ENTERTAINMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13918, 27 November 1908, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS.

ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY, The : last concert of the season by tu' * ' Orchestral Society attracted the usual " crowded audience to the Choral \ Hall 1 " " night. Hcrr Johan Wielaert "conducted** 1 ' programme off -unusual excellence, »],;„£ - included several novelties. The first 'of the was the " Raymond " overture by Amb&S Thomas, > the performance of which brimful of virility and technical aurenes" '■ The opening was presented with groat elan ' ' and volume, while the " Andantino," wJt ? .V.-' its : alternate phrases for wood-wind ' muted strings, was given with refinement and clearness of execution. The "Allemo con Moto," with its crescendo : rushe* and syncopations, . received careful treatment the r gradually-increasing tones being frJ'Afrom " lump:.ness" in their realisation ' ■"''l Great precision and emphasis were put into the closing climaxes. The first movement of Beethoven's celebrated "Eroica" sym'. ' phony was alsc a highly-enjoyable number' | Whether the hero whom Beethoven seek* "" to -glorify •in the tone-poem is the g rrt ; | Consul ''of France of that period, or oSS#.: Jv I wise, need not occasion concern to tf■ v' | cert-goer. Suffice it that some iu,v >' j noble deeds is in this movement eh wn j» r ' the midst of his glorious activity struggles. The first subject, tinlrau-5 , [& some 12 bars, bears a resemblnne® to Mozart's " Bastien and Bastienne.' This''.' is elaborated in various ways during th# '' - ! progress of the movement given iast oven*-' ing. Diatonic and chromatic subjects are','' introduced, and much opportunity. is gjv„if - I for independence in the part-playing re- ' quired in the contrapuntal work. Last J night's performance was a creditable ;'one.4^S Here and there individual shortcoming? were perceptible to the observant listener, but there is little doubt that these- 1 trifling ' uncertainties will bo removed at a future ' concert. The wood-wind and strings <g;| some most capable work, and especially •*- this noticeable in the closing . seetioni ; Wagner's "Ride of the Vaikyries,"ionetgjSm the sensations in the second music drama what is generally known as '" The Ring," was . another novelty at this concerl. Thi opening of the third act of "The Valkyrie** shows the mountain-top where four of the v Valkyries are awaiting the return of; their ■ ' sisters, also four in number. These arrive at intervals, riding through spacs. and from' their saddles hang the bodies of dead heroes recovered from . an earthly , battlefield. • Though the initial presentment here of thin , wondrous portion of. the great ton®' drama : : lacked the mise en scene, the ' delineation was sufficiently, realistic j and weird to thtf* audience. In order to preserve the balanc* of vocal tone against such a large : body . i§i instrumentalists, the part of the l eight Valkyries was . quadrupled,. making 32 lady; | vocalists. A-, highly-creditable performance... of this situation was given, the high-sound-.ing musical cries of the Valkyries mingling with the descriptive orchestrali effects in-- ■! [ impressive , fashion. The - inherent charm of the ' dainty • intermezzo ; : " Coqueiterie" I (Steck),'. with its muted string effects, made, universal appeal. Other .successes ' "were ? Liszt's^ symphonic poem., "Les ; Preludes," ! and " the "Hungarian March," from . Ber-» lioz's: "Damnation of. Faust," and , some iur." ; prisingly r good '.work /• was • forthcomings {raft these.. Miss Edith Wliitelaw, ft f;.Tt"A' ' was a most efficient leader of" theorchestin.' ; Madame Wielaert supplied the vocal solo numbers of the concert, and her reappearance after a prolonged absence from the 1 concert platform ; was welcome. . She dis- -" i played much elasticity of style in the treat- " ment of the' first programme number, ■ " Elizabeth's I Prayer," • from i'' Tannhausefc 'V*;'[ (Wagner). In -the second part the gave a brilliant i reading „of , the famous4< Shadow . J •'Song,'*;-from Meyerbeer's opera, "Dinorah,'\ the , scale i ' passages, . shakes, as well, as tha. varying moods of tho umber, being skilfully presented! -Her encore numbers "The - Almond Tree "' ' (Schumann) and " Ritornello" (Ciujaarai" With the excep- ■ [ tio:i of.'Tho'encores, th» numbers were sung I to an orchestral accompaniment, M-'.i;i& filled all demands. ' • — , ' OPERA HOUSE. :S J - That the Wide-World . Pictures being ; - shown at. the Opera. House are meeting with public ' approval was . ■ demonstrated once, more - . last* ■ "night, , when another iarge ; audience assembled. . The ' programme t sub- .V ' milted •. was »an X excellent ' .>ne i; from beginning to end, and there was scarcely a picture displayed which was not greeted with 1 rounds of applause. The . same programme<■'i will be repented to-night. :^ HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. - ; The' entertainment 7 ; provided :by the Mas/ kelyne; and . iDevknt % Company Jat Hi* Ma-, jesty's Theatre attracted another large audience ; last evening. The turn ; furnished by /Mr. Barclay Gammon proved exceedingly f captivating, and was much bjislgii the audience.' The ( other turns also catme 1 in for a considerable measure of apprecia-' tion, particularly ' those provided , by Gin-, taro, the Japanese juggler, and Mr. Owen / Clark, conjurer. The season will b»' brought to a close to-morrow nighty ' **• — «. LECTURE BY . MISS , LOUIE .{ STAGEYIn the , Federal ; Hall last • evening Mitt Louie Stacoy, of , the New Thought Centre, London, : lectured >. on j " Freemasonry, Chris' . tianityj and}. Socialism." Notwithstanding the unpropi/.ious weather, there wan a fair j audience. . The" speaker was introduced ;by, -: .j the Rev. W. Walker, who intimated sthat; -~;j Miss Stacey , contemplated staying >; a month\j -x in Auckland, during : which; time' she would . address meetings- on ' different subjects relating to r the ; New Thought doctrine. The V. 7 lecture • was : listened to »>throughout with - much interest. . * . : / * ! - — - A concert in aid .of the Children's Hom«, Remuerc, is to be given to-night .? at '-St Luke's Hall. The programme will be con->;*.i.« tributed .-by the Grafton school senior scholars and Misses Rountree, Crawford, vJI Wilson, Adams, Hay, and Husband. ✓'• '■