NELSON HARMONIC SOCIETY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 90, 3 April 1876, Page 2

NELSON HARMONIC SOCIETY.

A larger audience than usual attended the Society's quarterly concert on Thursday „ evening last to hear the first performan.ee in Nelson of Barnett's new Cantata. "Paradise and the Peri." The work is one of exceptional . difficulty, and notwithstanding the industry with which It has been grappled hy . the , Society, we heard more than one opinion freely expressed to the effect that a breakdown was inevitable. However, the mu«ic wan honestly, sung from beginning to , end without a falter, and more than this, the comi Heated choruses were giren with a precision ahd effect to which even the moro resent efforts of the Society have failed to attain, and this without any other orches- • tral aid thin Mrs Scaife's ski-ful pian >forte accompaniment, a result which nothing but earnest, steady practice could have brought about, and upon which both members and conductor may fairly be congratulated. '. We are in no way disposed, upon a further and ca-eful hearing, to alter our opinion lately expressed with regard to the quality of the munic; its beauties, no; doubt, require a certain amount of f miliarity for* their full appreciation, and this may partly account for the apathy with which the very lprge audience generally received it— an apat'iy which pome of its very best efforts failed to rouse, and which seemed to grudge recognition of merit in the performance itself, unless the taste of the hearers, was aleo tickled by the music. Dulness of this kind is very catching, and we were surprised at the pusained spirit which marked the performance from first to last. We b°lleve the music 1 would not only bear but needs repetition, and that after a second he ring it would receive a heartier welcome. A detailed criticism of the performance I would be beyond our-space. We can merely indicate hs more prominent merits. The choruses we have already referred to, and amongst the solos we certainly first recognise the singing of the young lidy to whom the principal and most difficult soprano pans were entrusted; with a powerful voice ot. un-. usual compans, she has, or we are much mistaken, a spark of the real fire, and. only needs good tuition and practice to attain. a very high position indeed.* In the beautiful duett, in wbich the tenor also most worthily fulfilled his part. °Oh let me only breathe the air,'' tbe audience was Jairly .surprised into an encore — the only one of the evening — * and in the final solo "Joy, joy; tor ever I " with chorus accompanying, the pow.ers.of the same young lady were fully tried.but' were well equal to the task. The other solos were of : less importance, and some of lees pleasing character, but all were carefully suns, and with a full share of the earne-*tnest and thought which so favorab'y characterised the whole performance Tbe most beantiful air in our opinion, *■- Nymph of a fair but erring line," falls to the lot of the coat* alto, and together with the opening recitative " The glorious angel," in itself a most striking piece of writing, wa> rendered with admirable skill. The quir.ette " But hark, the vesper call to prayer," and " She wept— the air grew pure and cl ar," were well given, the latter— u'.accbumanied— deeerved.we thought, a kinder recept : on. We have said enough to show that the performance as a whole was one of which the Society, considering its resources, ra »y very well be proud, anl if it is difficult to obtain instant recognition from a mised audience, of b.auties which are far from lying on the surface, and which to the uneduc ted at leaet are perhaps hardly at all perceptible,, yet the applause of the m.ment," which wonld be readily won by a more " popular" style of music,, n by no meaus the road to be aimed at by a Society, seeking, as this does, the real education aad cultiva-f tion of the tastes of its members. We are ' informed by the conductor that practice will j be commencel on Thursday next of Weber's I Macs in E, which is new to a Nelson audience, aud which with a miscellaneous secon 1 'part will bfe given at the Society's next conjer't.

(For continuation of News see fourth page.")