PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY

Evening Star, Issue 12652, 4 November 1905, Page 2

PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY

Fifty-seven performers, constituting afull orchestra, assembled in front of Signer Squarise at His Majesty's Theatre last night to give the fourth concert promoted by the Dunedin Philharmonic Societv. and if time and circumstances permitted of' everyone being rewarded in exact proportion to his deserts there would be sixtyseven votes of thanks due from the audience, one for each member of the orchestra—since all must have played in order to produce the splendid musical results—and a batch of ten for the capable conductor to whose teaching and incorporating powers the undoubted success of the concert is largely due. The " house " was the largest the society have yet faced, the theatre being filled, and musically the concert was most instructive and satisfying. The most important of the works chosen for performance was Tschaikowsky's sixth symphony (Op. 74), known as the 'Symphony Pathetique. It is one of the modern masterpieces; very difficult, by reason of its unusual length, also because of the indispensable need for exact playing. Tschaikowsky began this symphony in February of 1893; he finished it in August, and conducted its first performance at St. Petersburg- in October, ten days before his death. With the old standard symphonies the musical public here and elsewhere have some acquaintance, and students know the history of the subject. Originally, " symphony" was the term applied to the purely instrumental portions of works primarily vocal, such as operas and oratorios. In course of time composers began to realise that audiences made it a practice to talk through the orchestral playing that was. intended to foreshadow the main subject, so that, little by little, the symphony became independent and separable, and, as Chambers puts it, it was only natural that the best examples should find their way into the concert room, where they met with a more courteous reception. A new outlet being thus provided, original works were soon forthcoming, and hence the creation of the symphony as developed by Beethoven and brought to its classical zenith. That, however, is not the sort of symphony that, we are now dealing with. Schubert, Schumann, Raff, and others broke away from conventional rule, Brahms went a step further in the direction of poetical liberty, and has in the ' Pathetique' dared to totally disregard precedent as to form, and give to the world a composition which, whilst unimpeachably sound in construction, satisfying the strictest musical analysis, is in "design absolutely fancy free. There are four movements. The first opens with a short adagio, in which a solemn solo fori bassoon with double-bass and viola accompaniment serves as the introduction. This was played with smoothness and feeling. Then the allegro, starting with a passage for violas and 'cellos, developed by the upper strings, and going on to answering Ehrases as between 'cellos and double asses on the one hand and oboes and clarinets on the other. Here, again, the playing was exact and tuneful. The entry of the brass sounded a little rough, but the general diminuendo was nicely worked out. Next comes an andante, in which we hear what stands for the theme. It is a sart of dreamy song, sung by muted violins and 'cellos, accompanied by horns and bassoons on sustained notes. The strings here did splendid work, especially the first violins, and the accompaniment was compact and even. Then a series of imitations, very ably commenced by the flute and bringing in the reeds with fine effect, clarinet conspicuously reliable. The repettition of the theme with a new scheme of instrumentation brought the whole orchestra together in excellent agreement and a suggestion of what is known as the organ tone; and the andante dies away in a solo that was given very skilfully by the clarinet, but suffered a touch of bad luck in passing to the bassoon. The crash for the full orchestra that opens the allegro was very near perfect, and then come a series of very difficult passages in the working up of a brilliant climax—executed without any sign of mistake—after which there is a return to the andante, smoothing down into a clarinet solo, chime runs by pizzicato strings, and a quiet tapering oft into chords by brass and tympani, this dissolution being carefully brought about in tender and sympathetic stvle. Thus ended the first movement, the playing of which occupied eighteen minutes. In the second movement the short melody_ assigned first to 'cellos and then to 'violins and reeds was most agreeably played, though the reeds were hardly able to hold out against the accompaniment, and the instrumentation sounded a little comolicated until the infallible first violins resumed the lead on the repetition of the principal subject. Good work by the double basses was here noted. The latter part of the movement is weird and intensely dramatic, strange effects startling the ear, and nothing but a thorough knowledge of the work enabled the orchestra to go safely through the complications of the score. This movement took ten minutes. The third movemeat opens briskly like a tarant-elle : then we hear a hint of a march, followed by the crash of cymbals, next the march fullv revealed by clarinet to the tarantelle as a string accompaniment, after which | comes a barbaric passage for bass, then a piercing sforzando, an instant's pause as from a shock, a running away imitation | by the violins, and at last a tremendous trinle forte for the whole orcehstra. All these effects were worked ont successfully, the steadiness of the band in the c'imnx being most remarkable. The movement took ten minutes. The fourth movement, adagio lamentoro, is very sad. First violins, muted, backed up by reeds, play a little andante that sounds like a prayer, and a rabordinute theme is in grateful contrast, but the general tone is distinctly sorrowful, and the last notes from "cellos and double basses miebt bo the wail of a lost soul. This movement took twelve minutes to play, and concerning it we may iust remark that the violins, bassoons, and horns were the surest of a really capable party. Counting in a brief respite between tfhe movements, the symphony occupied an hour all but five minutes. It was a giiwwitic task, but the results fully warranted the vn&ertakmg, and all x>T«*ent must bave been thoroughly convinced that in view of the success achieved the Philharmonic orchestra need not be afraid of any work. Signor Squarise practically conducted for the symphony without the music. He lhad the ecore under his hand, but referred to it only occasionally. Miss Coughtrey was leader of the orchestra.

A few -words may suffice a* to the other items. The 'Turkish Patrol' went very weß, every section of the. orchestra being heard, bat witih more practice the diminuendo could be more smoothly graded. Eilenberg's 'Mandolinen Serenade' for strings in pizzicato came as a grateful relief after the symphony, and it was most delicately played. Chopin's ' Military Polonaise' was rendered with all the necessary boldness—perhaps it was a. little too impetuous at times, but this was. a fault on the right side. The audience also heard Miss Gertrude Meenan as a aolo violinist, and we heartily compliment this young Jady on her pronounced success. She plays correctly and with rare taste. Her principal solo was Wieniawski's 'Second Polonaise,' and the encore piece a mazurka, by Carl Bobm. Miss Ina. Gow played the accompaniments to these solos very well indeed. One of the siossta was Mr F. ,

Hendry, who geve the toreador's song from ' Carmen' in first-class style and aJterewds nang 'ln a garden of roses' fairly well, though -with rather too roach expression. MuW, Evan* also sang, and thoroughly deligbtett the audience with her artirtw rendering of Hatton'e song 'The Enchantress,' foEowing thw with » equaHy aooeptable interpretation of 'l*"**! Spn»s*.' ?T Coenan. Mrs H. C. Campbell supplied; the •one accompaniments, and her sham of the work was in excellent taste.