8 MAY 1830, Page 9

THE PHILHARMONIC CONCERTS.

WE sit down to this subject vexed and mortified. The fourth con- cert was, in point of selection, the very best we ever heard ; the fifth, the very worst. A few more such concerts, and the days of the Philharmonic Society are numbered. But we shall allow the scheme to speak for itself. ACT I. Sillfullia in F . . . Beethoven.

Terzetto, Madame Meric Lalonde, Miss Cbilde, and Miss 11. Cawse, " Sen fugge P om bra intorno " (Zemira and Azor) . Spohr. Concerto, Harp, Miss A. Winsor. . ........ llochsa.

Aria, Mr. Seguin, "A rispettarmi apprenla" Carafe. Overture in 1) ..... ..... ........ A. Romberg.

ACT • Sinfonia in G minor ... Mozart. 'Sceria, Madame Merle Lalonde, "Ah..! non Ca" (Amazilia) Pacini. Adagio, add Characteristic Rondo (MS.) Pianoforte, • " Mr. Potter . Potter. Terzetto, Madame Meric Lalonde, Miss Chiide, and Miss H. Cawse," In rendo al vostro amor" (Guillaume Tell) Rossini. • Overture, Der Freyschittz . . ... . C. M. von Weber. Leader, Mr. Mori.—Conductor, Mr. Attwood.

Need we say that the Philharmonic Concerts ought to consist of music of the highest class only ; that every thing even second-rate ought to be carefully excluded ; that no favouritism might to dictate the choice of performers or of pieces, but that the elevation of the art ought to be the single aim of the Directors? Now, try the scheme of Monday night by these rules. It is a series of experiments, made at-the expense of the auditor's patience, and of the Society's repu- tation,—young ladies and gentlemen exhibiting themselves, in suc- cession, in compositions of no character, reputation, or value : a harp concerto of the most trashy materials, lasting forty mi- nutes, and -played by a young lady, we presume her first appear- ance; a song, flimsy and threadbare, sung by one of the young gentlemen of the Academy ; a still more wretched aria of Pam' ; two movements of a new pianoforte concerto, composed and played by Mr. POTTER; and a dull trio from Guillaume Tell. These, we repeat, are a series of experiments, very proper in an academy, but disgraceful in a concert possessing the finest band in Europe, and supported by a liberal subscription. It may be said that the Directors find a difficulty in keeping up the supply of first-rate music. We utterly deny it : the supply is rich to overflowing. The difficulty is not what to choose, but what to reject. Why are the compositions of English vocal writers condemned to perpetual exclusion ? Why are the concertos of Mr. BOCHSA and Mr. POTTER admitted, and the songs and concerted pieces of BISHOP or Arrw000 rejected ? Will any one venture to compare the "Fast into the Waves" of the for- mer, with the "A rispettarmi" of CARAFA, or the canone from Guillaume Tell with ATTWOOD'S elegant terzetto "Quid silenzio ?" Certainly no one who knows the difference between good and bad. We really pitied Mr. ATTWOOD, to be condemned to listen to such a vocal selection, when his own portfolio could have supplied at least fifty concerts with music of an infinitely superior character.

We gladly seize upon the few points of attraction which the scheme presents,—the Sinfonia in G minor of MOZART, the Overture of A. ROMBERG, and the never-tiring Der Frerchiltz ; all of which were splendidly performed. BEETHOVEN'S Sinfonia has too many of his crudities to please our taste ; it lacks the continuity of design, the ceaseless and enchanting flow of melody, which overrun the music of MOZART, be it vocal or instrumental. The Terzetto of SPOHR is a lovely composition ; but Madame LALANDE ruined it. The-rich tone and correct intonation of Miss H. CAWSE were most conspicuously set off' by the reedy quality of that lady's voice. We look forward to the next concert with no small anxiety. The disapprobation excited by the present one was as general as it was just.