AUCKLAND CHORAL SOCIETY.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1710, 11 August 1875, Page 2

AUCKLAND CHORAL SOCIETY.

Spohr's Oratorio, "The Last Judgment was performed by the members of thw Society last evening in the Choral HaT The number of members present in the atluT ence was not so large as we had expected' and the only reason we could surmise fotthi small attendance was the want of noVeltr Too many persons seem.to patronise an Oratorio of this kind once just for thesaW of hearing what it is like, and having done so feel that any further attendance would be a mere waste of time; and if appealed to at any time, they will make soma such reply as follows :—" Ah ! SpohrV "Last Judgment;" yes, very fine music, charming chorus, "Blessing and honour and one or two other pieces very fair: but on the whole, rather dreary." On the other hand, the marked attention on the part of the audience last night testified that there are not wanting those who thoroughly enjoy each performance of this sublime music. And it is only by the frequent production of these works of art that the musical taste of the public can be profitably developed, Spohr's writings are essentially deep, and cannot be penetrated at a fir3t glance, but they well repay the closest study ; and as a master of the science of modulation, Spout has no equal. We have prefaced onr remarks upon the concert at this length, because the performance was in several respects the very best we have ever heard from the Society. The band was certainly the chief success, and played the overture and symphonies in excellent style, and -with more than usual precision. The concerted pieces and some of the SOIO3 were very -well performed. The chorus numbered 23 trebles, 10 altos, 9 tenors, and 15 basses • but the trebles were the weakest—in fact half a dozen voices would more adequately represent the volume of sound which they produced. Something is wrong here: either the ladies don't attend the practices, or' there are some there v/ho are not qnalifiei In the opening chorus, at the • thrice repeated treble lead "Worship and Adore Him," the F was lamentably weak andundecided. Mrs Mitchell sang her) solo "Mighty He Cometh to Judgment,*" in splendid style, and her voice did not appear to have suffered at all from her recent indisposition ; but the bass solos in this chorus were unsteady, and wanted more practice. The performance of the tenor solos last night by Mr Tole was excellent, and showed how much can be achieved by careful study; even with a voice of only moderate power. His articulation throughout was clear and distinct. The tenor solo and chorus "Holy, Holy," was very nicely {rendered indeed, the voices and the horn keeping well in tune ; but in the treble solo with chorus, "All Glory to the Lamb," the voices in the chorus made thesingularmiatake of singing staccato. The accompaniment is played staccato in imitation of harps, but the chorus loses its grandeur if sung in the same style. The chorus "Blessing, Honour," was splendidly accompanied by the band, but the words were not enunciated distinctly, and the tenors came to grief over a D natural, which caused a jar to one's ears. The alto solo "These are They" was taken by the soprano voice, as also the few bars of alte recitative towards the end of the second part. The charming quartette and chorus " Hail Lord Almighty" closed the first part. In the second part, Mr Brett occupied the place of Mr Diethelm as the bass Soloist, The other soloists remained the same. Mr. Brett lacked confidence in the extremely difficult solo which fell to his lot, but he sang the music accurately, though failing in impressiveness. The succeeding duet between treble and tenor was very sweetly sung, and would have been the gem of the evening but for a hurrying on the part of some of the wind instruments in the accompaniment. The unison chorus " Seek the Lord" was very grand, and the Babylon chorus was fairly performed.. But we must notice two defects : first, the want of an organ to givea completeness to the orchestra, and to .fill in deficiencies in the wind parts here and there; and, secondly, it is not a little annoying toa' listener, after providing himself with a book of words, to find that the singers are using another edition. For instance, at the break in the. symphony succeeding the chorus last named, instead of the words "All is fulfilled," which we were led to expect, the tenor came out with "It is •ended:". The old words are certainly the best, and the popular objection to their seeming irreverence is untenable unless applied to the very treatment of so solemn a theme in a musical form. What pleased us beat in the whole oratorio, was the quartette and chorus " Blest are the Departed," in which the voices, blended together very sweetly, and the conclnding phrase "For Evermore," was delivered by the tenor with an earnestness that ojokeo the sympathy of the audience. The concluding movement, with its grand .chorus, was also nicely rendered; and Mr Browne mast have been gratified at the successful performance of this the first oratorio since his return to the conductorahip of the Society; ' " Sjgma.