The Press.
London, England, 1855-04-07 00:00:00

rusir.

MR. STERNDALE BENNETT'S SECOND CONCERT pre-
sented varied attractions to the musical public.
Mozart's trio in B tlat; Clementi's sonata in B
minor ; Purcell's " Morning Hymn ;" Beethoven's
sonata in Gr major (pianoforte and violin) ; five
studies (pianoforte), from different masters; Men-
delssohn's duo in D major (pianoforte and violon-
cello) ; Meyerbeer's " Sabbath Song ;" and Mr. Ben-
nett's selection of his own preludes and lessons were
promised in the programme and performed during
the evening. In noticing the first of these concerts
we took occasion to animadvert rather strongly upon
Mr. Bennett's style of playing. Tuesday night's
performances tended most signally to confirm the
opinion we then expressed—namely, that Mr. Ben-
nett is no more than a clever and practised mechanic
in the great art of music. Having the fullest possi-
ble scope for exhibiting in three magnificent works
both that masterly skill and that touch of inspiration
which are indispensable to a really great player on
any instrument, he, in our judgment, signally failed
in displaying the smallest trace of either. The
obstinate and inflexible rigidity, and the exaggerated
correctness with which he played the exquisite slow
movement in Beethoven's sonata, not only fatigued
the audience, but acted as an evident clog upon
Ernst, the impassioned and fervent, whose silvery
tones, sometimes almost trembling with tenderness,
and clinging as it were to the melody, were con-
tinually and rudely interrupted by stern, impassible,
immutable chords from the pianoforte, breaking the
neck of the sentiment, and leaving both ear and
heart jarred and unsatisfied. The same phenomena
were perpetrated by Mr. Bennett whilst accompany •
ing Piatti, who. as well as Ernst, strove hard (against
the influence of his besetting correctness) to render
adequately the composer's great intentions, and
gained deserved applause ; but the pianoforte, far
from being a sister-medium of expression to either,
only encumbered its companion, and marred the
beauties of the music. It (and the audience) were
tortured with an excessively lengthy sonata of Cle-
menti's, the only pleasing movement in which was
palpably borrowed from J. S. Bach, We must also
object once more to Mr. Bennett's style of re-
chauffi. In his selection of " A Morning Hymn,"
by Purcell, as well as in his choice of the
sonata we have just mentioned, he seemed to have
been prompted by an unhappy spirit, who goaded
him on to produce the worst specimens of either
composer's ability. There are many works of Muzio
Clementi delightful both to ear and mind, which
we should hail with welcome; and who is there that
does not recognise Henry Purcell as one of the
greatest geniuses ever yet heaven vouchsafed to en-
rich the world with the fruits of a lifelong inspira-
tion? And yet we will venture to assert that those
who received their first impression of either corn-
po.er on Tuesday night can appreciate but very
slightly, if they do not positively contemn, the pro-
ductions they have heard. Mine. Novello, whose
voice and singing were perfect, delighted and sub •
dued all, by the pure devotional feeling she displayed
in a most difficult but delicious composition, Meyer-

beer's " Sabbath Song." Well and justly is she '
named the queen of English singers.
Miss P. HORTON'a "GATHERINGS."-011 Monday
and during the week an entertainment has been given
by Mr. and Mrs. T. G. Reed, in the lower room of
St. Martin's•hall. his scarcely necessary to explain
that Mrs. T. G. Reed is the "Miss Priscilla Horton"
who immortalised herself as Ariel, when Mr.
Macready revived The Tempest at Covent-garden
Theatre, and since that time ilea been the main sup •
port of countless burlesques in which vocal talent
was requited as a necessary adjunct of sprightly and
intelligent acting. The new entertainment, which is
entitled " Illustrative Gatherings," is divided into
two parts. In the first, which is called the
" Animated Bouquet," Mr. and Mrs. Reed are sup-
posed to be on a visit to the house of a lady in a
country village, and while Mr. Reed performs the
office of explanatory " chorus " (in the Shaksperian
sense), Mrs. Reed successively assumes the different
characters whom they are supposed to meet. Mrs.
Myrtle, the hostess, who is overflowing with energy
and hospitality; Miss Snowberry, a fatted beauty of
somewhat sour temperament, who sings a capital
song with a " moral ;" Sir Johnquill, an empty-
headed handsome gentleman, with a huge pair of
whiskers, and an interminable giggle, which most
comically contrasts with the expression of a senti-
mental ballad of his own composition ; and Miss
Fuchsia Willow, a languishing beauty, with a pro-
fusion of curls and a taste for nothing,—are all ex-
cellent impersonations, complete in dress, voice,
action, and appearance. More eccentric, but equally
clever, is a dialogue, purely provincial, between two old
dames, each of whom is represented by one half of
Mrs. Reed, the fair artist having one costume on her
right side, the other on her left. The second part of
the entertainment is entitled the " Enraged Musician,"
and is evidently based on the idea of Hogarth's pic-
ture. Mr. T. Reed is the musician, engaged in the
composition of an opera, and Mrs. Reed becomes in
turn a talkative landlady, an itinerant Italian boy,
a rustic housemaid, with an abnormal development
of the organ of order, and a French cantatrice. In
this new set of characters Mrs. Reed's peculiar
talent is displayed to the utmost advantage, and
her brilliant execution of " Robert, tot que j'aime "
brings the whole entertainment to an effective con-
clusion. This novel experiment of Miss P. Horton
has proved thoroughly successful, the room being
crowded upon every repetition.