ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Issue 14118, 22 July 1909, Page 5

ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY.

It was an enticing programme that the Dunedin Society put before the subscribers last night. Mendelssohn's wedding march—* ' Flying Dutchman ' selection —bits of 'Ginofk-Girofhv—these were amongst the items for the orcheßtra, and as an extra attraction .1 concerto by Mendelssohn, with Mrs IManchc Levi playing the pianoforte solo. Such an abundance of good things is seldom offered on one night, and our music lovers mustered in strength, making an extra large audience, though the weather was not at all pleasant. The wedding march from Mendelssohn's ' Midsummer Night's Dream ' music opened the concert, and somewhat- subdued the eagerness of the .audience, for Mr Jas. Coombs, the lion, conductor, adopted a tempo very much dQicer than thai which tradition assigns to this march, with the result that its gaiety was entirely lost. Another fault aWit the performance was tiie unjust predombanco of the brass. The trombones and the euphonium put on so much weight as to eclipse the wood wind and make the strings only half audible in the tutti. A fine balance of harmony came from the orchestra at the passage where the brass drops out. and the crescendo here worked up was one of the l>ost effects of tin evening. This was the one redeeming feature of the march. In the andante of Popper's 'Concerto in E Minor' the solo 'cello part assigned to Mr T. I'arker was not- well heard. The soloist ought to have come, to tiie front. Untied in the heart of the orchestra, the fiolo was overpowered by the accompaniment, and it- seemed to tome of the listeners that .Mr Parker felt thus disadvantage and forced the weight. At any rate, he did -not play quite so well as usual. Coming aiter- two disappointments, it wa.s specially grateful to hear a- particularly line performance of Mendelssohn's- 'Concerto in G Minor.' 'This is the concerto the solo of which was played so brilliantly by the late Mr A. .1. Barlh a. few years ago. On the pro-out occasion Mrs Blanche Levi undertook the responsible duty, ami, playing from memory, this lady delighted the large and critical audience. Her interpretation was quite, of the inspirational charaLtci ; .uid ati to execution, if the rapid work of the hist movement sc-emed to need a man's physical ftivngth to give those octaves all tiieii glitter and force, that was. the oniy possible suggestion of any improvement. Mi-s Levi is a. great- mu-.sician. So mere player could ha-ve made as much as sin- did of the lovely slow movement. 'I in: concerto occupied twenty minutes, and tiie audience would gladly have heard il repeated. This fact- may be taken as evidence, also, that- the orchestra, did their uork well. It was a, fine study all round, more like what one would expect from a pioiessional orchestra. The 'Son and Stranger' overture began well, the strings doing excellent work in the- andante. At the ouUset, of the allegro the hoiu wa.s rather too loud, and dragged the time, and prci-eutly, apparently through not watching the conductor, a general raggednes.s became manifest: but the llutcs and violins ic.inrod order when they caniA together in 'he le->d nil. the rest of the orchestra call :mi- -spirit of the work, the results i-!e reaft-T ax: Mich as to pleas-e everybedy. I.he play ,g being light and graceful and full of • i-niing effects. - arc lo he sincerely congratiilulcd ii|>cu the way in which the 'Flying- Dutchman' selection «as performed. It is a leally ginxl fieleclion, and the inlerpre-la.tion was in full agreement with lie- subject as plaoexl l«s----f- us in the o|mi i. The .si-onii iurila-taon was niic-t capably done, and thanks largely to the tine work by the bra.su the sailors' chorus and the .-uvisinan's s<mg were re-piodiic.'-d villi --plcndid fidelity and elfcct, whilst the lornet came in for special praise on account ot hie tendering of Scuta's ,soiic. '|'---hiiici!!v (hi-- iselcction \nis ihe gem ot ,':,- <■; che;,tia'n contributiort---.

With the ' Ciro'k'-Uirotla ' seki:lio.n, too. ill mi.-t iiave I'.cen niui.'li vived reuilled ions of coniie opera, belonging to the day.-, when music was considen'd an important ingredient. Moreover, t.hough nn;-t of the soloirilis >eeiried to be |)laying without the a<lvairi;ige of knowing the were',-,, tiie.se men in utor>t cii.ses eaimlit truly lie' riiytlun and tlw (spirit, of the ; : on_':. as tsung. A notable example wa,; Marasqiiin is M)iig, 'My l:il Ikt i.s a banker old." Mr Henry liracy, who. k'i\i\ hih wife, used to apjwar in ' I.Jirotle.' would have Ivoi'ii delighted to have beard the echo of thks hue tsong. ' FooLs may jeer,' also by th n comet, wa.s another .success a.to style, but on the timid Mile. We may i!s(> mention the euphonium lead in ' How like she is to Cirofla.' and the nice appreciation by the first violins of the louder air 'Turn not, away.' and tlu- chorus of pirates wa.s a. giorious piece of work by the hill orchestra. The only item in the selection actually .mi-s.iiiidcrM.ood was 'Mv l.jirolla. my liride.' ibis lovely duet being so nisin/ii as to ho scarcely nt'ogtrksahle. Mr Xiiiiinaiin, ;is leiuio.t, wa.s a steadying infliienoe all the evening. The singers were Jean Crnwlev and Mr I'. 11. .liryani. Their accninpii.nimeiit.s were nicely played by Mis/s I'atou. Miss (tttwloy sang sweetly and in an una.-stim-ing manner, giving 'The splendor of the stars' and "A song of simcshine.' Mr lirya.nt "kit go" at "The JJedouiu love song' with line heart diesis, but was in elinrd to sing sharp—;i fault that wa.s more pronouiHwl in 'Hear the wild wind blow.' Hut he deserves, much credit for the character he gave to each song.