THE PHILHARMONIC.
THE movements of this vessel seem as uncertain as the wind : it is, evidently, under the control of no plan, but is " tossed to and fro" by mere accident or caprice. Those who sit at the helm do not, in fact, direct, but are directed. Comvlaints reach
them of the want of good taste the vocal selections; they fill their next scheme with songs and concerted pieces from the operas of MOZART, certain that their auditors must now be pleased. All in vain—their endeavours only provoke laughter and hisses. Again they veer round, and ROSSINI and DONIZETTI are lords of the ascendant; but though disapprobation is not so loudly expressed, disappointment is as keenly felt. We cannot complain of the want of variety : certainly we have the variety of good singers and bad music, and bad singers and good music. We have DONZELLI yoked with DONIZETTI, and CINTI with RODE'S " air with variations;" and on the other hand we have BEGREZ, CURIONI, and GIUBILEI, associated with MOZART. Like Some other legislators, these governors of our musical destinies seem not to be aware of the difference between a bill upon paper and a bill in operation. It is a very easy thing to put certain fine names into a concert scheme, and to exclaim " See ! what a charm- ing selection we have made !"—this is but the first step ; the next, the important, the difficult one, is to give effect to your intentions, to take care that your bill will work well in action. And of the way in which this is to be accomplished, the Directors manifest no knowledge. We don't mean to deny that they possess it, but it loth not appear. There is a maxim in law, " De non apparen- tibus, et non existentibus, eadem est ratio." We have no doubt of
the talents of these gentlemen, but unfortunately for us they have a trick of hiding them in a napkin, and therefore total incompetency could not exhibit a more pitiable result. We shall be understood as strictly confining these observations to the Vocal music. We have few complaints, but, on the contrary, many praises and thanks to bestow for the Instrumental selections. The scheme on Monday night was as follows.
SIXTH CONCERT—MONDAY, MAT 14.
ACT I.
Sinfonia (No. 7) Beethoven. Aria 3Ir.l'uir.Lms, " Qui silegno" (Die Zetuherfihtte) Mozart. Concert Stick, Pianoforte, MaC111C. BLADETKA Blahetha. Aria, Madame CINTI DANOREAV, " ITha voce poco fa," (11Barbiere di Seriglia) Rossini. Overture to the Isles of Fingal (MS.) 1'. Mendelssohn Bartholdst.
AOT
Sinfonia in G minor Mozart. Aria, Signor DONZELLI, " Tacqui allor" (L'Esule di Roma) Donizatti. Quintet°, two Violini. Viola, Violoncello, e Contra Basso, Messrs. ROHRER, WATTS, MORALT, LIND- LEY, and DRAGONETTI Onslow. Aria di Rode,con variazioni, Mad. CINTI DAmonzAn Overture B. Romberg. Leader, Signor SPAGNOLETTI—Conductor, Mr. ATTWOOD.
BEETHOVEN'S Sinfonia, No. 7, displays less of his vigour and fancy than most of those which are thought worthy to take their turn of performance in this orchestra. His power is concentrated upon the Andante, which yields to no similar movement in feli- citous conception and arrangement. It was encored, and with its
repetition we should haie been content that the piece should ter- minate.
MozAir's Sinfonia was a perfect exhibition in every view of it masterpiece of instrumental writing, fully developed in every part.
The only • composition of the evening that excited any in-• terest, was MENDELSSOHN'S new Overture, which was usherecL into life by the Philharmonic band. •. It .is not the overture to an opera, but may be rather called the result of a visit to the Isles of Fingal on a mind which embodies its conceptions of ' beauty and grandeur, of ideal as well as natural pictures, in music and which employs not the pencil, but the orchestra, as the means of imparting them. Hence the mere rule-of-three musician will fail to discern all the beauties of this beautiful composition. He will admire, he must admire, the consummate skill which the ar- tist displays, his sweet melodies, his masterly combinations ; but these are but means to an end, to accomplish which he must, in imagination, visit the scenes which gave these creations birth, —he must call up the mountains and forests, the cataracts and glens of the Highlands, and, peopling this magnificent country with its native lords, hear the horn answering from hill to bill, and the busy gathering of its tribes, their stately march, their wild music, their impetuous onset; in a word, he must dwell in Highland scenery and Highland history, and then he will understand the process which originated the Overture to the Isles of Fingal, and realize its beauties.
But we must descend to Mademoiselle BLAHETKA. This lady is a Bohemian, lately arrived in this country, with a considerable share of reputation as a pianoforte player. She is young, and well skilled in the use of her fingers : in other words, she is what is called a brilliant player. The composition which she played was her own c it consists of a single movement, into which are crowded a succession of very difficult passages; one half of which would have sufficed to convince us that she had laboured hard and successfully to acquire extraordinary rapidity of finger. This point once settled, all the rest seemed to us mere waste of time.'
ONSLOWS Quintet was very finely played, but the execution of it alone gave us any pleasure. The Adagio was pleasing; but for the rest — The Vocal music of this concert hardly deserves notice. That CINTI'S execution, in both her songs, was as perfect of the kind as it was possible to conceive, is true. But we ask,.are the objeots of this Society answered by the performance of ROSSINI'S most hacknied airs and trashy variations? If these be the height of its ambition, the sooner it comes to an end the better. Are the Directors content to take the mere sweepings and gleanings of the Opera stage, and to expend the subscribers money in serving up at second-hand the very pieces which they have heard in the very same week in another part of the house ? Four songs, too, in one night, without a single concerted piece ! We are sick of the subject, and are now (the Sixth Concert is over) hopeless of amendment.
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