A TOY SYMPHONY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1495, 18 July 1912, Page 7

A TOY SYMPHONY.

PKOPKSKION'AL MUSICIANS' CONCKBT. The first annuar concert of the AVcllington Society of Professional Musicians was ?iven ■in tho Concert Chamber, Town [nil, last evening, before rather n small 'audience, many people preferring their warm firesides to a journey through the cold .southerly storm to the Toivn Hall. This depressing circumstance must have been very .disappointing to the society, which had been at considerable pains wilh its programme, anil was especially proud of the star item of tho scries, a Toy .Symphony, written for .the occasion'by■'Mjefsrs: Lawrence p. Wntkinv' Horace Hunt, and Maughau Harnett, and publicly performed for the first time last evening; TMrsyniphdiiy was ' quite ""eo)iv'cii- ; tional in design,, and was chiefly interesting, apart from the novelty of its "orchestration," from the fact that it provided a study of the creative capacities of three.,'local musicians of nolo. Mr. Watkins'wrote the first 'movement—the '"Allegro Vivace"; Jlr. Horace Hunt composed the'..-second movement—"Andante con Espressiont'"; and Mr. Burnett the third—the "Allegro .Con Brio." Of course, in symphony writing, tho composer works to a conventional plan. The merit of the completed structure depends upon the quality of the material 'and upon the creative genius of the writer. To place on one side' that special kind of merit which only a technical analysis of an expert mind can discover, and to engage upon a comparative appraisement of the woijk simply from the point of view of its impressionistic charm, would be to disregard the advantage of position occupied by the writer ■ f the "Andante Con ' Expression?," other things being equal. Jlr. Horace Hunt's "Andante" certainly made the deepest impression up&n the • amliencs. It \{as a graceful movement, lull of charm, most pleasing to the ear, and the ideas of the composer were expressed 'with a fluency and elegance which' did him-in-finite credit.' Of the "Allegro Vivace," ' Mr. Watkins's creation, one fan sfiy that the composer evidently appreciated what was required from him, and gave faithful heed to convention. It is less easy: to introduce ' a spice of originality to ,an "Allegro Vivace" than lo an "Andante Con Espressione." Mr. Manghan Burnett's. "Allegro Con Brio" was quite characteristic of him. and in pieces reminded one of liis: "Hnmoresko" for the orchestra played sotne years ago. It was bold and definite in-expression, the central theme was well sustained, and light nnd shade' alternated in strong contrasts. As interpreted by the toy orchestra, which include:! the piano, six violins, two violas, two 'cello.-, a bn-s viol, toy "cuckoos," "nightingales," "quail," tru.npets, drums, a rattle, sleigh bells, and triangles, the symphony was quite delightful, and its native merit was- enhanced by its novelty. Jlr. Watkins conducted hi* owil "Allegri, Vlvi.ce," and Mr. Bnrnutt's "Allegro Con Brio" the cci|iyoser of the latter movement being at the piano), while Mr. Horace limit conducted his "Andante:" The remainder of the programme- consisted of a number of miscellaneous items —Part 2 of Tschaikowsky's richly coloured "Trio in A Minor," .by Miss Bentrice Richmond (piano), Miss May Donaldson (violin), and Mr. P. IJ. Johnstone •('cello)';-Schumann!? fine song, "The Two Grenadiers," by Mr. Hamilton Hodges, ivlio added an encore.; Chopin's "Ballade in A Plat," for the piano (Jlr. Horace Hunt); Wienawski's "Zigcunerweisen," for the violin (JJiss May Donaldson l ; two German songs, .Von Hildach's "Der I>iijs" ("The Springtime"), nnd SI r.iuss's "Zueignilng" ("Conspiration"), by Tlr. C. H. Stephens; and Popper's - "Ungnrische liliapsodie," for the .'cello (by Mr. P. ft. Miss Phoebe Parsons who was also to have contiibutwl an item, was unable to be present.