ORCHESTRAL CONCERT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17174, 29 November 1917, Page 8

ORCHESTRAL CONCERT

The Dunedin Orchestral Society provided a very enjoyable evening's musio in -the King's Theatro last night. Tho attendance not falling far short of filling the building,. The programme embraced a variety of instrumental . items, , ' , .and these were' diversified by songs by Miss Magraret Jopp (Gore), and Mr W. H. MacKeprie. The orchestra opened with a very good : performance of Rossini's overture " Italian* in Algieri," which was given with great swing, and great accuracy. The orchestra next attacked "Kermesse do St. Cloudj" a composition written in dance style by Koeckel, well known as tttie author jof many popular descriptive songß.' .... In the rendering the dance lost nothing of its crisp, fresh preftiness, and proved most acceptable to the audience. . Tschaikowsky's Symphony (No. 5) in Ewde perhaps ;the greatest obstacle the orchestra had to. surmount during the evening, and it a very high amateur level in playing the Symphony. The' several movements made, the symphony a lengthy its beauty and the manner in which it was, generally speaking, played, relieved any sense of weariness that lengthy high class musical compositions are sometimes likely to produce! It has to be admitted that the taete of the age lice in the direction of shprt, bright, pithy matter; whether it be musical or otherwise, _ and anything even a thought drawn out, is apt to create a feeling of impatience _ unless it has merit in itself, and is meritoriously performed, as was the case with the symphony. - Mendelsshon'a overture, Ruy Bias, has been performed previously, but that fact did not make it the less welc6me. There are two very good and substantial reasons why such repetitions are to be approbated—one that music of such a class is better appreciated by being heard more than once, and the other that its performance is improved by prolonged! study and practice. Selections from Wagner's "Lohengrin" was the last but one orchestral number, aod went fairly welL In the bridal and tournament musio the ireetruments did not just play as one, and iin musio that is emphatic, clear cut, arid .decisive, absolute unity is most if not actually imperative. If there.; was; a little wavering it does not,, however, lilter the fact that the selections frohi' Wagnef 'a optera were very creditably played..-i f A good stirring march 1 by Fabiana ("Bravura") completed the work of the orchestra. Miss Margaret Jopp sang Beethoven's, "Iα questa tomba" with a very considerable measure of success, . and later contributed another vocal solo equally welL But Miss Jopp was not allowed to escape withont add-, ing to her and, had. to reappear 1 on both occasions. Mr Mackenzie's singing was no less well received. "The, Last Watch" was quite a. good effort, "Inter Nos". possessed some attractive features, and " Tie Crown of Love " was given, fairly effectively. , Mr- Jas. Goonibs conducted thff orchestra -with his customary ability:-• =;>ln a comprehensive : sense the concert: was al very enjoyable onej and that it waa deemed to be such was clearly the opinion of the audience. • .'."' ,; ; ;' :