An Evening with the Jungfrau Kapelle.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 18, 22 January 1889, Page 2

An Evening with the Jungfrau Kapelle.

? " Did you hear the Swiss Singers last night?" is tp-day tho universal question amongst musical people. In the event of the reply being in the negative, the more fortunate one who was present at the opening performance in tho Opera House recommends his or her friends not to lose the opportunity of witnessing tho most novel and varied musical entertainment that has* been provided for the Wellington public for a long time past. The Jungfrau Kapelle comprises five ladies and ten gentlemen, who form together one of tho most capable orchestras we have ever heard. As some of the performers have two instruments within their reach, tho resources of the band number about 20 instruments in all, and the exchanges are made with capital effect, ihe company have every reason to feel flattered by the hearty reception given to them last night, and still more ground for satisfaction with the enthusiasm which was awakened when they had given a taste of their quality — the audience evincing an inclination to encore every item. The curtain rose upon a lovely Alpine landscape, in viewing which the spectator soemod to be looking through a bower of real foliage upon tho background of mountain pines, with a torrent dashing across the middle distance. To this pretty scene enters the whole company of " jodellors," in pictures mo Swiss costumes of th<i 14th century, and they open their concert with the well-known overture to Rossini's opera of " William Toll." One is first struok with the perfectness of their orchestral work. Every instrument is distinctly heard, but none is obtruded, and the ensemble could not possibly be much more effective. The sound-paint-ing of tbe storm was splendidly rendered, and light and shade were throughout contrasted admirably. Next came Coote's "Bric-a-Brao " polka, the air of which was played by three of the yonng ladies on xylophones — instruments consisting of wooden bars struck^ with mallets— with accompaniment by guitars, the harp, and the mandoline. Tho polka was warmly encored, and in res- ; ponse an Alpine dance was substituted. Everyone was anxious to hear the ' ' jodelling' ' which forms a feature of Tyrolese music. It came in the next item, the chorus and jodel, " Zillerthal dv bist raei Freud" ("Tho Valley in Tyrol— my joy") by the whole 1 company, in which the jodel was led by Herr Maag, who has a light and agreeable tenor voice. Hero were heard for the first time , the_ unusual musical intervals peculiar to the Swiss, and the singular breaks from tho natural voice into falsetto which constitute the jodel. Tho effect is very pecnliar, but soon becomes agreeable to the oar, and one gets to look for the jodelling refrain with which most of tho company's songs conclude. Usually the jodel consists of a swinging falsetto melody, suggestive of light-hearted-ness, but at times it is interrupted by singular exultant yells. Of the subsequent vocal items into whioh this feature was introduced tho most noticeable were the song "Der Gaisbub " ("The Goat-herd"), by Herr Maag ; the duet " Sennrin Sbau " ("The Wooing in the Alps"), by Fraulein Uhl and Herr Maaer, with " Two Stars in Heaven" as an encore piece; the chorus "Der Lustigo Bua" ("Tho Happy Swiss Boy"); the song "Der Guto Bua" ("My Dear Boy "), by Fraulein Uhl, with " I Love Yon " as an encore piece ; and the quartette " Dos Morgens in der Friihe " (" Sunrise in the Alps "), with " I Love my Mountain Sport" when encored. It is true that nearly every song was given in an unfamiliar tongue, but the expressive gesture and attitude which accompanied each gave one a very fair idea of the singer's meaning. Madame Seebold gave a fine rendering of the waltz song " 11 Baoio," and in answer to an enthusiastic encore Bang " Thou Art so Near and Yet so Far." Of the instrumental novelties, the most interesting is the 'cello-zither, invented by Professor Seebold, tho musical director of the company. As its name suggests, it is a compromise between the zither and the violoncello, about half as large again as a viola, and it is played with a bow while laid horizontally on a table. Its tone is delightfully sweet and full, resembling that of a good 'cello. In the skilful hands of Professor Seebold, the 'oello-zither was heard with especially good effect in the wellknown air, "A Boy's Best Friend is his Mother," to which Madame Soebold played the harp accompaniment. An oncoro followed, which elicited the Tyrolese air " I and my Boy." The most conspicuous orchestral success of the evening was Michaelis' descriptive piece, "The Turkish Patrol," in which the crescendo and decrescendo wore carried out with an ease of gradation that will be quite a revelation to most amateurs. In answer to an encore the male performers gave an amusing chorus celebrating the musical capabilities of " Johnny Schmoker." A selection of national airs introduced such solo instruments as tho ocarina (mado of terra-cotta), xylophone, glockenspiele (with largo steel strings), and zither. Pressure on our space forbids any detailed reference to Herr Sohmeid's clever zither solos, Herr Adam Seebold's skill in the use of the mandoline, or his wonderful performance on the kettledrum in imitation of the noises incident to a railway journey and a battlefield, and the imitations of bird whistling by the piccolo players. It must suffice to state that each of these items was exceptionally good, and took the house by storm. To sum up, we must pronounce the Jungfrau Kapelle to be one of tho most capable musical combinations that have ever visited us. Last night's programme will be repeated to-night.