MUNICIPAL ORCHESTRA.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1440, 15 May 1912, Page 9

MUNICIPAL ORCHESTRA.

A JiKCOIin AUIHKXCK. Tlio word io Hie nmviso (Irnnpoa l>.vJlr. .Miiiiifliaii Diiriioll a wool: ns« hurt n iii«lintl.'<-IVi.'tt- nn (lie iilrcndanee nf the public ;it 1 ai.--1- evening's ciuimrt. J lie bis ball was about tlircc-parl/! full—a record iiiiilicm-e ior ilio Jlmiii'i]uil Orclicslr:i. Woi'O (Ispie such autlii'iicos at each concert—.■mil them is mi valid rnu'on wli.V there slinulrt licit l>c-tlie orcliestra _wnulil 1)C fllile Id -rut throuKli witlioul. relyilii,' oil guarantors, and tli« hnrt <>f -Mr. JtnriicU', and ppvcral nnli-nt cntlutsiasts would lw> <'x<wliii«ly i,'lad. In Die chivsp of the floiu-crt Sir. K:\niMt sniil (hut lie had bi'Pil called upon ;i )'<■»■ (in.ys ago to express himself -omewliat stroiifily rcijarrtiiiK (lie attciuloiieps that wore lipinft aceiinli'il ti> the Xlunipiiial Orchestra. Jlo thoujrht Hiat it was only dnc lo thoFe prp=i>nt lo say that tlio nllfnclance was entirely satifl'iiclcry, and ho wished to oxpress his personal pleasure, at the way Hie public had responded. The- remarks were greeted, with loud and sympathetic applnusf. Thflro was nothing dull or tedious awint Inst evening's proffiMinmp, which to the cultured perhaps erred on the light side. This is not stated in tlio spirit of complaint, for as Mr. ,T. B. Hoare, one of tlio musical critics of the London "Daily Telegraph'- , who was in Wellington Inst K-ook, remarked, musical conductors out here had to "swindle" Hip public into liking good music as Henry Wood had done in London years ago. The manner of swindling was to load the programme with light popular music and insert hero and there, better class music until the public acquired a knowledge and tnsto for it. So it was with last evening's programme. Tho old and firmly established "Caliph of, Bagdad" overture of Boioldieu! with its airy tunefulness, was bracketed with Jahiefeldt's charming "Prelude," most admirably played, and, of course, encored, and Elgar'.s "Popip and Urcuinstanoe" march, which is being played too often in one firm or other. Then came Beelhoven's First Symphony—complete for a change*. This work streams with delicious melody of tho purest order, and the conventionally classic form of its orchestration, makes it one of tho most easily followed and understood of the nine' symphonies of Beethoven. Other numbers not new to regular natrons were flip, dainty Pizzicato from "Sylvia," by Delibiw. the erp.ent.ric "Funenil March of a Marionette" (Gounod), played rather mi tho slow side, and the tempestuous Prelude to Act 111 of AViigner's "LohenMr. Hamilton notices was the soloist. Burdened with the remains of n cold, he san? •tlf iol'v natter s*ti* "f tl)» barh=r from "The Barbr-r of Seville" (Kossmi), last sung in Wollington bv Mr. Kennerley Kumford. Mr. Hodees sanp the music correctly chohrli, but missed the buoyant gaiety and humour of tho number. As an encore he «ong a charmini; number from Somervell's son? cycle, fset t" Tennyson's words), with good fceline. Lotor lio san° three sines nf I,nhv'=—'Ton r.oved th» Time oi Vinlets," "V.ve* thnt used to Gaze in Mine., and "Youth Has a JTapnv Trend, his only ham'icoo bpinjr the JmsHness born of tho cold lie was suffering from. His encore number wn* Mimehan Bnrnetfs attractive song. "Aubodp" (morning sonn). Tim next concert of the Mun'Vinnl Orcliestra will ho held in a month's time.