MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 437, 20 February 1909, Page 9

MUSIC.

(By Treble Clef.) .

Elgar's Symphony. : Four,pages of the ; December issue of: the' London; "Musical, Times";, are devoted to' an. analysis .of Elgar's symphony,.-.'arid' the niu'sical ' critic'; of London "Truth".; has ; this v 'to say;—-. . ■■ /.•'v:>: ; ;/ ; ■/*'."-Jy ' Sir Edward hMicertainly-iiot'rbMttitoa'pler'' ■ cipitate/' in/ giving' theworld . his/•first./sym- 1 phdhy,-whibh;bears the opus; number; 55..; It/is understood,. however, that .he has been 1 engaged oh it off. and, on/for .a great ; many : years.;. Indeed, I' believe that. more than twenty years ago Elgar first made sketches ■for a big (symphonic work the suggestion 'for ■ which was: originally : inspired by the\fate .'of Gordon. : Whether, however,'; the- symphony about to be produced and that aro one and. the .same:l.j.dp. not know, but from.what:l have,heard oil tho subject I rather fancy not." Liko/most, composers of} mark,; Elgar has' -^ketches.:'.in his. portfolio 'for dozen's.,of big'; works, : though how. many of them he will livo" to complete, it must ,be' left for time'' t<j tell.Elgar; it may .bo notioedj is now', in his fifty-i second year.,, Beethoven .wrote his first symphony before he was thirty, Schubert at tho ago of sixteen, Mendelssohn at fifteen, Schumann. at. thirty-one, and Brahms '• at forty- ' three. : V, , . ■ ■ / '■ >' , ;

Melba's Opera Company. ' 1 Mr. John Lemmone, in a Melbourne .'-'Ar--gus" 'interview/ of last Wedriesday 'weeky re-lates-the following; concerning Melba's grand opera /project "for- Australia t.''She.': promised ,TOeriTast';in : 'M would'dis-' cuss such a'scheme on her return to Europe.; It ..is." her keenest desire that -Austiralia should see grand opc-ra as .London j. sees, it during the Covent Garden ;seasori ; and 'as it is seen in tho United' States, while the Manhattan 1 season is in'progress;; -When-she arrived in Naples -last April, on her- voyage to England, sho mentioned thb idea to Signor : 'de' Sana, . director,; and '• proprietor. ; of .the : San Carlo theatre there. He ..was .the leading impressario; in Italy,'-and his nariie is known everywhere in.' ; connection' ..with-' ■ operatic work; _ Tlio ' whole scheme was' discussed, and.'Signor.. de Sana proiriised' his tion. ;H<i, even, went; far/as to agreo.to charter a steamer -.to bring out the scenery, arid displayed the utmost, enthusiasm in' regard' to tho project. Whori Madame'. Melba reached- Paris ' she secured further; co-operar tion from Madame Destinn,;M.:.;Plancon, M. lienaud, arid other great. operatic artists, all- of -whom, expressed their willingness to. come to Australia. . But when' the scheme seemed to be assured of. complete success, 1 , Madame,, Melba , received. a telegrairivf rom Naples, to ..the effect'siat Signor do Sana had beeri stricken .jvith paralysis.-,. The whole plan, therefore, fell through. But,, not to be' daunted, Jladamo Melba ■ said . that ; assoon/as'.she reached. New York sho .would, discuss , the whole matter ..afresh -with , Mr.: Oscar Hammersteiri, of'the. Manhattan; Opera House. So you. see-that, she'has by nomeans abandoned the idea,; and she will have 'a l . message of'importance to convey, when she arrives in Australia." Melba- will I .first sing in Melbourne 'on March 9. . She "wishes to assure the artistic 1 , success' of all her concerts in the. capital oities, J and with that object we arc going tq have the' finest grand orchestra we. can possibly obtain." . ' ■ - Leoncavallo's Newest Operas . "Zaza," in the operatic version', by Leoncavallo, which has achieved a popular success ill Berlin,', must be a'picturesque sort-of af-'fairi,;--.'.'ln .the' first act," according to' one] of the .critics, _"Zazai'.undresses ! herself Vsev-/ eral times-unaided, and afterwards with the. assistance'• of : -a friend.. The • second act is. constituted of passionate embraces; the third, of a child scene;*, with.;tear-stifled dialogues; and in tho fourth comes the juig Crash." This last-named, .of course, 'gives, the . composer a great chance for tlio discharge of his instrumental artillery.' We have not seen it stated (says tho London "Daily Telegraph")'how he has treated the unrobing scenes.' V:-'' Notes. ', Mischa Elman, who is. on his way to Australia, under' the direction of, Mr. Francis Musgrovo, gave a brilliant farewell concert in the Queen's Hall, assisted by the London Symphony Orchestra.; His leading.numbers were violin concertos by. Brahms ; arid Paga- . nini, rind they were received with the utmost enthusiasm. He has since appeared in New York with-; brilliant success. - Tho Carnegie Hall, whicls"' seats; 5000 people,' : was. packed,'and,tho; encores and applause prolonged the concert an hour beyond the usual, time. Mischa Elmari.will.be' in Melbourne in-August next. He is only. 17 years old, but has already won himself a placo beside Kubelik and Ysayo as one.of the greatest living violinists. Mme.,Melba has produced a great sensation at the Manhattan' Opera 'House by her magnificent impersonation of Dosdbmona in Verdi's "Otello." . ./ , . . At; tho annual, conference of the Society of Musicians, recently held in London, the president (Sir Frederick' Bridge) said; that the' ratepayers would be compelled to spend more and more of;their money on music, and they would, have to get musicians to tell them how to do it. He argued, for a-broad catho- '• licity 'in music, and strongly condemned ceilt adverso criticisms on the work of Sterndale' Bennett, Gose, and Sullivan.