FOURTH PHILHARMONIC CONCERT.
Bravi bravi tutte ! gentlemen Directors of the Philharmonic Con- cert. You have earned, and you hereby receive, our hearty com- mendations and thanks for the concert of Monday night. Here is a scheme of which you may be proud: it is all sterling, without a par- ticle of alloy.
ACT T.
Sinfonia in C ..... ..... ..... ....... ......... Mozart.
Scena, Mr. Sapio, " Vicin ml sta" (Euryanthe) ... C. III. von Weber. Notturno, two Oboes, two Clarionets, two Horns, and two Bassoons, Messrs. Cooke, Sharp, Willman, Powell, Platt, Rae, Mackintosh, and Tully .................... Mozart. Scene, Madame Stockhausen, "Deh calma" (Matilda von Guise) . . ...... . .......... ..... Hummel.
Overture, Der Berggeist . . . Spohr.
ACT IT.
Sinfonia, No. 7 . Haydn.
Scena, Mr. Phillips, "Pace ardente" (Euryanthe) C. M. von Weber. Quintetto, two Violins, two Violas, and Violoncello, Messrs. Oury, Watts, Moralt, Penson, and Lindley .......... Beethoven. Duetto, Madame Stockhausen and Mr. Sapio," Bella Ninfa" (Jessonda) cipohr.
Overture, Leonora Beethoven. Leader, Mr. Spagnoletti—Conductor, Dr. Crotch.
This scheme exhibits an interesting and splendid group,—the il- lustrious father of the modern school, surrounded by his most favoured and gifted children, one of whom was present to witness the triumph of his country's genius. We envied HUMMEL his feelings on this occasion : to witness the homage paid in a foreign land to the talent of his early instructor and to the friends and associates of his =tiger years—to see the whole audience, and the splendid band, yielding their devoted admiration to men, all of whom he knew and honoured, and in the bright constellation of whose names his own shines with a lustre hardly inferior to most of them—must have ex- cited emotions of pride and pleasure which time will have no power to obliterate.
We need not attempt to repeat on paper the rapture which every fresh performance of the Jupiter Sinfonia of MOZART rekindles in the musician. The lovely adagio was deservedly encored. The song " Vicin ml sta„" we believe, introduced Euryanthe to an English audience. It is singular enough that an opera of which the name has been rendered so familiar by its overture, should not until now have awakened curiosity to explore its contents. It was WEBER'S favour- ite, and it will be known and admired in England ; there are portions of it which are destined, at some time or other, to rival the popularity of Per Freischitz„ The song now under notice introduces to us the beautiful melody which occasionally breaks through the stormy fectly successful : it wanted the tenerezza which ought to temper the hurricane of the overture. SAPIO'S performance of it was not per- exclamations of a lover, especially when connected with a strain of Notturno of MOZART was very finely played, and exhibited young COOKE, as principal oboe, to great advantage. The Matilda of Hunt- mEr. is replete with beauties, not one of the least of which is the such impassioned sweetness as that to which we have alluded. The song" Deh calma, amor." So little is this opera known in London, that the Directors were unable to obtain a score of it, and the accom- paniments were arranged from a pianoforte copy. Madame STOCK- HAUSEN'S execution of the air was correct : she sang in excellent time and tune, but there our commendation must end. The perfect equanimity with which she uttered
" Risparmia a me P eterno amaro pianto
L' estremo e fier dolor"— was marvellous, if (which we very much doubt) she understood the meaning of the passage. The Overture to per Berggeist is ad- mirably descriptive, but a knowledge of the opera is necessary to its fall enjoyment. The No. 7 of HAYDN is not the easiest of sinfonias for the wind instruments ; and the oboes once or twice were not ex- actly what we could have wished. The Scena of WEBER is quite a study. It opens with an impassioned recitative, leading into an air of the most enchanting tenderness, and again breaking into vehement declamation : then follows a movement in which the deep and hoarse rolling of the accompaniment depicts the storm of conflicting pas- sion, bursting at length into the triumphant shout of anticipated vengeance :— " Nel cieco orror d' aspra vendetta
Del fallo in sen mi immergerO, La furia ria che m' agito In me il velen di man sua getta. Ti spezza, immago bella, Ne va, mio dolce affanno, Vendetta solo avrO."
The andante forcibly reminded us of "Through the forest," and the concluding allegro of "Haste, nor lose the favouring hour." In the former, PHILLIPS was eminently successful ; in the latter, not so. It demands a voice of considerable volume, to make its way through the orchestral torrent which bears down upon it. The finest vocal effort of the evening was the duet from Jessonda : it is a lovely Com- position, and was exceedingly well sung. We conclude, as we began, by expressing our unfeigned delight and gratification at the performance of the Fotuth Concert. In point of selection, it was the most perfect scheme we ever saw. We exhort the Directors to perseverance : they have got as far as songs and duets,—we beg to remind them that theioperas whence these are derived contain concerted pieces and choruses of equal excellence.
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