MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1599, 16 November 1912, Page 9

MUSIC.

fßr Treble Clef/] Royal Choral Society's Concert, Tiie - Royal-.Choral Society's concert- of last week attracted a'very large audience —one. which did all honour to a society that is doing honour to the city. Whilst the concert may -be generalised as interesting—a non-committal won!—l did not thiuk it -quite canio up to the society's ; highest standard. It was enterprising to perform Mr. Coleridge Taylor's new work, - 'A Tale of Old Japan," and we, who like to keep near to the forefront of music in these remote islands, must acknowledge with gratitude the opportunity of, hearing such a work so soon after its composition. At the same time I do not think the society did it justice—l fancy, on a cursory glance at the score, that there is a plethora of colour—interpretive colour in the work that was not brought outThere was a tendency to monotony inMr. Barnett's reading of the score, which may disappear on a more studied examination of the music. The soloists were only fairly satisfactory. Madame Briggs has a lot of experience to aid her, and sang very sweetly in places, but she failed to dominate; or to suggest the youthful freshness aiid sweetness of the love-lorn Kimi. Mr. Hamilton Hodges did fairly well in all save tho concerted music—his voice is too husky in quality to blend well with others. His tendency to "act" on the platform becomes more obvious on' each appearance.' Miss Cara Denhard is a contralto of promise, She has- the voice -not altogether even yet, but that will ; come with study and practice. She has a fine platform appearance and fair interpretive. :pow«rs. All'. Sidney Butler, the AVanganui tenor, was hot in good format least, he never showed any joy, nor did ho oonvey any, musically, in his-reading of; the part. . The song cycle of Franco Lcooi, "Fairy Dreams/' pretty though it bo, was out of place in such a concert where one naturally looks for works 'of more consequence. "Hush Thee, My Baby" (Sullivan), was really delightfully sung by the society's splendid chorus, and . Ml - . Barnett's "Madrigal" is a choral 'work 0110 could listen to ttith pelasure again and again. A Triumphant Contralto. j After a tour in Australia which has been a distinct triumph .from every point of view, Madame Ivirkley Limn, England's representative contralto in ; opera, oratorio, or on the concert platfoim, is to.commence a tour of the Dominion at Auckland on Monday week (November 25). The coming of this great artist, as great in her class as is Melba in hers, is being eagerly awaited by those keen in musical matters and all who possess gramophones.(for her records are probably next in popularity to Car- 1 uso's among nil the great vocalists who put their voices under tiie needle). Mr. Frank Tait writes privately that ■ 'no one the firm has even handled hag mude so great an artistic success as she, and I can promise you the greatest concerts that have taken place out here at any rato in my time.". The dates pf_ the full tour aro 'as follow:—Auckland, November 25, 27, aiid 30; Wellington, December 3, 5, and 7; Napier, December 9; Wanganui, December 11; Christchurch, December 14, 10, and 18; Timaru, December 20; Oaroaru, December 1% or 25; Dunedin, 26 and 28. * Madame will be supported on the tour by Mr. William Murdoch, the brilliant Australian pianist (who recently completed a tour-of South Africa with Miss Clara Butt and Mr. Kennerley Rumford); ■ Mr. Andrew Shanks, from the London Opera House, and Mr. Andre de Ribattpierre.; the gifted Swiss violinistFrancis Korbay's "Hungarian Overture." Can it be a sign of the times that' in matters' of art as well as in other ways tho closer contact with ■ one another of European peoples is tending to denationalise thera ? (says the Loudon "Observer" of a reoeilt date). The thought is inspired by ,the fact that in most of .the compositions produced this season which have claimed relationship with some folk or nation a remarkable tendency has been apparent to force national music out of its legitimate groove. The distinction of "naturalness" must, of necessity, be lost in the process. I do not know precisely to. what extent Herr Korbay has been influenced by .changes in maimers and times, but llist as Glaaounov would have been more effective a.s a Russian of the Russias, so would Kerr Korbay have been more effective as a Hungarian of the Hung-arics. His overture is quite an ambitious work, heroic in themo and finely scored; but the_ vivid contrast of quick changes of mood," so distinct a characteristic of Hungarian national 'music, was not in evidence. Herr Korbay has also written some very fine songs upon folic themes. Ia these he has retained his nationalityNptes. Leoncavallo's new opera, "Gipsies," is to. he given a production- at the London Hippodrouio this autumn. In it he makes use of a new musical instrument called the "contraviolin," which' is said to combine the notes of' the violin with those of the 'cello, and even some of those of the contrabass. What is tho world's oldest instrument? According to Professor Inayat Khan, says the London "Musical News," it is the Vetina, the invention of a musician living in the'days of Akbar the Great. A concert is to be given in London introducing this instrument, together with two others, the Sccta and the Diburba. It will be interesting (writes a correspondent to the London "Observer") to know what will become of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema's piano, perhaps (with tho «:eei>tion of Burne Jones's . instrument) the most famous in London. Sir Lawrence designed it himself of ivory, eb-ony, inlaid woods and mptlier of pearl. At Lady Alma-Tadema's Tuesday evenings practically every well-known artist, English or foreign, played or sang, and afterwards signed his or her name on little vellum squares partitioned olf on the undersides of tho piano lid. Tho following anecdote of a conductor's career (says "Musical America") was told recently by Felix Wcingitrtner in tho "Wiener Coneertschrui": "On a certain occasion," says Weingartner, "I proposed to the director of tho Dantsic Stadttheater to give Beethoven's 'Fidelio.' ''Fidelio?' he answered. 'Is that another bit of trash for which one has to pay royalties?' 'No royalties aro ever demanded for "Fidelio, 5 " said I, and tamed to go. Tho director called after me: 'I say, when did the composer of "Fidelio" die?' '1827.' 'Ail right, lot us give "Fidelio."'" Tito Berlin Opera costs' the Kaiser a million marks a year. lie bears t'fco loss ■ without indulging in any agonised wails, The Austrian Emperor is not far behind Kaiser Wilhelm, for he gives more thon 150,600 dollars a year to help out the Opera, besides 100,000 dollars for the playhouse. The roynl subvention for tho opera house in Munich is G20.000 marks; in Dresden, 450,000. Even tho Grand Duke of Hessen uncomplainingly pays 210,000 marks annually to keep the theatrical and operatic performances at Darmstadt ou a hiKto levjif t