Music
RECENT MUSICAL EVENTS:
TH E concert season is decidedly on the wane. The great orchestral societies have all completed their series. The last Monday Popular Concert of the season takes place next week for the director's benefit, with a programme including the names of both Mr. Charles Halle and Miss Arabella Goddard as pianists, Mr. Sims Reeves and Madame Sainton-Dolby as vocalists, Signor Piatti as violoncellist, and that promising violinist, Herr Leopold Auer, as leader. Mr. Charles Halle gave the last of his eight recitals on Friday last, and thus concluded a series of performances which, depending as they did upon himself alone, in a large hall, and at a high scale of prices, must be termed a most brilliant success. Whether in the most wailing and mysterious adagio of Beethoven, the most crisp and ethereal scherzo of Mendelssohn, the most
dreamy romance of Chopin, or a fugue of Sebastian Bach, with its broad rhythmical sweep overlaid with the most bewildering intricacies of elaborate detail, Mr. Halle has never failed to exhibit that total merging of himself as executant in the simple interpreter of the composer ; and that ease, grace, and powers of execution which have raised him to his unquestioned position as a pianist of the very first rank. So marked, indeed, has been the impression made by his late series of recitals that those of M. Thalberg, which for the second time were heralded as "farewell," passed over without any signs of the furore which distinguished them last year. The second performance of Handel's L' Allegro and IL Penseroso is announced for Wednesday next.
Foremost amongst operatic events is the continued success of Faust, which, after being played uninterruptedly for three weeks at Her Majesty's Theatre, was produced at Covent Garden on Thursday. Madlle. Miolan-Carvalho, for whom the part was originally designed, was Margherita, and succeeded most remark- ably in those very scenes in which Madlle. Titiens scarcely realized the character. Her version of the Air des Bijoux was admirable, and even in the later scenes, where her powers were more severely tried, she sustained the part most creditably. Her vocalization is as brilliant as ever, and though still thoroughly French in style, she seems to have discarded to a great extent the annoying vibrato system which used so much to disfigure her singing. Signor Tamberlik was very effective in the despairing unquiet of Faust in the opening scene, and his wild agitation on restoration to youth, but utterly failed to do justice to the calm and tender romance, "Salve dimora casta e pura," sung by Faust while gazing upon the abode of Margherita. The exquisite manner in which the violin accompaniment was played by M. Sainton was certainly the beet part of the piece. M. Faure sang the music for Mephistopheles with great effect, and obtained a loud encore for the "gold song," but was scarcely so artistic in his acting as M. Gassier. Signor Graziani, polished vocalist as he is, can scarcely compare with Mr. Santley in vigour of' declamation in Valentin's dying scene. The versatile Madame Didiee, as Siebel, quite spoilt the pretty " Parlate la d'amor " by excessive slowness. Signor Tagliafico's sonorous delivery of the few bars allotted to Wagner in the choral scene of the second act cannot be passed over. There is scarcely a basso of the day who could have made so much of them. The chorus showed some slight signs occasionally of insufficient rehearsals, and " dragged " unmistakably in one or two passages of the choral strophes; that for the old men, though encored, was not given with quite the precision it requires. The exorcism, however, was mag- nificently given, as also was the military chorus, and both orchestra, chorus, and stage management united to give the highest effect to the choral waltz at the end of the second act, which is certainly the loveliest and most graceful movement of the kind imaginable, quite challenging comparison with the Skaters' Waltz in Le Prophke, or anything of the kind by Weber. The scenery and dresses are, of course, all that could be desired. At Her Majesty's, the next event of importance is to be the debat of Mr. Sims Reeves as Edgardo, and subsequently, it is
rumoured, as Sir Huon in Oberon. AMATEUR.
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