MUNICIPAL ORCHESTRA.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1399, 27 March 1912, Page 6

MUNICIPAL ORCHESTRA.

■ •'[The Municipal Orchestra faced'a discouraging .array .".of'.'vacant seats.' in . the Town Hnll -last night, when they' gave another of their periodical concerts. The programmo was a varied and altogether delightful one, but-for no reason that was very evident the public made but a poor response. As usual, Mr. Maughan Barnett was conductor, Mr. Herbert liloy leader of tho orchestra, and Mr. Horace Hunt was the accompanist. The orclfestra opened.with tho overture to "The Caliph of ' Bagdad" (Boieldieu), followed 'by a quaint Aclagietto from "I/Arlesienne" (Bizet), and a charming Berceuse- by Jarncfeldt. The "Ballade in A Minor (Coleridge-Taylor), weird lachrymose music for the most part, was,especially well received by the audience. It opens with. a. troublous lament, swelling to paroxysms of grief, and then follows/calm, and a joyous finale. The beautiful suite "Karelia'' (Sibelius), which has delighted previous audiences at the 'municipal concerts, was again nlnyed, and evoked unstinted applause. This number had to be replayed, in response to an insistent encore. The orchestral part of tho programme concluded with Strauss's... wellknown "Bluo Danube," and the "Danse Jtusse" from tho "Nutcracker Suite" (Tsclniknwsky). The vocalist was Miss Adelaide Bruce, who sang "Caro Mio Ben" (Giordani). "Thou'rt liken tender flower" (Kubinstein), and "Three" (Florence Aylward). Miss Bruce has a mezzosoprano voice of adequnte range and some breadth of quality. Last night it sounded a trillo throaty of .production, but it is scarcely fair to pass even this comment upon a singer heard for the first time when, the voice was given back from all over tho building by untnuffled vacant floors. For the rest she sang her wellchosen numbers - very -.tastefully,..and was given an encouraging reception. The next orchestral concert will bo given about the end of April. .