PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.
The Philharmonic Society has begun its thirty-sixth season, under auspices that promise a long duration of its life, and of that prellminence at home and celebrity in every land where music is cultivated which it has enjoyed from the • earliest years of its existence. There have been faults in its management at different times, and those faults have sensibly affected its prosperity. But it has on the whole been conducted with high aims, un- tainted by sordid or selfish feelings. It has profited, too, by the lessons of experience. Errors in judgment have been corrected; increased activity, energy, and research, have been manifested; and the appointment of Mr. Costa to fill the office of permanent conductor of the orchestra has raised the quality of the performances beyond that of any former period. This course of management has produced its natural fruits. On the part of the public, the language of severe and general censure has been changed to that of universal approval; the subscription, once very low, is again filled up, and the almost exhausted funds are again sufficient for every object of the Society.
The first concert of the season was on Monday; and comprised the fol-
lowing programme. PART I. Sinfonla Eroica Beethoven. Aria, " Ah ! rendimi quel core," Miss M. Williams (Marone) F. Rossi, 1686.
Concerto in 13 minor, No. 9, violin, Id. Sainton Rpohr.
Terzetto, " Glovinetto Cavalier" (11 Crocialo in Egan)) Meyerbeer.
Overture, Oberon Weber.
PART U.
The Lyrics of Racine's Athalie ; the principal Voice Parts by Miss Williams, Mrs. Noble, and Miss M. Williams. • Mendelssohn Bartholdy.
The first part of the concert, though excellent, requires little remark. Beethoven's Sinfonia Eroica has been almost annually performed as long as the Society has existed, and will probably continue to be so if the Society exist for a century to come. It is one of those great and profound works, the fruit of deep thought as well as high genius, in which the attentive listener will discover novelty after a hundred hearings. Its grandeur and beauty were never more fully developed than on this occasion. Sainton's execution of Spohr's concerto gained him the golden opinions of the whole room: his striking improvement in delicacy and finish was the subject of general re- mark. Rossi's air, a fine specimen of the simple and expressive Italian melody of the seventeenth century, was beautifully sung by Miss Martha Williams. Meyerbeer's terzetto, pretty enough in its way, is too slight and trivial for a Philharmonic concert. The overture to Oberon, played with prodigious energy, concluded the part.
The second part consisted entirely of the lyrical portion of Racine's Athalie set to music by Mendelssohn. Each act of the tragedy has a choral finale, arising out of the previous action, and involving a grand dramatic spectacle. After the production of his Antigone and CEdipus, Mendelssohn (it is said at the instance of the King of Prussia) turned his attention to Athalie• and the whole play, translated into German, was performed at Berlin with Mendelssohn's music a short time before his death. Apparently, however, the tragedy was found heavy on the stage ; and the music has since been performed in Germany, illustrated by a narrative poem which is recited and fills up the intervals between the choruses; in the same manner as has been done in the case of Beet- hoven's music composed for Goethe's tragedy of Egmont. In this way Atha& was performed before the Queen at Windsor two seasons ago; but at its first public performance on Monday, the recitations were entirely omitted, and their place was supplied by a mere argument in the book of the concert, which the audience were supposed to read as the performance went on. The effect of the work was thus greatly injured, and some- times entirely destroyed. Mendelssohn intended his music as part of the representation of the entire drama, and never gave his sanction to the sub- stitution of a mere recitation for the action of the piece. But a recitation, though necessarily cold and monotonous, and a lame substitute for the warmth of actual representation, has at least the good effect of placing intervals between the different portions of the music, whereby the ear is allowed to repose, and the mind to prepare for the transitions. At the Philharmonic concert the whole music was performed without break or in- terruption; pieces, supposed to be separated by long trains of events, and heterogeneous in key and structure, following each other in as close suc- cession as the movements of a symphony. Being, moreover, loud and powerful choruses, they oppressed the ear by their unremitting weight of sound. These circumstances certainly prevented the music, as a whole, from producing the effect which might have been expected from so great a work, though many parts of it were received with strong marks of delight and admiration.
Those who are familiar with Mendelssohn's great choral works, especially the Elijah, may form some idea of the music of Athalie. The choruses are remarkable for their plain, broad, resonant harmony, and entire freedom from scholastic artifice. Whether their tone is bold, exulting, or mournful, such is always their structure. They are mingled with passages for solo voices, which, by their delicious melody, variety of expression, and grace- ful instrumentation, furnish the finest contrasts to the immense weight and volume of the choral harmonies. The dramatic character of the music, as well as its colossal proportions, demands for the effective performance a representation of the tragedy in a great theatre. This we cannot have; but we can have at least a locality of greater magnitude than the Hanover Square Rooms; a desideratum, we understand, about to be supplied by a performance on a great scale at Exeter Hall. But in the mean time, the piece is to be repeated at the next Philharmonic concert, by the special command of the Queen.
Notwithstanding the unavoidable defects of the performance, it has done the Philharmonic Society great honour. The solo parts were very well sung by the Misses Williams and Mrs. Noble; the choruses were given with great correctness; and the orchestra was perfect.
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