no fewer reflreseutailoM. .