ROYAL ARTILLERY BAND

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8650, 7 February 1914, Page 7

ROYAL ARTILLERY BAND

A MAGNIFICENT RECEPTION. There were scenes of the greatest en-j thusiasm at the Town Hall last evening, when the Royal Artillery Band; made its reappearance to a large audience. The renewal of acquaintance- 1 ship with the band, gave ; Wellington music-lovers another great treat—one that will he remembered for years to, come. The combination comes with the reputation of being the best military band at Home. When it was! here in November last, the critics agreed that there was nothing exaggerated about that reputation. But after last night’s concert, everyone] will agree that the band exceeds alt expectations. , Mr E. 0. Strotton, the conductor, is a master-musician. His selection of programmes bears this out,, for ho chooses them with infinite care.j It would indeed be difficult to find aj more meritorious one than that given, last night, for although the music was of the very best class, it was able to' be understood. For instance, the interpretation of Weber’s famous “In--vitation a la Valse,” or rather Woin-| gartner’s arrangement of the delight-i ful melody for full orchestra, sent! the audience almost wild with delight, la such music as this, the band excels, and one readily understands how. such a combination becomes most valuable from an educative point of view. Last night’s programme opened with Wafer's march, “Rienzi,” one of the most impressive of .the great master’s compositions. Full justice was done to it by the band, and the heavy movement towards the close was re-j raarkably rendered. Then came Beet-' hoven’s well-known overture, “Egmont.” This music is full of sympa-; thy and feeling, and is admittedly j difficult to interpret, as, indeed, is alt Beethoven’s music of hero-worship.; The allegro was delightfully given, al-1 though there was a noticeable over-; lapping, which marred the effect of| the downward passages. But the! baud seemed to have saved all its sympathy and tenderness for the clos-i ing “Symphony of Vic , tory,” which is taken from the Inst' scone of the ploy, when Egmont dies a martyr’s death. Following this i > masterpiece, came a suite of woodland dances by Herbert Haines. “The Dance of Dryads,’,’ the first, is full of expressive movement, and is suggestive of spring, fairies, and fantasies. A plaintive melody on the reeds runs through the piece, which was enthusiastically received. The second of the suite, “Woodland Serenade,” w - as very similar :to the first, but “The Fauns in the Forest,” which was the last of the series, was one of the biggest successes of the concert. It lias a rapid, intricate movement, into which the subdued horns skilfully infuse a charming melody. The audience demanded t;n encore, and the band replied with the famous “Barcarolle” from “Tales of Hoffman.” This favourite was also tho signal for wild applause. “The Entry of the Gods Into Valhalla” (Wagner), in which the wailing notes of the reeds in the sad finale were remarkably plaintive, brought the first hall ol tfa'b programme to a close. The second half opened with a selection from “Pagliacci,” which was enthusiastically encored. In response, the band gave a novel rendering of “Werner MadTu” (Zeihrar), in which tho melody was whistled by some of the players to a harp accompaniment, with the flute and piccolo strengthening the whistling. In every way, this performance was wonderfully effective,; and had to be repeated at the insist-, ont demand of the audience. “L’lnvi-: tation a la Valse” came next. This! was perhaps the finest numbax af the I

evening; The version of Weber’s fatuous melody given by the band is Weingartner’s arrangement for full orchestra. It is admirably rendered. Corporal E. Reynolds was enthusiastically encored for two piccolo solos, and the concert concluded, with the band fully extended, in a magnificent rendering of the overture to “William Tell” (Rossini). Tho hand is to play at Athletic Park this afternoon, at the Town Hall tonight, at the Park again to-morrow afternoon, and at the Town Hall in the evening. ; ;