OUR SYDNEY LETTER

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 498, 22 April 1881, Page 2

OUR SYDNEY LETTER

[from our own correspondent.] Sydney, April 1. Excepting the Musical Carnival resulting from the presence of the Austrian Band, tilings are generally pretty quiet here. The summer seems unwilling to leave the shores, and some recent days have heen oppressively hot. An animated debate upon the question <( that the public Library and Museum be in future closed on Sundays," produced some very respectable , , specimens of oratory, showing how much might easonably ha urged either for or against the question. Upon v division 22 'voted for, and 44 against the motion. The institution referred to therefore remain open on Sundays. It has been remarked here that great numbers of working men are arriving from New Zealand ; large batches came by the Itotomahana and Wakatipu recently.- 1 Most of them are, it is said, to be employed by Mr David Proudfoot upon his New South Wales .Railway contract. Affairs can scarcely be quite as they should be in New Zealand, when men, by hundreds, leave your beautiful climate for an oppressively hot one. A than'; ham eel Brown was executed a few days ago for a criminal outrage upon his daughter, aged twelve ; very little interest was shown by the public in the trial or execution. A grand naval demonstration will take place in the hn rbor ; a sham attack by the men of and an imaginary .defence by the bntteries on the shore. Some writer wittily suggests that the "demonstration" would be more appropriate if madein the South Sea Islands, where Her Britannic Majesty's subjects are being murdered wholesale and retail by the natives. The Austrian Band, reinforced by Mr Boema and Signora Palm a—the professors of magnificent voices, soprano and contralto, respectively—have given some first rate concerts lately in the Exhibition Building in the inner Domain, to la "go audiences, varying usually from 1500 to 3000. On Thursday night, the 31st March, advertised as the last appearance (except the ball to be held on sth inst.) of the Band, the irrepressible Henry Kowalski posed before the public as the composer of what is termed a " lyric drama " in three parts, named (don't be frighened dear readers) " Vercingetorix.") The attendance was grand, over'4ooo ; 'but,-whether owing to the statement it would conclude he Austrian Band concerts, or whether as a compliment' to Kowalski, did not appear until the repetition of the composition on Friday, when the public were conspiciou- , by their absence.

y. I endured'the infliction' of hearing J" " Vereingetorix "• twice, and upon the c becond occasion paid great attention to . it, in the sincere hope of being able to it- be complimentary in my criticism of s, some portions of the work ■■; but [■ un"e hesitatingly say that a more wretched '' collection of unmeaning sounds was never put before a long-suffering public. With every advantage,that a .very ably conducted and brilliant orchestra, assisted by such talented artists as Bpema, Ptilmaand Mr Farley .cuu!J yive, the whole performance was. with "reference to the musical composition, a, ; thorough fiasco. The.j programme informed me ; " that throughout this sublime epic the love passages between yereingetorix and Luctera are inexpressibly affecting." I suppose tiat tlieinexpressibility of these divine passages was the reason that the composer could only,give expressible and commonplace sounds to represent the affecting harmonies impressed upon his brain. After an introduction, by,,orchestra, a chorus of voices gave a series of moan-like screams without any apparent connection. This very peculiar jargon of sound would have been meritorious had it been called by its , proper epithet, viz., a "representation of (musical) Chaos" by, say, Mangle, then, a diiet, splendidly sung ; but all the music ([almost) of the first part is like a wretched .travestic of Cherubini's " Medea;" and very trying to the voices of the principals, without giving any pleasure to the hearers. Plenty of surprises, few of them pleasant, fell upon the.ears, and—butperhaps I had better , go on to the second part, which commencing with some promise of improvement, speedily collapsed into the old. groove, presenting a curiosity in the shape of "unmusical music," and if I may use the term of "a hash of discordant sounds," which only seemed rescued from utter ridicule by the ability of the performers. T . Part the third VraS a decided improvement, especially' the , "crib" from : " Martha." A very fine chorus, a really able composition, occurs in this part, but, it. is questionable whether, had Verdi not given " Aida " to the world, the public would, have had the pleasure of listening to this, number. This opinion has since this was written, been endorsed by the Herald critic. : ; The third act 0f.,, the immortal II Trovatore :also seemed gently remembered in ; this 3 third part of " Vercingetorix," and it was some relief to get a little decent music to wind up with, let the originator be Kowalski or some more insigni- ,■ ficent composer. A grand fancy dross ball will be given (for one guinea-each) J by the Band to tlie:public on the stli v It is oxpected to be a great success, and will take place in the (rarden Palace , . The " Pirates of Penzance " seems toplease the public, judging from the attendance Tho music, and even the plot,us generally, considered inferior to " Pinafore," however, but it is not yet .sb.hackncye d.