N.S.W. ORCHESTRA

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 101, 23 January 1920, Page 8

N.S.W. ORCHESTRA

A REVELATION TO MUSIC ' LOVERS BRILLIANT CONCERT AT THE TOWN HALL M. VERBRUGGHEN A VITAL ' FORCE "Verbnigghi'ii, January, 1920," will remnin an upochal niilestono iu iits musical history of Wellington. Be they ever so ignorant in musical education, no one could have listened to the Now South Wales , State Orchestra at the Town Hall last evening without experiencing a feeling of exhibition at tho wonderful instrument which M. Henri Verbrugghen has created for a far-see-ing Government. No one, either, with the least love for music as something Hint pleases, and not perhaps for tho technic of the most entrancing of f..l arts, must be conscious, that great music, well played, and inspiratioiiiUly interpreted, must have a spiritual and moral uplift of considerable psychological value to a people—to a nation. To the untravclled New Zealaiider tho performance of last evening (which was not by any means crowded) opened a new page in the arts and set a new stnndakl. Under 11. Verbrugghen it was learned that an orchestra is an instrument of so many stops, vluch can be played npon'as deftly, as nimbly, as forcibly, and as effectively as Paderewski plavs the, piano or Mischa. Blman the violin. In\yerbrugghen is the painter—the orchestra the colortrs; he tho f n'.-ntor. they the c'ay. ;W what amazing mctures he paints! y>at won '!"r fut figures he moulds! 1 lie re are fetv great conductors in the world. London has lier Sir Henry Wood, Landon Konaid. and Sir Frederick Bridge, but, Australia has stolen her Verbrugghen, and Hint loss is a severe one. It is certain that we in New Zealand have npver met hi" like- n ,s . c< ] n , over the 80 nlayers under Ins baton i, someone t« wonder at and ponder over. ' Take Nilnsch. he uses his Mt hand with illminnatimr effect. Whilst the hatcp is boating time far everjono in the band, inscribing in the an■ »iwh turn and. twist, marking the rjthym and emphasis" with photographic accuracy ajid vigour, his'magic left hand 18 soothing the strings, beckoning to tue trumiiets, patting the clarinet-; or saying "Yon!" "Vou!" "Y71!" <0 «ie vanous instruments as they add their threads to the dazzling fabric which is being so deftly woven. v And withal M. Verbrugghen is magnetic and electrical; with a wide-sweeping, languorous bent lie draws' beautifully modulated chorda ouc of the orchestra, unen suddenly tho spirit of tho music changes, and with it that of the man. His baton quivers, tho frame of the man vibrates with a compelling action that even the audience can feel. Most people imagine they are looking at tho orchestra. They aro not—it is Verbrugghen's baton that holds them entranced. Tho orchestra is a lino, well-balanced body, which has no apparent weaknesses. The strings aro admirable to toiio and action—the bows march together. The brass section is particularly sound in all departments, and tho wood-Winds satisfactory if not brilliant. In less than three years 11. Verbrugghen has brought this body into a fino stato of cohesion. In short, Sydney hns discovered a highly-gifted conductor in M. Verbrugghen, and in turn the Belgian master lias discovered and moulded some excellent talent in Sydney. Tho programme was an extremely interesting one. It opened with Beethoven's overture "Leonora No.-3," tlw number being given as the composer had writton other . "Leonora" overtures. When hia opora "Fidelio"' was first nresented in Vienna it was voted too long, and on its representation "Leonora No. 3" appeared as .the overture (during, Buonaparte's occupation of the city). It is a work of gravo delicacy, and rich contrasts. ,which - traverse "the wliolo gamut of the emotions, which mark Leonora's devotion and tribulation when her husband is held prisoner by a despot, and subsequently released on* her plea The monotonic opening for strings is weirdly impressive, and as the movement progresses and grows to a climax, tho ivnod-wind and brass aro judiciously used. The trumpet effect (played off) al- first in Ihe distance, and then closo at hand, was impressive. This overture is one that could bo heard repeatedly with m'ofit. As an orchestral treat of tho rarest Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony (tho Pathetic) stood out mountainlike. If Rubinstein be considered tho first s:'eat Russian composer to becomo world-famous, then his pupil, Peter Ts.chaikovskv, in composition, was tho . next. Indeed, it may be. said that Tschaikovskv founded a new schoril, introduced a new and bigger note into Pussian music than it-had known before tho middle of the -nineteenth century. Ilis "Symphonic I'athetiriue," commonly and iustiv regarded as one of his finest works, beside which his popular. "1812" overture is as sounding brass and tinkling cym-, bal. Like his other symphonies, it bears' the. iinnress of the Slavonic temperament, dames of exaltation 011 a groundwork of languid melancholy. The symphony boasts huge'and often fantastic outlines, with strongly-marked rhythms,' and wonderful rivulets of translucent melody; all enriched bv a gorgeous orchestration, which as often as not flies in the faca of the conventional as known to the older masters. The "Pathetic" has a weird and haunting beauty all its own, «nd is perhaps one of tho greatest ever written. The opening adagio is sombretoned and complaining, but the tranquil romanticism, the holy calm, that permeates the following .allegro and andante reach the highest- altitude in music. The placidity of this movement is only broken once by a double forte dissonance from tho trombones, which only serves, to throw into relief the soft beauty of the measure. Nor is the mood all "pathetic." Tho allegro molto vivace is packed with quaint toy-like musical oddities, all in a joyous mood, and the scherzo that leads into the march is dainty and picturesque, whilst tho march itself is electrical. Tho linalo is all gloom and sorrow sorrow past all healing. Few who. were present lust evening will forget the orchestra*- in tho "Pathetique." • Popular numbers were tho Prelude to ".Lohengrin" ami tho inspiriting "Prelude" to the third act of the same opera. Both of them we know well enough, but they have never been played-111 \\ eilington until last evening. The phrasing of tho brass in the second prelude was really aniazinff, and demonstrates how biaiiw and individuality can transform music on which settled ideas may exist. Needless to sav tho number was encored. Iho programme also included the "Tangi from Mr. Alfred Hill's ".Maori Rhapsody," a laudable attempt to picturis# the tangi in music. The vocalist of the evening was Madame Goossens-Viceroy, a pleasing mezzo-soprano, who sang oottly sighs from Weber's "Dcr Preischutz,' and tho verv charming aria "Depuis le Jour ("Since the Bay") from • Charpentier's "Louise." This very beautiful arm is'sung in tho opera by Louise to her lover as they sit. before their cottage door on tho heights of Montmarte, overlooking Paris, ami her song is one of pure happiness born of the ]o,y since she met tho object of her adoration. Madamo Goossens-Viceroy sang the aria very well, ami, when recalled, ® all S„ "When 1110 Tired Winds are Sleeping, N from All red Hill's "Hinemoa." . ' ~. Tho 6ccond concert will be given this evening.