THE ASHBURTON ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 969, 14 June 1883, Page 2

THE ASHBURTON ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY.

That there was a comparatively small attendance at the Oddfellows’ Hall last evening, was probably due to the boisterous and unpleasant weather which prevailed, and it is to be regretted that the first concert given by the Society which has been so ready to render aid whenever required was not more favored by the elements. The concert itself was fairly successful 'from a musical point of view, albeit the performance was interesting rather for the promise shown of what the Society will do in the future than what they can do at the present time. That there were defects apparent is not a matter of wonder, considering how short a time the institution has been in existence, but it may be safely said that these defects are only of such a. kind as can be remedied by constant practice. The concert commenced with an overture by the orchestra, which was fairly played, the chief fault being in the rendering «f the piano passages, where the strings seemed to be rather weak, and now and then a certain amount of discord was apparent. Miss Smart’s rendering of the ballad, “ Angus MacDonald,” was heartily appreciated by the audience, and it well deserved the applause it received. This lady has a very clear and pure mezzo-soprano voice, which she uses with considerable skill, although last evening she appeared to be sufiering from nervousness. The glee, “Prom Oberon to Fairyland,” was given w'th good effectby the chorus, accompanied by the orchestra and conducted by Mr Gates, and Mr Piischel followed with the well-known song, “ Gome into the garden, Maud,” which so pleased the audience that they insisted on an encore. The singer was in excellent voice, and his contributions may be considered the greatest successes of the concert. A quartette fantasia for brass instruments, two cornets, a horn, and euphonium was very effective, and had evidently been carefully studied by the gentleman to whom it was entrusted, viz—Messrs G. Hoskins, D. Leitch, R Jenkins, and U. Hoskins. Mr Harrison sung the “Yeoman’s Wedding,” and Mr H. Gates gave a motto song, “Help a friend in time of need,” both doing fairly well. The Invocation to St Cecilia, which concluded the first portion of . the programme, was the least succe sful of the orchestral selections., the playing at times being decidedly uneven. The second portion of the c moert commenced with the overture, “La Fde do Potsdam,” which the Society has given before in Ashburton, and on this occasion it went very well. A quaint and pleasing ballad by Marzials, entitled “Some day,” was nicely sung by Miss Smart, who had to repeat the final verse in response to an encore, and the choir then gave “ Come fairies,” which was scarcely as successful as the choral selection in the first part. Mr Piischel did full justice to that popu-, lar piece of musical clap-trap, “ The death of Nelson,” and was loudly encored. The instrumental quartette “ Spring’s return ” was deservedly applauded, the various movements being well rendered. Mr Gates’s song, “ The high art maiden,” was amusing, though the selection was rather out of place in a fashionable concert. Mrs Craighead’s contribution, “ Sweet Spirit, hear my prayer,” was a noticeable item, being feelingly and intelligently sung. Messrs Piischel and Gates gave the well-known duet, “ Love and war ” very well, the tenor being especially good. The absence of the Kyle violin party was a disappointment, but even withouo them the concert was quite long enough.