The Press. — London, England, 1858-08-28 00:00:00

16. -- Bart., the Mayor of Hereford, Mr. G. Clive, M.P., i d le Ven. Archdeacon Waring, Mr. S. Allaway, Mr. JAL Arkwright, Mr. R. Barton, the Rev. H. Blissett, it e v. J. Bullock, Mr. T. Dunne, Mr. E. Griffiths, Mr, J. M. Herbert, Mr. W. Herrick, Rev. J. Hopton, Rev. T. long, Mr. A. R. Boughton Knight, R,-v. 0. Orme. ro d, Mr. R. Peyton, Rev. T. Powell, Rev. Dr. Sier, an d Rev. Berkeley Stanhope. H e r Majesty and the Prince Consort graciously accord their patronage. Lo i rd Bateman, the Lord- L i euten ant of the county, s the president, and the v se• .presidents are the Bishops of Hereford, Glou ter and Bristol, and Worcester. Monday was fully occupied in the rehearsals. The chorus and most of the principals, with the b a nd, met at the cathedral in the morning, and Mr. Townshend Smith, the conduc tor of the festival, by virtue of his office of organist of Hereford Cathe dral, tried over such portions of the sacred music as the choristers were least familiar with. The prin • e ipal singers were Mine. Clara Novello, Mrs. Weiss, Miss Louisa Vinning, Mrs. Clare Hepworth, Miss Lascelles, Mme. Viardot Garcia, Mr. Sims Reeves, Mr. Montem Smith, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Weiss. Mr. H. Blagrove was leader of the band, Mr. Aroott (organist of Gloucester Cathedral) officiated at the organ, and Mr. Done (organist at Worcester Ca thedral) was pianist. The choral band was se lected from the three cathedral choirs and choral societies of Hereford, Gloucester, and Worcester, and the Liverpool Philharmonic Society. On Tuesday the festival actually opened with full cathedral service. The musical part of the service, on the whole, was remarkably well performed. Tallis's severe, perhaps occasionally monotonous, but unquestionably sublime music can never, we think, be effectively replaced by anything else, new or old, in the preces, responses, and chant to the " Venite." There is a certain indefinable solemnity about the measured phrases of the Elizabethan organist which it would be hard now to imitate, and which has become precious through long association. Handel's very grand Dettingen " Te Deum," though a thanksgiving for a victory about which no one thinks much just now, is nevertheless set to words of universal application. The choruses were very effectively given,fand the solos in all instances care fully delivered by Miss Lascelles, Mr. Montem Smith, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Weiss—the last-named gentle man, especially, singing the pathetic appeal " Vouch safe, 0 Lord ! " (so like, in more places than one, to a well-known bass air in Mendelssohn's St. Paul) with fervid and admirable expression. The - Jubilate" of Mr. Townshend Smith—the same, we believe, which was introduced on the last festival — a praiseworthy offering to the cathedral service from the pen of the cathedral organist. The solos in this were intrusted to Madame Weiss, an expe• rienced singer of sacred music, Miss Lascelles, Messrs. M. Smith and Weiss. The anthem after the third collect—a solo (Mr. M. Smith) and chorus, "Blessing, honour, glory," from Dr. Spohr's oratorio above mentioned—could scarcely have been better chosen. The execution of this anthem was for the most part extremely satisfactory, and we were much pleased to note the good impression produced by Mrs. Clare Hepworth, who both in style and self. possession exhibited a marked and gratifying im• provement. The other soloists (who have nothing to do beyond assisting in the quintet—the last piece but one) were Messrs. M. Smith, T. Barnby, Thomas, and Weiss. In Sir F. A. G. Ouseley's anthem, "The Lord is the true God," which followed the sermon, Mr. Thomas sang the bass solos in a thoroughly artistic manner. Through this anthem, if we are not mistaken, the Oxford professor of music obtained his decree. The programme of the first miscellaneous concert, which took place on Tuesday evening, was on the whole well selected and creditable to Mr. Townshend Smith, the conductor. It was a " Mozart night "—to employ M. Jullien's familiar nomenclature. After the Jupiter came a well varied selection from the opera of La Clemenza di Tito, the last dramatic work of its composer. in the same year Mozart wrote Die Zauberjlate and the Requiem. Thus, it was an eventful p e ri o d i n hi s art i st i c career; an d that it was also a fatal one we need scarcely remind our musical r ea d ers , w h o are, o f course, aware t h at the greatest of musicians died at Vienna. Dec. 5, 1791, at the age of thirty six—having done more for lots art than any of his predecessors or contempo raries. The selection began with the beautiful duet, " Ah perdona," about which so many pretty anecdotes are narrated. This was sung with taste and correct ness by Mme. Weiss and Miss Lascelles. The grand airs," Parto," " Deh per auesto " and " Non pin di Uri," were respectively allo tted' -' to Mmes. Novello, Weiss, and Viardot Garcia, all of whom showed so th orough an acquaintance with the traditions of the music, and acq uitted themselves so artistically, that it would be unfair to single out one for preference, In the fi rs t and last Mr. Lazarus played the ohligat o "' .nte Paniments for the clarinet with a tone, style, and execution alike irreproachable. To t he above must be added the melodious tenor 604, With chorus, "Ah grazi si rendano," THE PRESS, AUGUST 28, 1858 which was given carefully and well by Mr. Moutem Smith—brother of the Hereford organist, and reputed one of the most expert masters of " sight-reading " (a by no means common accom plishment) among our English singers. The selection terminated with the splendid finale, " Tu e ver," the solos by Mesdames Novell° and Viaidot, Misses Louisa Vinning and Lascelles, Messrs. Weiss and Sims Reeves. The greatest advocates of Beet. hoven's supremacy as a musical composer will not deny that this concerted piece must have exercised a strong influence over him while writing the last finale in Fidelio. The resemblance in more than one place, indeed, is too striking to pass unobserved. The music from La Clemenza afforded unqualified satisfaction, and every " number " was applauded with more or less warmth. Besides this, the first part included the cavatina from La Traviata, into which Miss Louisa Vinning threw so much archness and spirit that the audience unanimously rode- mended it. The clever young lady, however (an immense favourite here), with a degree of good taste that merits recognition, declined to repeat the song, merely returning to acknowledge the compli ment. A new ballad, "We were boys together," composed and sung by Mr. Weiss to his own accom paniment, evidently pleased ; and Purcell's " Come if you dare" (with chorus), the solos declaimed by Mr. Sims Reeves with that breadth and vigour of expression in which he is unsurpassed, brought this section of the entertainment to a close with the greatest éclat. The second pert contained the fol lowing pieces : Overture (Guillaume Tell) .. .. Rossini Ballad—" Adele," Miss Lascelles Williams Romanza—Mme. Weiss (Zemira a Azar) Spuhr Spanish Duet—Mesdmes. Clara Novell() and Viardot Iradier Ballad—Mr. Montem Smith .. Whitaker Be lad—Miss Louisa Winning, " Home, Sweet Home" .. Duetto—Mr. and Mme. Weiss Song—Mr. Sims Reeves, " Phmtie, dearest" Old French Songs—Mme. Viardet Preghiera (Mose) .. .. Bishop • Dunizetti • J. L. Batton Rossini Of the three ballads, Miss Vinning's " Home, sweet home " was heard with the most pleasure. "Adele" is a poor specimen of a poor school, and Whitaker's " Oh, say not woman's heart is bought" belongs to a class of sentimental ditty fortunately gone out of date. " Home, sweet home," to whatever country the tune may belong, is too genuine ever to grow stale ; and the Scottish ballad which Miss Vinning substituted in its place, on being unani mously recalled—" Comin' through the rye"—is a no less healthy specimen of another style. The air, "Oh, quanto vaga," from Sphor's early (and beautiful) opera Zemire and Azor, though a manifest imitation, both in melody and accompaniment, of Mozart's " Voi the sapete," is not the less a perfect gem in its way, and Mme. Weiss gave it with the simplicity best in keeping with its character. The Spanish duet of Senor Iradier, " El vestido azul," inimitably sung by the two ladies (and inimitably accompanied by Mme. Viardot, who, if she ever abandoned singing, might readily address the public as a pianoforte player), created a sensation difficult to describe, and elicited an " encore " not to be resisted. The second miscellaneous concert, which took place on Wednesday evening, was not so successful. The first part of the selection was a model in its way, as welcome for its refreshing brevity as for the ex cellent materials of which it was somposed. Of this let our musical readers judge : Overture (Oberon) Weber Ana—Miss Lascelles, " Che faro" (Orfeo).. Gluck Scena—Mme. Clara Novell°, " Infelice" Mendelssohn Trio—Mme. Weiss, Miss Lascelles, and Mr. Sims Reeves, "Oh Memory " .. Henry Leslie New song—Mr. Thomas, " Athol Woods" .. G. A. Macfarren Recit a Aria—Mme. Viardot, " Non pin meets" .. Rossini Glee—Mrs. Clare Hepworth, Miss Lascelles, Mr. Montauk Smith, and Mr. Thomas, " The Fisherman's Good Night" .. Sir H. R. Bishop Trio—Mme. Clara Novello, Miss Louisa Vinning, and Mme. Vlardot (Falstaff) .. Ralf° We are sorry to say it was coldly receiv€d. The second part of the concert began with Herold's overture to Zampa, played with astounding (the term does not convey a bit too much) brilliancy by the orchestra. This music, however, fell posi tively dead upon the ears of the inexplicably drowsy audience, only moved at last to a sense of duty by the strains of a Jacobite song," I know who," com posed (vide the bills) by "Groom "—the prolific author, it may be presumed, of "Over the sea," "Come ferry me o'er," and other model ballads—and sung by Mrs. Clare Hepworth, who, a native of Gloucester, had a claim to be treated with a certain amount of consideration by Hereford. But such a faint " encore " was never heard. After this the audience had a relapse, and the following selection was listened to without the slightest enthusiasm : Coro e solo, Mme. Viardot, " Bando"—Romanza, Mme. Novello, "Come e hello "—Duetto, Mme. Novello and Mr. Sims Reeves, " Che veggio"— kris, Mr. Sims Reeves, "Di Pescatore"—Duetto, Mine. Novello and Mr. Sims Reeves, " Ama tue " Aria, Mr. Weiss, "Vieni la mia Vendetta "—Trio, Mme. Novello, fr. Sims Reeves, and Mr. Weiss, "Guai se ti sfugge"—Ballata and coro, Mine. 827 Viardot, "II segreto." And yet Mme. Novello sang " Come b hello " divinely ; and Mr. Sims Reeves gave " Di Pescatore " with an unaffected purity of expres sion that left nothing to be desired. This simple genial air passed off with scarcely a hand ! The rest was to match. Mr. Weiss—the concert Duke Alphonso—vainly apostrophized revenge in tones that made the walls of the Shire•hall reverberate again, ant would have cast dread into the hearts of the singer's bona•fide enemies. No one seemed to care, nor was the banter apparently conveyed in the words of the self-same Duke at the opening of the subsequent " Guai is ti sfugge un motto, " Se ti tradMee un detto"— of any effect. Not a " motto " nor a " detto," nor a word nor a sign, proceeded from the somnolent assembly. Even the celerity with which Mme. Viardot returned to the platform—at the uncon. sciously expressed desire of some half-dozen awakening occupants of the reserved seats—and went a second time through Maffeo Orsini's "It segreto," met with an acknowledgment which at best amounted to " Thank you for nothing !" The " segreto per esser felice " of the amateurs of the three counties would seem to have been the privilege of enjoying uninterrupted repose. "Enfin Vase sort eveillia "—at last, now that the concert was nearly over, the audience seemed suddenly to remember that Apollo, not Somnus, was the god of the bcur ; and as Miss Louisa Vinning, with charming freshness of voice and appropriate vivacity of ex pression, warbled, in her best manner, Arne's truly English and thoroughly genuine melouy, " Where the bee sucks," they became more and more attentive, until, at the end, they burst out into an explosion of plaudits that brought the young vocalist back again to the platform, ready and willing to afford them (little as they deserved it) the same treat a second time, which she accordingly did, and they appreciated with the heartiest goodwill. Then followed the couch-duet between Azucena ana Manrico from It Trovatore. But Verdi after Arne is like terrestrial alcohol after empyrean nectar; and when Mr. Sims Reeves addressed his companion (Mme. Viardot) in these words— " Riposa, o madre: Iddio concede Alen trieti innuagini al tuo eopor " the audience seemed to think it was meant for them selves, and relapsed mince more into a comatose state, from which even the invigorating sounds of Meyerbeer's coronation-march failed to relieve them. The performances at the Cathedral on Thursday morning began with a selection from Mendelssohn's Athaliah, including the magnificent overture. The execution of Rossini's Stabat Mater, which followed, was by no means so even and satisfactory, although the solos were delivered in a highly finished and expressive manner by the principal singers— Mesdames Novello, Viardot, and Weiss ; Miss Lascelles ; Messrs. Montem Smith, Thomas, Weiss, and Sims Reeves. The tenor air, " Lord, vouchsafe Thy loving kindness " (" Cujus Animam "), and the ' contralto song, " I will sing of Thy great mercy " (" Fee ut portem ")—the lormer sung by Mr. Sims Reeves, the latter by Mme. Viardot, Garcia, and both to perfection—being repeated, in accordance with a " command" from the same irrenponsibe authority. The first and second parts from Hadyn's spon taneous and always popular oratorio of The Creation completed the programme, which, though composed of such apparently uncongenial materials, afforded the utmost satisfaction. The last evening concert took place on Thursday. The Messiah was performed in the Cathedral. The dress ball took place yesterday evening. DESPATCHES FROM THE ST. GEORGE'S CHESS CLUB.—No. 111. I LEARNED the termination of the match between Messrs. Morphy and Lowenthal just too late to insert the result in your columns. As I had anticipated, it was a hollow thing—nine games to three, and two drawn. Mr. Morphy, however, though Ire won his match, lost the bet which I spoke of 'n my last as "un peu fort." His antagonist won a game, on taking the field again after a short indisposition. I had thought of giving you a shore, review of the games when concluded ; but they have disappointed me. They do not do justice to the powers of either party. Mr. Lowenthal is known to be, from tempera merit, a bad match-player, but did on this occasion worse than could have been apprehended. He lost two games which were easily won, from a perfectly simple position ; and as often retuned to draw a game which he subsequently threw away. Mr. Morphy, on the other hand, played sundry games below his strength. His games with Mr. Bird (whom he defeated more easily than I could have deemed possible) were of a far higher order. My belief is, that Staunton and Anderson are the only two men who can compete with Mr. Morphy Of his coming match with the former you shall have lull infor mation. That he may encounter the latter is more to be wished than expected. St. George's Chess Club, Friday, August 27,