CHORAL SOCIETY'S CONCERT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5536, 24 December 1878, Page 2

CHORAL SOCIETY'S CONCERT.

The first concert of the sixteenth season waß given in the Imperial Opera House last night, when Mendelssohn's oratorio "Elijah" was performed. If the crowded condition of the dress-circle, stalls, and boxes may be taken as a guide, subscribers must have mustered in almost their entire strength ; but so far as the general public were concerned, to whom the pit and family-circle were alone available, the attendance was by no means encouraging, because both parts of the house were but poorly patronised. A variety of reasons accounts for this, which is is not here necessarv to recapitulate; but it is evident that to popularise the society with the general public its subscribers must oonsent to forego some of the privileges which they at present enjoy, almost to an extent of exclusivenes3, which is neither politic so far as the interests of the society are concerned, nor justifiable. To say that last night's performance of "Elijah " was an unqualified success would be going a length to which none who heard it, and were capable of forming an opinion, would bo willing to accompany us ; nor would it be fair to the performers themselves to bespatter them with prais* that was not fai'ly earned. While conceding that the orchestra, for its strength, fulfilled its functions admirably, and that the chorusses, generally speaking, kept well together and were most effective, the fact must not be disguised that the bolo parts, with one or two exceptions that we shall presently mention, wera inadequately filled. There wh_» want of physique, an absence of power in the case of nearly all the performers who appeared singly in prominent positions, and it was not because the orchestra played too loudly, but because the voices themselves were too weak to assert themselves, or at times to make themselves even audible above the sound of the instrsments. Mr. Paiker labored most energetically to remedy this glaring defect, but his efforts were futile, for tke simple reason that the material was not there to respond to the call of the conductor. The task was too exacting, and the failure to perform it would have been a great deal more pronounced than it was but i«• Mr. Parker's able conductorship, Mr. Hollister's exceedingly creditahle Elijah, the general regularity and effectiveness of the choruses, the splendid quality of the obligates, and the really excellent way in which the important part of the work devolving upon them was executed by the members of the orchestra. It would be a very much pleasanter duty to speak of last night's " Elijah" in terms of commendation, if honest criticism permitted its application in this instance ; but at the same time it is only fair to the Choral Society to state that this oratorio has been prepared with more than ordinary haste. Only ten weeks have elapsed since Mr. Parker arrived on the scene, to find the society to a certain extent disorganised, and its members scattered about. A performance was due to the public, and nothing remained but to decide without delay. The "Elijah" was chosen for Christmas, and put in rehearsal, and the short time at disposal accounts in a very great measure for most of the imperfections which were noticeable last evening. A celebrated writer on this and kindred subjects tells ub that next to the "[Messiah," the " Elijah " is the most popular oratorio in England. It is shorter and more dramatic than Handel's masterpiece, less theological than Spohr's "Last Judgment," and less didactic than the wondrous "Passion Music" of Sebastian Bach. Thus, whilst the subjectmatter ef the ""Elijah" is full of the most stirring incidents, its artistic form; is sufficiently brief to rivet the attention of even an uncultivated audience from the first recitative down to the last chorus. No man ever wrote more in the presence of his public and less in the seclusion of his study than Mendelssohn, and in no other work ha 3 he so finely calculated the capacities of the ordinary music-loving mind, and so richly poured forth treasures which the most experienced musician will find, if net inexhaustible, yet always perfect. The items which most commended themselves in the first part of the programme were the duet "Zion spreadeth her wings," by Mrs. Garrard and Miss Johnson ; the double quartett and recitative, by Mrs. Garrard aud Miss' Johnston, Mrs. Alexander, Mrs. Webb, and Messrs. J. E. Page, J. A. Plimmer, J. K. Manning and W. Widdop; the chorus " Blessed are the men ;" the recitatives and choruses commencing "As God the Lord ;" the aria "Lord God of Abraham," by Mr. Hollister; and the concluding chorus, " Thanks be to God," was the grandest of the night. Throughout the whole of this part, Mr. Hollister acquitted himself grandly, and the audience was not slow to mark its appreciation. Mr. Page unfortunately sang out of tune in " If with all your heart ;" but he has a very sweet tenor voice, which is capable of a great deal with proper attention. The second part of the "Elijah" is in some respects finer than the first. It contains at least as many immortal fragments, whilst the great danger of monotony is avoided by a variety of new and startling incidents, woven into an elaborate whole, which, if it does not exceed the first part in beauty of arrangement, has evidently made greater demands upon the composer, and astonishes the listener by its sustained power and completeness.

In this part, Mr. Hollisfcer again distinguished himself in the aria, "It is enough," with violincello obligato, beautifully played by Mr. Cizneau ; and the unaccompanied terzetto, "Lift thine eyes," by Mrs. Garrard, Mrs. Kemp, and Miss Keid, was quite a feature in the programme. So also was Mrs. Webb's aria " O rest in the Lord," whioh was charmingly accompanied by a quintette of strings and flute. The arioso, " For the mountains shall depart," was sung in capital style by Mr. Hollister, the obligato being played moat beautifully by Mr. Bonnington ; and the quartett, " O come every one that thirstetb," by Mrs. Kemp, Mrs. Alexander, and Messrs. J. A. Plimmer and W. Widdop was another item whioh deserved all the applause that was accorded to it. Mr. Isherwood led the orohestra most ably, and Miss Wilson presided at the piano. Although the performance as a whole did not quite realise our expectations, it is evident that the society have got a pretty fair conception of this truly grand composition, and we have no doubt that in the handß of such an able conductor as Mr. Parker there will be exceedingly little to cavil at should the society resolve to repeat the "Elijah" after the lapse of a sufficient interval to permit of its more perfect presentation.