THE PHILHARMONIC CONCERT.

Marlborough Express, Volume V, Issue 223, 26 March 1870, Page 4

THE PHILHARMONIC CONCERT.

This Society gave its Sixth Concert at the Provincial Hall, on Wednesday evening last, and we are happy - in being able to record that the efforts of its members were on this occasion rewarded with decided success, the hall being filled to its utmost extent by a highly respectable audience, and the execution of the various items in the programme being generally very creditable to the executants.' The portion of the room occupied by the orchestra was decorated with flags belonging to the ill-fated ship Hera, kindly lent for the purposeby Captain Terkelson, and thus presented a very gay and pleasing appearance. The concert commenced with the well-known Anvil Chorus from H Trovatore, which was sung with much spirit and precision, the effect being considerably heightened by the anvil accompaniment, from ’which the chorus takes its name. This, together with the grand “ Pilgrims’ Chorus,” from I Lombardi, which was sung with the most praiseworthy attention to light and shade throughout; Weber’s harmonious chorus for male voices, known as “ Lutzow’s Wild Hunt” ; and the concluding chorus by Smart, “The Hardy Norseman,” deserve our heartiest commendation, since allowing for the limited number of voices engaged in their performance, they were most creditably rendered. The other concerted pieces were hardly so successful, the choius to the “Serenade” in Don Pasquale, being especially unsatisfactory. The fem of the evening was unquestionably E J. ,oder’s fine song, “Martin, the Man-at-arms,” which was given in excellent style by a valued member of the society, whose fine barytone voice we never heard to greater advantage, and whose execution of Hatton’s popular song “Simon the Cellarer,” given in compliance with a most enthusiastic encore,-was not one whit less successful. A pleasingsongby Glover, “The singing rills,” was 1 given with all her accustomed skill by the lady to

whose invaluable aid, both as a vocalist and accompaniiat, the society is so largely indebted, and wh o also contributed materially to the success of two duets, “ The Messenger Swallow,” by Blockley, and Sir H. R. Bishop’s favorite “ As it fell upon a day,” in which she was very ably supported by two members of a family which constitutes one of the principal pillars of the society, the voices in each instance blending most harmoniously. Linley’s cheerful ballad, “ The bonnie hills of Scotland,” sung very pleasingly by the young lady whose efforts on a previous occasion deservedly met with such warm recognition, and whose pure fresh voice only requires further culture, with some additional spirit, to make it still more acceptable—Bishop’s fine trio from Pizarro, “Hark, ’tis the Indian drum,” sung in a style which left little to be desired—a pleasing song, “ Never mind the rest,” which outy needed the the expression of a little more animation to make it very commendable—the solo in the “Hardy Norseman,” sang very creditably by a recent accession to the society, the possessor of a barytone voiseof very agreeable quality—and though last, not least, a lengthy but very amusing comic medley song, given with immense gusto by the conductor, and most warmly received by the numerous audience present these constituted the most noteworthy features which remain to be mentioned in the evening’s performances. Encores were plentifully awarded, and “ all went merry as a marriage bell,” affording a decided contrast to the apathy which prevailed at the previous concert. When we state that Mr. George Cotterell most kindly contributed his mirth-provok-ing powers to the general success—giving his Anglo-Maori song, followed by a capital mock Italian bravura in the first part, much of the comic humor of which was unhappily lost to the audience through the unfortunate position of the instrument on which he accompanied himself, and in the second a most grotesque comic song, “Giles Scroggins,” (in character), with a very clever imitation of the tones of a violin executing Paganini’s well-known “ Caruaval de Yenise,” with its burlespue “aggravations,” all of which threw the audience into perfectecstasies of delight —it will be admitted that we only echo the public voice when we characterise the concert of Wednesday evening as probably the most successful which has yet been given by the society, on whose perseverance and progress it reflected much credit.