MUNICIPAL ORCHESTRA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1219, 30 August 1911, Page 6

MUNICIPAL ORCHESTRA.

The biggest audience the Municipal Orchestra, has yet attracted filled threequarters of the seating accommodation of the Town Hall last evening. ilns is more- than merely encouraging. It is an indication ot the gro-vying love for good orchestral music in this city, a good deal of the credit' for which must be given to Mr. J. Mauglian Barnett, and the serviceable orchestra ho has organised. There are only two more «oncerts or tlie present season to b(> given, and in the course of a brief speech made Ja'st evening, Mr. Barnett, after expressiug his appreciation of tho largo attendance, asked all present to show hi the raoit emphatic manner (by attending the remain-ing-concerts) that the pubho of Wellington really wanted the orchestra. li:a remarks were received with applause. Tho programme last evening was eitiicatively interesting. It opened with Schubert's seldom-heard overture to his never-played • onera "Fierrabras, « musicianly composition of the sentimental order, with sad, and, at times, eerio rivulets of melody from the French horns and .wood-winds standing out /in relief irom a background of shipunenng strings, it is Schubert wistful and pensive merely not the composer in mighty mood. The violins played with fine unanimity, and lwwcd togethev with precision and confidence. Ono of tio horns was slightly out of tune, and the first clarinet was lacking m sympathy, but otherwise the band did very well indeed. That the orchestra.was really in good form last evening was divulged in the "King Manfred" prelude (Remccke), a beautiful work for muted strings and wood-winds, and only a suggestion of brass from tho horns. Hero again tho character of the music was dolorous, but sweetly melodiously k>. The prelude was played with extreme.delicacy and feeling throughout, and so hearty was the applause that it had to be repeated. One of the most widely-appenling numbers was an arrangement of Handel's glorious "Largo," for violin, harp, and orchestra. The arrangement was a good one for tho violin, and Mr. Herbert Bloy intoned tho wonderful old melody with good expression and improssiveiiess. Tho art of tho harpist (Sirs. Murdoch) was not strained. Tho noble simplicity of the composition puts to flight any thought of tricky pizzicato embellishments, and tho harp just twanged out the tempo in measured chords as tho violin sang sonorous and true. There will bo many requests for a repetition of tho Largo." .Tschaikowsky filled tho later hnlf of the programme. lit Iho "Italian Caprice," with its sudr-on contrasts and bizarre tone colour effects, tho orchestra was perhaps a littlo overtaxed, and a certain anxiety on tho part of tho players might easily account for tho want of body rVi ton* in the rapid work towards the end. Tho number culminate in a vivacious saltarello, with presto finale of maddening speed. Such a work must be a strain on an amateur orchestra. That it did so well is to its credit, and that of its hard-working condition. The concert concluded with lschaikowsky's beautiful waltz, "Dornroschen," very nicely played on the whole suite with a suspicion of drag on tho part of tho first fl.ute. Mr. Barnett played as organ soli, Smart's pretentious but somewhat unattractive "Festal March." Mendelssohn's entrancing "Spring Song." the "Am Mee" of Schubert, and 'lschaikowsky'a Romance in F. Minor. The next concert will bo given on Tuesday evening nest.