ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Issue 12982, 19 June 1908, Page 5

ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY.

At the" second concert of the DunedraOrchestral Society's twenty-first season, given in the Garrison Hall last night, the attendance aaemed to bo nearly as large- a* usual, notwithstanding the wet weather Subscribers know that these concerts are always worth listening to, the music selected being of a good class, yet well withitreach of the performers, and that the management are too careful of the interests of the society to put on any work without due rehearsal. Last night the playing varied rather more than usual, but a iair average of merit was disclosed, and now and again ihe audience were delighted with real inspirational successes. * The programme opened with the ' Waldmere march,' by l.osey. In this the lead of the strings was rather slender when the band was at full strength, and the answering passages for the lower parts lacked compactness, but on ;he other hand the gnit nf the march was iilways steady, and it was enlivened by plenty of spirit. As to the ballet music. ' Sylvia, or the Nymph of Diana,' by Belibes, one could 'detect a feeling of anxiety to avoid roughness, and in certain passages, particularly the pizzicato, this manifested itself in cramped and timorous playing, as though the performers wore afraid to let themselves go. The exceptions were the horns and the sold flute—they got breadth combined with delicacy. But, notwithstanding the hampering shyness, which by the way is pardonable in a strictly amateur orchestra, and much preferable to irresponsible license, the ballet music was pleasant to one's ears. If th. l keeping down required nn effort, most certainly the tone was kept down, and this by legitimate methods, all the dainty coloring being plainly audible. The second movement of Tschaikowsky's ' Symphony No. 5 in E' went somewhat patchily. Very fine lone effects were produced in the impressive opening, horns and basscons being here vsed to much advantage. After that, in the involved imitations, the instruments got ;>.t cross purposes, and pome of the wood wind a little out of tunc ; but the orchet-:tr;i rallied in the long crescendo, and became brilliant in the forte, and the sift palace at the end was suave and enchanting. The symphony is a most difficult work for amateurs, and Mr James Coombs, the con due-tor, is to be complimented up n th degree of success achieved. A'ter the ir'erval the iuidieno had th. l plefsute o hearing Stcrndale. B 'nnett's ' Wcodnymrh? overture.' The pastoral opening was mo t charmingly played. The in.itrume.ts wer•• nicely u? tune all round and the players thoroughly in accord, tone quality and ex pression being simply delight full There can be little doubt that thi- was the best playing heard during the concert. We may add, too, that the dancing of the nymphs was meet tastefully described by the violins. Towards the end some of the instruments became a little coarse, and thrrlute a wee,bit sharp; but as a whole the interpretation of this overture was decidedly satisfying, and in places a great treat. Lovers of the uncomplicated in mime—an.l we all belong to that claw—were much pleased at the presentation of a 'Don . iiovaniii.' selection, also with the selection its--If, since it introduces ' La ci darem ' and uher lovable extracts from the famous »pera. It was in this selection, also, that the orchestra displayed the greatest freedom and confidence, playing as though they knew the music and liked it. The clarinet solo, taken with much refinement and feeling, was perhaps a tittle handicapped by the unevenness of the accompaniment, but this was the only weak spot in the performance. We the cornet's rendering of the serenade, and the combination of violin and 'cello in the duet was charming, whilst the flute made a feature of his c-o'o, and the tutti went with animation. The singing at this concert was decide d!y above the average. Miss G. Meenan, who has improved wonderfully since she previously appeared, sang two love songs by Bohr in a quiet but effective manner, and gave us a fine quality of tone in her interpretation of an 'Ave Maria' by Luzzi. The accompaniments to this young lady's songsi were ably played by Madame Von Look, who supported the voice without suggi sting anything in the way of competing. " The other singer was Mr P. J. Bluckman. whose masterly interpretative methods enabled him to capture the audience with ' Molly's eyes' (Hawley), 'Gipsy John' (Clav), and 'King Charles' (M. V. White). His accompaniments were played by Miss Paton, who is to be specially thanked for her interesting yet unobtrusive work in the gipsy song. Tho closing item of the concert was one of Strauss's matchless waltzes, played really well. Mr J. Coombs (hon. conductor), Mr C. G. 0. Naumann (leader), and all concerned with the concert deserve much credit for the results of the evening.