MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1746, 10 May 1913, Page 9

MUSIC.

fl3y Tbeble Clef.i Horaco Hunt's Concert. A ueleciauie programme lias been arranged lor tnu concert wiuuli is to uo gnon as a cuunjiiment to Jir. Horace ij-uuc (prior to jus uepurture lor Jiurupej at me iowii nan oil j-uesuay next, eucu a programme snouut uraw a very lacye auuiencu oven 01 tnose wno have uover uuu mo pleasure 01 wearing Air. mint piay. An true Weiungion concert-lovers Know aua appreciate ilia liign taient, as a pianist, auu mere can lie 110 misgivings its to me patronage niieiy no be accorueu. Aiost 01 tue luemoers 01 tno iuunicipai Urcnestra are coiuummg to give cciai to tnu 'concert. ±ney are to jj.uy Alenueissoun's overture "jieinia>ur aus Her i'reiuUe," auu, with Air. Jiunt as soloist, Beetuoven's "Concerto ill (J minor" (lii'st muvenieni), unuer tno baton ol jiir. iiubort rarKer, witu Air. iiorbert Dioy as leader. In audition to tne concerto, Air. Hunt is lo inay tue bcuuueiviifozi transcription oi "ine Uanuerer." iur. Hunt is aii'eauy Known as a composer ot grace-tully-wriiten. songiets. Two new ones from ills leruie conception will be sung by Air. Hamilton Hougcs. 'lliey liave been christened "A bong o£ Winter" and "Uood-iNignt." The lavourab.y-ltnown Orpneus quartet are to sing 111 absence, ai/d a rnixea quartet, consisting ot Alisses (i. IVatiuus and L). Dail,- ana Alessrs. 0. 11. Stepnehs anil llobbins will sing the Uilbert-ouuivun quartet "Strange Adventuro" (from '"llio leonian ot tue tiuard"), and "sweet Vales ot Uevonia" (Haynes). Mr. Hamilton Hodges will be heard in "Aline Hneiny;" Aliss Uertruue Hunt in "isuould He Upbraid," and , Miss Agnes Segriel -id' "To llie. Angeli," Messrs. lluut and Baxter Buckley are to play Rubinstein's "Staccato Study" (lor two pianos;, Mr. Bioy will play the Andante and iinaie movements lrom Mendelssohn's "Concerto ill E Minor," Mr. C. 11. Stephens will sing two ot Englehardt's pretty songs, and I'opper's "Adagio" will be played by Air. and Airs. 'I l ', it. Johnstone and Air. A'orman Martin ('cellos), and i\lrs. Montague (piano). It is a long time since such a plethora of good things has been embodied in a Wellington programme. Operatic Novelties. :. Two operatic novelties preseuted at the Metropolitan Opera House, . IS'ew York, (luring the present.season;was "ConchiU" (by liiccardi landonai), an opera founded on Pierre Lovy's lauious story "The Woman and the Puppet," and "Lo lianz des Vaches," by Wilhelm Kicnzle, a German opera on a French theme, the leading motif being the "Sony ol the Cowherd"— a Swiss loik song, the singing of which was prohibited' in the French Army just prior to the revolution, as it caused droves of the Swiss recruits lo desert, and return to their .beloved mountains. The opera has a most melodious score, and is adaptable to small theatres. All that is said of "Conchita" is that it shows promise of better things later on. , The third important novelty was "Cyrano do Bergerac," referred to at length elsewhere.

"Cyrano" in Opera Form I mentioned in theso columns some mouths ago thai Vi aiter Damroseii had completed an operatic score of Rostand's political play, "Cyrano tie Bergerac." As a matlyr ol fact, the music, or tho most of it, was ecmposoU eleven years ago, but was stowed away until recently, when Mr. Daihrosch re-wrote parts ol it and cut down the scjre considerably. It was lira! produced at tho Metropolitan; Opera House, Now \'ork, on February 28. Tin New i'ork "Theatre" —a paper noted lor the honesty of iti criticisms, said of "Cyrano":— "The music lacks inspiration. It sounds laboured, 'made,' nil save a few places such as t'ho Gascoguy Cadets' chcrus and the Pasty Cook's patter song. But tluse instances suggest good comic op?ra; The score is reminiscent —which is easily to bo accounted t'er since its composer has conducted concerts and operas for so many, years that his brain mu.it of necessity bo charged with the melodic thoughts and the formulae of orchestration employed by other composers. "This music is tuneful and it has interesting moments—but that about exhausts the possibilities of honest praise. The second act in tho Pastry Cook's shop is probably the most engaging of the four acts, and tho intermezzo preceding this act is quite tuneful and prettv. But the balcony scene music is flat, the music of the battle sceno is almost entirely without interest or dramatic vigour; and the filial scene of the opera, Cyrano's death, is chi'tfly impressive bccauso of its action. The orchestration is brilliant and generally quite skill«I. Mr. Danrrosch lacks, all told, <i feeling for tho possibilities of dramatic music, accompanied by action. He draws on recitatives needlessly, he interrupts by musical padding that is to no deiinito end, phrases that has dramatic import. The result is that: the action is tardy, that the listener becomes bored. "Ami what a pity 'tis, 'tis true, for a t better libretto than 'Cyrano' has seldom' bu.'ii set to music. Rostand's play simply teemed with life and iniuost, and W. J. Henderson, music cricticof the New York 'Sun,' and author of many books, has nude an effective condensation of tho five acts into four, letting the d'.ath scene follow- directly after the battle. The dramatic pace of the libretto is swift, and it is nono too long—or would not be if sot to music by one skilled in dramatic writing. "Mr. Amato sing the title role very well and aetcd it with skill. Those who saw and distinctly recalled Coquelin's famous interpretation ,of this role, found much that was lacking in Amnto's conception, Still, ho was handicapped by singing in English, a language which lie does not even speak. Mine. Alt)a a.s lio.xaue was admirable, singing well, umnciating clearly and noting with arch grace. Mr. Griswold was a noble Do Guiche, Mr. Reiss a nimble Pastry Cook, and Mr. II ins'haw a sympathetic I.e Bret. Mr. Hertz conducted conscientiously a score over which he had slaved for so long; orchestra and chorus .acquitted themselveswith credit. But, taking it by and large, 'Cyrano' will scarcely mark a new era in American composition, nor will it bo a great advance in the enn-e of opera in Knglish. It was better than the other operas iu the, vernacular produced by the M'trepolilaii. but (lie reason for this :td-v.-nit.iuo is to me attributed lu its libretto!"