MARK HAMBOURG.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 337, 26 October 1908, Page 2

MARK HAMBOURG.

AND THE "HILL" ORCHESTRA. • Broadly speaking, there are three factors" which claim consideration in the performance of a concerto —the • ability of the;-principal,-the ability of the conductor of the orchestra, and the ability of the orchestra.- 1 . A conccrto is a musical work, consisting; in • its conventional form, of three movements, and dedicated to some particular instrument, which is given great prominence. ( The orchestral part of; the concerto is more or less subsidiary ; the function'of the. orchestra, in fapt, is to furnish the accompaniment, the' back-' ground, as it wore, although certain phases of the composition may be scored exclusively for the orchestra, which, for the nonce.-bo-' comes the predominant..feature,■.•\vheri i the characteristics of the composition approach those of. a symphony. The lay. .'mind will have, therefore, no difficulty in understanding the importance of the necessity. for a thorough understanding, in the .performance; ; of a concerto, between the principal performer, the conductor of the orchestra, and -.the orchestra itself; and, conceding excellence of musicianship to all three, to acknowledge, further, that intimacy, only possible by previous association in rehearsal, is at least desirable between the three. .Added- to these considerations is the concerto .itsqlf, which may be, in constructive characteristics, an involved and exceedingly difficult composition, of the class to which the Beethoven concertos , undoubtedly belong. In attempting Beethoven's " Concerto in C Minor," at the Town Hall on' Saturday evening, Mark Hambourg and, associated witn him, Mr. Alfred Hill's new orchestra, attempted, a task of 110 little difficulty. 7 That they succeeded did them infinite credit, and they had their reward in the unmistakable appreciation of their audience, which, by. tho. way, was the largest experienced during the four pianoforte recitals. Much has been heard, , aj; odd intervals, concerning Mr. Hill's orchestra; alid considerable interest was manifested in it's informal debut at the final Hambourg recital- 1 - the formal "coming out" of tho orchestra is, as is well known, fixed for a later date. The musical public expected something gOodj and it was not disappointed. The concert opened .with Auber's sparkling overture "Masaniello," by the orchestra, and following that came the Beethoven Concerto. The first movement, "Allegro Con Brio," opened with an imposing orchestral introduction, announcing tho theme, and, later, formally saluting tho pianist. Then came a magnificent "Largo," introduced by the pianoforte. The finale, "Rondo Allegro," was very successful • indeed, and both pianist and conductor wero recalled to bow their acknowledgments. -1 Mr. Hill is to bo complimented upon his oicbestra. It is admirably disciplined, -skilfully balanced, and intelligently • responsive. In subdued passages, the intensity of each" instrument was strikingly uniform; the unanimity of expression and attack was really very good. In the _ Concerto, the relationship between pianist and orchestra wag well. established, and commendably maintained. Mark Hambourg, as has perhaps not been mentioned before, plays entirely from, memory—as all good musicians do—and his achievement in the Concerto was a note-' worthy one. The final part of the programme consisted of a series of five charming pianoforte selections: "Melodie" (Gluck-Sgambati), "Capriccio" (Scarlatti), "Nocturne in E Major." "Etudes," in F Major and G' Flat (Chopin), and a bracket of the pianist's own, "Andante Spianato," and "Polonaise, in E Flat." . '.r