MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1734, 26 April 1913, Page 9

MUSIC.

fßr Treble Clef/] Horace Hunt's Concert. An unusually attractive programme is being prepared for tho farewell concert which is to be accorded to Mt. Hcd'aco Hunt in the big Town Hail on May 13. Mr. Hunt'is a line artist in the making, tlo has tho right ideas and ideals, and technically is just ripo for tho experience which, ho will encounter in Europe. He is young enough to bo imbued with u groat enthusiast! for' the best' in everything, and old enough to profit by what ho will hear lind see.

The programme) is being- arranged by a capable sub-committee consisting, of Messrs Robert Parker, P. S. Pope, i*'. ii. Johnstone, (intl Miss Beatrico Richmond. They lavo already listed a concerto, (with orchestra) for Mr. Hunt, and with Mr. Baxter Buckley, Mr. Hunt will play tho duet ( for two pianos), Rubinstein's "Staccato" study. Mr. Hamilton Jjodges and Mr. C. H. Stephens are to sing speciallyselected songs, Und -Miss Agues Segrief and Miss Gertrude Hunt will givo expressive lays, while <i mived quartet, consisting ot Miss Uhdvs Watlcins, Miss Nellie Unacoll, Messrs. H. N. Fletcher and Allwright, are also to inako vocal harmony. Another special attraction will bo Mr. Frank Johnsto.-ic's 'cello orchestra, -which is capable of giving pleasant expression to several specially-arranged pieces. Such,a programme should servo to attract. a largo audionra to tho Town Hull oil rhe appointed date.

' The Royal Choral Society. In spite of many difficulties of which the general public knew nothing, the Royal Choral Society givo a capital performance of "Carmen"—ono that held a vast audienco for over a couple of hours. Anything approaching perfection could scarcely bo expected, but with u good set; of principals, and a chorus which set tho car tingling witii pli.isure, a cepitnl concert interpretation of Bizet's picturesque work was give:!. Oue of the great difficulties encountered was the orchestral score. Naturally when the society secured and paid for tho New Zealand rights, and ordered scores, it was assumed that the orchestral parts supplied would- bo adapted to the concert vocal scores sent out from London. This, however, proved not to bo the case. They wero an ancient. operatic orchestral eet, not -even cut to suit tho concert score, and so worn and marked that it was very difficult to even xead parts of them." Mr. Barnett stited that they must have been travelling round the'.United Kingdom and Continent for twenty years past, and wero so thiu with actual wear that they wculd scarcely bear another re-marking. In the end, lie and Messrs. Horoco Hunt and F. Pope hi:l to sit up tlio greater' part of a night pasting white paper over tho cuts in order to givo the members of tho orchestra as fair a dunce as possible. The action, of .sending out such a dilapidated and unsuitable set of parts caused no end of vorrf and anuoyanoc, and docs not reflect any credit on those concerned. The society is to begin rehearsals of "Elijah" immediately under thc« direction of JU\ Christian Hellemanu. It is fairly eel-tain that Madame Mary Conly, the distinguished Australian soprano (with'a f'me English reputation) will be heard in the soprano role.

Mark Hamburg. \ Whenever Taderewski gives a pianoforte recital ill Londou, • criticism is "hungup." Under the spell of Paderewski's playing, the press and the public join in a chorus of adn.cation. Mark Hamburg is not treated in the same way. Tho brilliant Russian pianist who paid tlireo visits to Australia does not fare much better now than 110 did when he made his first appearance in London as an "infant' phenomenon." This is what one candid critic wrote of Hamburg's last recital at the Queen's, Hall: "Mark Hamburg is not of those pianists who are sticklers for tradition. Ho is apt to do things at which oven those of his bearers who aro not all for orthodoxy may well lift their brows. The truth is. of course, that Mr. Hamburg often allows his exuberance) to run away with him. Uoiv otherwise is ono to account for the pace at which he literally romped through the Fugue following Brahms's famous Handed Variations? On ono or two of the variations, moreover— notably tlie fourth—the pianist seemed to expend an unnecessary degree of force, thereby producing an cft'ecL of violence hardly called for by tho music. Tliero is scarcely any need to add that Mr. 11amhourg's commanding technique served him admirably, both in this work and in Beethoven's 'Waldstoiii' Sonata. But in the first movement of the latter his'whirlwind' mood again asserted itself, and the reading generally would have gained from a fuller measure of restraint. The pianist had some brilliant moments, and if his Chopin playing at times was t\ little extravagant 1 in ruhalo, (he Ktude in C (Op. 10, No. 7), ami some others in tho group afl'orded striking examples of his executive mastery."