MR. MOSCHELES'S CONCERT.
BENEFIT concerts, morning ones especially, are for the most part given by fashionable teachers, whose object is to gratify the by no means pure or elevated taste of the fashionable families and friends of their pupils ; and hence they are too often made up of mere modish frivolities. From this description we must except the concerts given by some of our most eminent English professors, whose province lies especially in the vocal harmony of our own country. Thus, Mr. VAUGHAN is about to bring forward an unpublished Oratorio by Dr. CROTCH, called The Cap- tivity V.latclah,—a work which, proceeding from the author of Pales- tine, has the strongest claims on the public attention. We must also except the concerts of some few professors, both foreign and English, Iste, thou& hi the highest vogue in the fashionable world, disdain to truckle to the bad taste of the great vulgar, by presenting an entertain- ment consisting of music which in their own hearts they dislike and despise. Among this high-minded class of musicians the foremost is certainly Mr. MOSCHELES. His concert is not chiefly made up of a string of worn-out Italian ditties which have not only formed the nightly entertainment at the Opera-house, but have gone the round of all the benefits and fashionable soirees of the season,—intermixed with a shadow of an overture played by an apology for a band, and some fragments. of opera airs tortured into a fantasia or a pot-pourri for the pianoforte or the harp. lie assembles a numerous and choice orchestra, whose powers he employs upon the most lofty and classical music; his own performances are not only in the highest, but the most severe style of the art ; and the vocal pieces are (in so far as be can make them so—for even lie must sometimes give wuy to the will of a favourite syren) those of the best and greatest composers. His concert, on Wednesday morning, opened with .MENDELSSOHN'S descriptive Overture, called " The Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage," which we had already heard at a concert of the Philharmonic Society. It is impossible to hear this composition, even for the first time, without feeling the delight arising from contemplating a grand and beautiful object : but every successive hearing discloses Dew beauties of detail. Fictive the pleasure we derived front this Overture on Wednesday was still greater than at the Philharmonic; for, though not so powerfully played, we understood it better. It is one of the few things that can be heard along with the works of Berrnovese Mozart's, and STOUR. NIOSCHELES played a manuscript " Concerto pathetique," which we consider one of the happiest of his works. It appears to us that be continues to rise both as a composer and a performer. His later corn- positions indicate an increasing power over the resources of a large orchestra, a greater boldness of conception, and an imagination be- coming more and more free from technical restraints ; and his per- formance, while it has lost nothing of the wonderful force and brit. Fancy which astonished time world in his earlier days, has gained in sobriety, depth, and smoothness. In the increasing severity of his styls, we perceive the fruits of his profound study of the great masters of the olden time : and it was impossible to listen to the glorious Con- certo of SEBASTIAN BACH, Willa MOSCHELES afterwards played, without perceiving bow deeply his own compositions are imbued with the spirit of that illustrious master. This fine old music we should have thought little suited to the gay assembly wino hearth it ; yet it was as attentively listened to, and as much applauded, as any thing that was performed. As played on this occasion,—on a pianoforte of ERARD'S newest patent, instead of a tinkling harpsichord incapable of the slightest gradation of strength and softness,—this concerto must have astounded its author himself, bad he risen from the dead to hear it. Indeed it is surprising how little it differs from the best modern music for the instrumene—a proof of the manner in which the truly great musicians of our day study the works of SEBASTIAN BACH.
The Duet for the Pianoforte and Violin, the joint composition of
BENuoner and DE Bertior, and played by Moscueses and the great violinist, was a beautiful and interesting performance. It consisted of an air with variations, which were alternately taken by the two instru- ments; and it was pleasing to see the friendly earnestness with which each performer strove to outshine the other. It was, however, a drawn battle.
We have left ourselves no room to speak of the vocal music; the greater part of which was of a very superior order. MALIBRAN, in- deed, to our disappointment, sang a very insipid modern Italian song, to which even her marvellous execution could impart no interest. Miss CLARA NOVELLO sang CHERVIIINI'S " Ave Maria" beautifully; and the same lady and Mr. BALFE did great justice to the fine duet in Agnese, " Quel sepolcro." Between the parts, M. SUMP. gave what he called an elucidation of his " musical language." It was far from entertaining; and, though the invention seems curious, we cannot see any practical use to which it can be turned.
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