MUSICAL TOPICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 110, 5 April 1930, Page 7

MUSICAL TOPICS.

HALLE ORCHESTRA. (By “Semibreve.”) . The Halle Orchestra; of Manchester, is still going strong and recently gave the fifth of its series of London concerts' setting forth a programme of remarkable brilliance and. volume which conclusively proved the orchestra’s quality. ■ Elgar’s Second Symphony and Strauss’s two great tone poems, “Don ■ Juan” and “Till Eulenspiegcl’s Merry Pranks,” were pieces which made formidable technical demands upon the orchestra and were artistically exacting. Sir Hamilton Harty, the Halle conductor, is most of all a musician of temperamental warmth. His reading of Elgar’s work differed from other readings by reason of its emphasis upon qualities in it which make’ especial appeal to him. Thus the so much exquisitely dream-filled music of this symphony, in which Elgar reached what is perhaps the highest level of. imaginative beauty, was almost too lovingly lingered over; its phrases drawn out to their limit; its expressiveness underlined by unceasing nuances of rising and falling tone, and the symphony’s moods of breadth and strength in which it piles itself up into typically Elgarian storm and stress, were hurled from the .orchestra with a sound and fury not far short of the tempostuous. It was an effective reading, but this slackening of. speed and insistent emphasis on the expressiveness of the lyrical passages and this energetic delivery of tho fortissimos, held the disadvantage that for one thing it added to the length of an alieady long .work, and for another thing it detracted from the continuity of the music. There was no denying, at all events, the masterful, performance the orchestra gave of the beautiful work in which is so much of Elgar’s most exalted genius, while in the Straussian splendours of sound that succeeded it their brilliance was not loss enjoyable, because that particular music of varied, elaborate, picturesquely descriptive manner allowed the conductor every chance of exploiting his gift for detailed dissection of an orchestral score. WAGNER CONCERT. At a later concert the Halle Orchestra gave a Wagner programme, having the assistance of Florence Austral and Robert Parker, who sang the final soenc of the “Valkyrie.” The scene in “Siegfried” between Brunhilde and Waltrante, was sung by Florence Austral and Muriel Brunskili. And the programme was assured of a brilliant ending by the fact that its concluding number was the closing scene of Gotterdammerung, which Madame Austral has made peculiarly her. own. Otherwise the orchestra played the Siegfried’s “Rhine Journey” music, Siegfried's “Death March,” the “Ride of tho Valkyries” and the' “Forest Murmurs” from Siegfried. The vocStists were all good. Madame Austral’s brilliant voice rang out through the orchestra, with its customary beauty of tone; Miss Brunskili, a contralto of exceptional quality, made a duly dramatic appeal to Brunhilde for the restoration of the Rhine maiden’s ring; and Robert, Parker, a seasoned “Wotan.” though he still sacrifices flow of tone to dramatic emphasis—in the old Wagnerian baritone way —impressed the audience with his farewell to Brunhilde. The orchestra was' in its best form and Sir Hamilton Harty’s method of putting as much expression into a phrase as it can conveniently hold, wag well suited to the high pitch of Wagner’s emotionalism. KREISLER. . Kreisler still draws packed houses at the Royal Albert, Hall, London. At a recent concert, departing from his usual custom of making his programme of small pieces—a custom of which there had been many complaints—ho played the Tschaikowsy violin concerto,” and a concerto of Bach before proceeding to the tit bits of the other, kind, and great was the resulting joy of' his audience, even those who were there to hear him play agreeable tunes experiencing a performance of these large scale works such as could scarcely have failed to impress them. Kreisler was in fact the unrivalled artist in this music, his playing of which was masterly to a degree. ELISABETH SCHUMANN. This great singer has given another London recital aud once more has charmed her audience—it .filled the Queen’s Hall—with the beauty of her voice, her distinguished technical skill, and the polish of her art. Her programme began with “0, had I Jubal’s Lyre,” and proceeded through a list of Schubert, Schumann, and Strauss songs, most of them familiar , and well loved, but rarely' heard sung with such grace and beauty of effect. ' Madame Schumann introduced on this occasion two new Straus* songs "which the composer has dedicated to her. Good songs though they be, they arc not likely to rival’ in artistic esteem Strauss’s best Lieder. • . The voice is not one of those more robust sopranos that thrill the hearer with their volume and their power. But for beauty of timbre and appealing charm London hears no voice equal to this, while . the distinction of Madame Schumann’s singing is of the kind that only tho greatest singers reveal. 8.8.0. CONCERT. Tho symphony concert given in the second weok of February should have been conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham, ‘but, being indisposed, his place was taken by Mr Leslie Heward, a talented young conductor who was for a time in charge of the Capetown Municipal Orchestra, and now is again in London where he is highly thought of. He is one of the three' conductors in ‘the" running for Mr Adrian Boult’s post, as conductor of the Birmingham Municipal Orchestra shortly to be vacant, Mp Boult having been : appointed musical director of the 8.8. C. Tee other two are Mr Stanley Chappie and Mr Julius Harrison. . ’ ■ Mr Howard did extremely well seeing that he ■ was at a disadvantage through the programme—unexpectedly in his hands—containing such unusual works as William Walton's “Sinfonia concertante,” Sibelius’s “Tapiolo,” beside Do bussy’s “Ronde des Printemps,” Ber lioz’s “Carnival Romanine” and Tschai kowsky’s “Fourth Symphony." He wa always clearly decisive in his directions U the players;, and his reading securoc admirable performances. ‘ ' SIBELIUS’S “TAPTOLO»

Of the less familiar works presented Sibelius’s “Tapiolo,”_ a title derived from the name of tho Finnish Deity “Tapio” —is in effect a tone-poem portraying the dim forest and the cold, .dark'landscape witiiin which the god and his attendant spirits ipight have disported. The .music is the characteristically sincere music in which Sibelius, so often rises to heights of beauty by -means of unaccustomed paths, and not »ast often by tho. path of rugged strength. It .is typical-. Sibelius, not in the least like anybody else’s music, but its breadth of idea and spaciousness of thought at once provoke the interest of its hearers. KUBELIK,- '- - . Kubelik, ihe wonder violinist who a few years _ ago astonished the world with his brilliance, .is again appearing in London at the Queen’s Halt attracting . many people, either to hear him for the first time, or to renew old acquaintance. It, is, perhaps, unfortunate for him that Kreisler is also in London. ' SCHNABEL. j-.’ Schnabel, the great pianist, is still in London, delighting, his Audiences with his masterly interpretation of Beethoven . and Brahms. Schnabel has -blossomed out-’as a composer, coming to light with a quartet; which is an interesting composition, having some harmonic subleties and surprises in the approved modernist manner.' ; > ;. Galli-Curci is due for a tour of Australia and New Zealand, states an American publication. At present it is thought that the tour- will commence in .1931. An. exchange .states that Madame Galli-Curci has not been too happy with her Continental audiences, but sne loves the. appreciation of English people.