ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13870, 2 October 1908, Page 7

ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY.

A SUCCESSFUL CONCERT. The Auckland Orchestral Society's; third concert of the season was attended by the usual crowded audience at the Choral Hall last night. As is customary at these concerts, the programme was of an ambitious, yet engaging, nature, and contained, in addition to numbers already heard, two works hot previously presented in Auckland. These were Back's "Air on, the G '..String," from the composer's. Suite in D I Major, arranged for all strings, with organ ■ accompaniment, and Auton Rubinstein's h"Valse Caprice." The first of these was j'given with rich sonority of tone, the timbre {of the instruments giving the desired tonal, richness, u'hile the har- ! monies of the organ accompaniment, played 1 by Mrs. Macandrevi, served to enhance the ! effect. Rubinstein's brilliant valse, with i its numerous distinctive characteristics, received on the whole a desirable interpretation, the more solidly-constructed portions of orchestration being given with tremendous elan and precision. In the introduction there was a want of certainty, but the players warmed up to the require-, ments of the number as it proceeded. The string and woodwind executants, in their captivating themes, rendered good service, while the 'cellos and basses were heard to good effect in . their melodic material. Much praiseworthy work was done by the orchestra in tho closing climaxes, the general impression conveyed being one of enthusiastic admiration for this famous ■ work. .;•.'.-"■",. : «

..-. Sir Edward Elgar's , concert overture, " Cockaigne," received a second hearing at last night's- concert, and / the) vastly-im-proved rendering of this was notably apparent. As a piece of delineative music, dramatically conceived and richly wrought, it would perhaps be difficult to surpass it as regards contemporary music of its particular metier. That the composer's resources of musical oratory are considerable, the manner in which the principal and subsidiary motifs are treated serves to show. ■Many of the shortcomings inseparable from the initial performance of such an exacting example of " programme music" were absent; last evening, and conductor and orohestra are deserving of the highest praise in thus adequately presenting such an important work. _.'- A conspicuous success was gained in the performance of Liszt's famous "Hungarian Rhapsody," No. ; 1 in F,' which proved "so acceptable to the audience that,'in response to persistent demands, the latter portion was repeated. After the opening " March© Funobre" section, the various instruments wieire heard confidently portraying , their share in the " Allegro Eroico," followed by brief movements in other keys, in Avhich the cadenzas . were cleanly played by the tluto and clarinet executants The delicacy and rhythmical charm of the "Allegretto alia Zingarese," wit/h its varied methods of treatment, found ready favour. Occasionally the ■ thematic outlines were somewhat blurred in the "Vivace Assai" movement, with its impetuous rush of semiquavers, the first violins in particular having much to do. The spirit of tho composition was, however, caught bv the orchestra, and th© closing " Allegro Brioso" was given with vehement force, the brass players in particular delivering their notes with eureness. The second movement—-" Andante molto moto"— of. Beethoven's famous "Pastorale, Symphony," with its closely-woven web of instrumental texture and undulating themes of great interest, received an expressive rendition, but little < marred by the.'occasional faulty intonation of a. section of the woodwind, and a brilliant performance was also given of Mozart's "Don Juari" overture. / /Herr Johan Wielaert occupied/his .usual post as chef d'orchestrc, and his control of his forces embodied necessary confidence and artistry. Miss Edith; Whitelaw, A.M., performed good service as leader of the orchestra. Madame Chambers, who was in excellent voice, gave very acceptable readings of the bracketed- German songs, (a) " Das Veilcheu" (Mozart) and (b) "Wohin" (Schubert), iu / the first part of the programme, while in' " Solveig's Song" (Greig) she was oven bettor suited. Her encore numbers wei-e "Wiegenlied" (Brahms) and "Still as the Night" (Bohm). Satisfactory pianoforte 'accompaniments to these were provided by (Miss E. Holland.