THE HARMONIC SOCIETY’S CONCERT.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 323, 25 June 1875, Page 2

THE HARMONIC SOCIETY’S CONCERT.

Costa’s “ Naaman.” The production last Thursday by the Harmonic Society of Sir Michael Costa’s oral o of “Naaman,” though presenting many fects—defects however more of a wan f thorough acquaintance with the work t'. n anything else —was yet very satisfactory taken as a whole. It must be remembererl that the oratorio is one entirely new to t! e Society, unlike others which have been gi\ i before, and which are as familiar as hou > hold words to almost every lover of mur e, hence it would not be fair to criticise too closely the rendering of the work. Even however were we to do so, there is so much to praise in the rendering, and the defects, as we have observed before, are those which time and practice will remove, that the Society would be enabled to pass the ordeal satisfactorily. Before proceeding to note the various items, we may remark that the music is of a very pleasing character throughout; in no case is the gravity of the subject forgotten, and there is nothing at all approaching to meretricious or showy melody, but there is a sprightliness and at the same time sweetness and beauty in the way in which the composer has framed the musical setting of the words of the oratorio, which renders it one any audience can hear with pier sure and

appreciate thoroughly. The instrumentation is splendidly worked out, the orchestra having full scope for display of their powers, while equal opportunity is afforded in the various numbers to the voices. The opening recitatives were sung very fairly by the gentleman taking the very arduous part of Elisha in the first portion of f.he programme, and we may say generally that his rendering of the solos allotted to him throughout was well worthy of praise. The choruses by the sons of the prophets, sung by male voices, were marred somewhat by the singers being placed at the extreme end of the platform under a sort of alcove, hence the voices had no opportunity of being heard to full advantage, and there was also a slight unsteadiness in the opening portion, which, however, as the oratorio progressed, disappeared. The choruses, " See with the mantle," and "Hail, master, hail," went remarkably well, being taken up with spirit and unison. , The following recitatives, by the lady to whom the part of the widow had been allotted, were very nicely sung, being rendered with much care and precision and clearness of intonation. The air, "Arise, O Lord," by the representative of Elisha, went fairly, though there was a slight nervousness in the opening bars. The duet between. Elisha and the widow, " I sought : the Lord," was nicely sung, the voices harmonising well, but there was a slight unevenness towards the .conclusion. The chorale." When famine" was one of the be*st rendered choruses of the work, voices and instruments going well together. The recitatives leading to the trio between Elisha, 'Gehazij and? the Shunamite, werts capitally taken, and the soprano part in the' beautiful trio " Is anything too hard," was alsotgiven nicely, but the tenor voice was somewhat out of time, and the bass scarcely gave that; amount of''support which waa requisite to do, full justice to the number. The triumphal march and chorus, a really splendid piece of melody, was capitally given, both voices and instruments deserving every praise for the way in which it worked out. An ;apology was made for the lady who had the part of Timna allotted to her, as she was suffering from a severe cold, and the subsequent solos were sung by another lady very nicely. The chorus of maidens, a sparkling melody leading up to a burst of triumphal music in full chorus, was also well given, and showed that great care had been bestowed upon it. The recitatives following, sung by Naaman and Timna, went fairly ; but the tenor in the martial air, " Invoking death," scarcely infused spirit enough into it, and there was a tendency to drag where the music was rather of an exultant character. The solo and chorus following were well given, and then came by far the best rendered piece of the evening—a recitative and air allotted to Adah, and sung by a lady who has on many occasions taken a leading part in our oratorios. The beautiful air, "They shall be turned back," was most artistically sung, and drew forth loud plaudits. In tfce scena and trio between Timna, Adah, and Naaman, the same lady sang excellently, and was well supported. The tenor air, "My days are passed," was sung excellently, the character of the music suiting the voice better than the more martial air before alluded to. The recitative " 0 deign to heed," sung by the representative of Adah, was carefully and artistically given ; but the trio following did not go so well, the tenor voice hardly being strong enough. The beautiful air, " The seed shall be prosperous," was carefully given by the representative of Elisha, and he deserves great credit for the way in which this and the following recitatives were sung. The final chorus of the first part, "Praise the Lord," went capitally, voices and instruments going well together. In the second part, the opening recitative and air sung by the representative of the Shunamite, were well taken, a"d also the following chorus, " God who cannot." In this part the music allotted to Elisha was sung by a gentleman who is now a veteran in the matter of oratorio singing, and who, it is needless to say, discharged his duty well. The numbers worthy of special notice were the " Sanctus," the air " Lo on the margin," by Elisha; the soprano air, " Maker of every star," by Adah, and the choruses, " Oh, hear us Lord," and " This glorious deed." The quartette, "Honor and glory," by Elisha, Naaman, Adah, and Timna, went well, and the final quartette and chorus were also rendered with much spirit. We must not omit to notice in terms of commendation the rendering of the beautiful air—one of the gems of the oratorio—" I dreamt I was in Heaven," sung by the lady taking the part of the child. Taken generally, with the exception of the one or two defects to which we have referred, the performance was a most creditable one and we hope to hear the oratorio at some future time, when, with a little more practice, and a more general and extended knowledge of the work on the part of the performers, we look forward to even a more satisfactory result than last evening The band throughout played excellently, the music being rendered, more especially in some of the obligatos and accompaniments, with much delicacy and purity of tone. Mr Bonnington led with his accustomed ability, and a word of praise is also due to Mr R. Searell who discharged the very arduous and onerous duties ofi-fjrgamst most satisfactorily. Mr Knox conducted, and kept both voices and orchestra well in hand throughout.