MUNICIPAL ORCHESTRA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 958, 27 October 1910, Page 6

MUNICIPAL ORCHESTRA.

. — 6———A? A SPLENDID BEGINNING. As far as the best class Mf orchestral music is concerned Wellington'has' under--; ; - gone a period of.starvation. ..There have? been 1 fife and starts now and again, to. resuscitate the' highest form of ' nnisical • art, but, sad to reiDte, these efforts have: been blasted .bef-jre, their bloom -in most>. ■', instances to the regret "of all true musiclovers. The period of starvation'.is at an ."/■ end. The Municipal Orchestra's born only .a few weeks ago, eavo its fitet oon.oert; at the' Town.' Hall, last evening, ;«nd.. '-. taking everything into consideration gave. a performance; which, it' .is most confi-,;,. . dently. hoped, /"will establish its existence in the community. .. The orclicstra, which numbers' 44 members, is a, highly capable bo'dy, which has, simply. done wonders in the four rehearsals , it ( has. had under ..the exacting and oonscien*/.' tious conductorship. of Mr., J.. Mauehan... Barnett, of whose initiative jind^.whole:;', ~ soiiled. enthusiasm' too much,praise .cannot be given. If last evening's concert,'.; ■ had fallen. some/degree short of the standard set,' the same praise would fcave , been due to."all concerned, for. only those':, who have,a,working acquainta-nw/.mth.;:' ; the effort demanded' in welding" a 'comi,;.:;. paratively big orchestra into public ap- ( pearance form in eo limited a space of time' can really appreciate the value of the achievement. In a word, Mr.: Bat*- ■ nett' has fought a great • fight, and has . won splendidly. The instrumental bai- , anco was almost perfect,: and the. tonal.';. :bualitv, while' a few trifling roughncsse® • .i obtruded here and there, was:- wonderfully good. But; the surprising feature of the performance. was the fine control ■:< the conductor has established, in" so short a time,; noticeable always in -the. quieter,-.',! passages., Notably was this, evident in ~ " the clean delicacy required in the Allegretto" and "Minuetto" ■ from , Haydn a ~ eleventh Symphony, played with r.w# . assurance and,suavity. The only. : fault; , if one m'av call it such, was the mictu- , siveness of the triangle in some'of, tna s daintiest, passages, where a tinkle should • have displaoed what was almost a jangle. ; The reeds.were quite good in this.num. ....; ber, particularly the oboe; which canroS ; ; a deal of responsibility. The. Cornelius ; March" of Mendelssohn, which retrmcd, as a friend of other days, was .played with fine spirit,, and musicianly precision. Always 'a! favourito, the playing'of _th» prelude to' the third act of ; packed-with pomp and' circumstance (fl the bizarre order, roused the audience, i to heights of fine enthusiasm, and Uw number had to'be repeated. The brass section, vtqs tested in tins Wagnerian, , excerpt, aiid mauaged to pass - mususr, though more brilliancy in tone: is,needed in the trombones,, and the French horna were a little tender in their Ih| encore performance of the prelude'showed an improvemnet,' With admirable gen;; ; ■ eralship, Mr. Barnett reserved /j popular item until the.last. .It was thti fooT movements —"CastiUano, louse," "Aragonaise," and "Navarraise from Massenet' 6' "Le Cid," / whieli exhibits' this ■,delightful French' tonmoser,of light music, at his best. SuchMiaHqt music breathes the very spirit ofiTernsichorao, andttos the pulse beating quicker and quicker to its inviting melodies and exhilarating rhythm.' The "CastilliUlO movement, with its: lively lilt, its ;cnatv s terlng castanets, and • alluring tempo. ohiirmed everyone; the' "Aadalouso suggests an exotio languor and dreamy pleasure; the "Aragonaise" (most familiar of all) is instinct witli tuo bold verve of excitement, and the final movement embodies the characteristics of its predecessors.' The "Le Gid" suite mast, be included, in the orchestra's next' con-,'-'cert. .... ■ - .. Mr. Barnett varied the : programme ■ judiciously by playing with his accus- . tomed skill and culture a selection : of:. organ solos from his extensive and interesting repertoire. These included 4 - masterly performance of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, an Homeric wort, ■ which demands technical capacity of ?! the.'highest order. His pedal work, and'/ the smooth continuity of the fugel.pMW sages compelled admiration, and elicito \ much applause. ! With the Bach nuflibf \ was bracketed Schubert's delightful "Am Meer,". played with exquisite t pathy. His second part - solos wjjWidor's pensive • Andante Gantab, movement from the fourth sympho; and an Offertoire and Grand Chocv Sal.om<i. The only other soloist IMS Herbert Bloy, whose violin , sang r von's "Romance in G" so s.ympivth that an. encore was demanded iris ; The number was considerably cby an organ accompaniment, pi Mr.. .Barnett. ; . . The programme announced tiiat\ Concert of the Municipal 0 relic si be given in about four weeks'