" ENTENTE MUSICALE."

Otago Witness, Issue 2715, 28 March 1906, Page 69

" ENTENTE MUSICALE."

—English Musicians in Paris. —

Writing on January 10, the Paris correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph gives the following graphic account of this great musical event : — Art makes all the world kin, but English musical art owes its tardy recognition in France to the entente cordiale. If to-day's concert given by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Leeds Choir has been one of the most interesting demonstrations of the understanding between the two peoples, the reverse is just aS true. The entente cordiale has in the artistic world produced no event comparable in importance with the demonstration, I may fay the revelation, offered this afternoon to the Parisian public of English musical art. We have, of course, always been set down as an unmusical nation, not altogether wrongly it is true. But it has been rather hard upon us to carry thi6 view to the length of ignoring-, firstly, all English composers, and, secondly, all the fine work accomplished in part and choral singing by our amateurs.

To-day's concert has been a two-fold revelation to the French musical public. It ie an absolute fact that hardly a note of musio by Sir Hubert Parry, the late Sir Arthur Sullivan, Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Dr Frederic Cowen, and Sir Charles Stanford — to mention only the composer down on to-day's programme — had ever been heard in Paris before. But the great revelation was the Leeds Choir. Of course, it would be absurd to call England the cradle and home of choral singing, ignoring Germany. But it ie the fact, on. the other hand, that if there is a land of ohoral singing, it is not France. In this country part singing, except among a small band of porfessionals, is unknown, and our great amateur choire have no counterpart whatever here. French musicians have now discovered that we have living composers and so active a musical public that it can produce choruses like that of Leeds, which achieve artistic greatness. Paris had long been looking forward to the first really artistio demonstration of the entente musicale. There had been a rush on the tickets for the past fortnight, and th© house was quite full to-day. The President of the Republic had mad© 4

point of _ coming to a concert under" the patronage of Tllhg "Edward and > -of himself, and took his seat in one of-the two front centre boxes, which was specially decorated with flowers. In fthe next one was Madame Loubet. To the President's right, in the adjoining box, was Sir Francie Bertie. The- President talked frequently with the Ambassador during the intervals, M. Loubet was received by the Minister of Fine Arts M. Bienvenu-Martin, and was attended by General Dubois, in. uniform, and M. ALsl Cbmbarieu, Secretary-general. With Madame Loubet were Mesdame6 Dubois, Combarieu. and Henry Poulet. The British Ambassador was accompanied by the Hon. Reginald Lister md Sir Henry Austin Lee. The "Marseillaise," admirably rendered, and with an excellent pronunciation of the French words by the 300 voices of the choir, greeeted the . appearance of tho President of the R-cpublic. everyone standing. Ml Andre Messager, Tnusical" director of Covent Garden, was the conductor, and agjain wielded the baton when. Dr Camille SaintSaens'e symphonic poem, "Phaeton" — ons of the series of four comprising the "Rouefc d'Omphale" and the "Jeunesse d'Heroule" and the "Danse Macabre" — was given. The composition is a fine one, and the resplendent • harmonies which may be supposed to depict the sun starting On its career are exquisite, while tha crash cf the falling Phaeton is very expressive?. The orchestra showed admirable finish Ik Us performance. In Sir Hubert Parry's ode, "Blest Pair of Riren6 " on Milton^ words, conducted .by Sir . Charles Stanford^ tho chorus sang' with . splendid freshness and faultless technique- The house was delighted, and the chorus must have been, delighted with its- reception? - ~M: Andre Me&sager returned to the platform to conduct Sullivan's exquisitely tasteful dance of Nymphs and Reapers, the finely religious and lofty "Benedict us." by Sir A'exander Mackenzie, and the delicate scherzo from Mr Frederick Oowen's Scandinavian! Svinphony. Beautiful finish and purity of tone were again tho qualities noted iri the orchestra. It was in particular after the "Benedictus" that a French musioai critic remarked *o me on the fine quality of the strings.

But the triumph of the afternoon for tho oichestra was Hejr Richard Strauss's complex, weirdly effective, and terribly difficu't symphonio poem, "Don Juan." The execution of this was quite masterly. Tha orchestra and M. Messager stood up and! acknowledged cheering which was enthusiastic for a Parisian audience The samecompliment w&s paid after the "Meistersinger" overture, played with exquisite shading of the melodious motives, now tender, now pompous. Then came the triumph of the choir, which, under th& direction- of Sir Charles Stanford, stirred the house with one of sublime motets, that on Psalm cxlix. The magnificent polyphony of voices was a splendour of 6ound. and each exquisite ornament wa9 delightfully clear, not a note being' Ib?t. The choir, at tho close, acknowledged" lounds of applause, and every member was smiling, " like Sir Charles, with pleasure. The romantic and tender andante and' the nnelv-colo.ired finale of Sir Charles Stalls, ford's "Irish Symphony," conducted by the composer, were very well received. The choir scored another great success with th<. famous number from Handel's "Israel in Egypt. "The horse and his rider," very dramatically Tendered, and the concert closed in English fashion with "God save the King," all standing and the audience remaining till the last note of the anthem had ceased.

— Railway stations in Sweden at which! meals are served are indicated by the simple but suggestive picture of a crossed 1 knife and fork opposite the name of th« station in the time-table.

— The employer of a juryman in London waa severely censured by the Common. Sergeant for sending letters in which the juryman waa threatened with loss of wago3 for being absent from his work, and ni which a contemptuous remark regarding the judge was made. The employer said the threat was not intended to be carried out, and thsrt his remark was only a joke. He was l«t off with a warning.