The Express.
London, England, 1867-04-02 00:00:00

itloft,

MONDAY POPULAR CONCERTS.

"b, last concert I.f the season took place last
, ..t, the incision being the director's benefit, and pre-
:bc 4.,eiAl attractions of Herr JoacLim's Lot per-
. . _

..,:ice previous to his dcletrture from England, and the
• . lex of throe of the greatest living pianists.. The
. • two of pieces performed, too, was of the highest bite-
. ...the subjoined programme will show:
PART I.
. I,i‘., op f.r Cbdiu, Viola, and
t,. It., MM. Jua..hitm Henry Martn;
ismtta

Beethoven.

.............
, ' iii, %iu e . Mies Eilith W M ynne
.tt, And I'tsupit..l, iu ft miner ; Prelude and
e. in u sharp . Mr. tharleu Halle. Bach.
r-114. and •i, hallo, fur Violin, with Piano-
ti . .t ,••mpinn,ht. Ilvrr .I.lavhiPt
_ • t.. "Id 1...5r ',wig," Slim Edith Wynne Mendehauhn.
~, 111 I. 111111111.
.IZ., A ilAt, Al Amu.; Schumann Weber.

PART It
.. it •. iu U minor, for three Pianofortes
,111.111111111. 3th,411.111e Ants:lle Bud
• .1,1 r.. l U r ut.:u ks Italia Bach.
• 1:.„ k t., klntik" Mir Edith W 3 nue Benedict.
ilt t ittaittr. for Viulotteellf. aitb I.IIIDO-
- t•ittintritritrllt, Sittritttr haitti
_ •16. noosisty trees bend," Liu Edith
nth-
. .

at, C. in I) major, M %I. L ECK'S,
• I 13:4411.* VlUtti
Serenade is one of five pieces (the others
.t,4 the Trio, up. d, and the three similar worb op. 9),
winch he has produced from such limited means almost
trect and variety of a quartet. Beethoven's serenade

. lighter in style and construction than Lis violin trios,
esi,ting of some half-dozen pieces, comprising a march,
:.o slow movements (an adagio, recurring at the close
f the work, and an adante, with variations), a minuet
1.1 trio. and a polacca, in all of which are discernible
t: e..misite grace and melodious tenderness of Mozart

.!!:er than those profounder powers by which Beethoven
:y eariy began to manifest his own individuality.
ben in the third number of his next work (the
"tie in C minor) we find a foreshadowing of that grand
tiginality which was dawning on the world of instrumen-
Ll music. The " Serenade," although not characteristic
kf this phase of Beethoven's genius, is so full of melodious
!rviihness and geniality, and so distinctly marked with that
rfeet finish of touch which only a consummate master
that it will always be heard with delight, cape.
.lly when so finely played as it was last night. The most
imis,rtant item, however,of last night's concert was Recife
mile concerto admirably performed, as we need
~,amely say. If we admit the superiority of Handel over
Lad), as exemplified in that grand series of oratorios in
ouch the (entice composer has embodied at once the
highest musical art and tbeprofoundest religious sentiment,
we must, on the other hand, concede to Bach the supre-
....icy in instrumental music over all composers of his time.
Not only in his marvellous series of compositions for the
organ but in every other form of instrumental music then
:noon he. Bach aseerted his vast superiority, in pan-
i'eur of conception and novelty of form, over all his con.
mow:tries. Those extraordinary works, the six sonatas
%John unaccompanied, which Herr Joachim has rem-
ir.l familiar to the English public by his frequent ad-
z Arable performmices of portions of them, we have always
kid to have been impracticable with the comparatively
limited mechanical acquirements of the violinists of
Loch's time— the composer having written with a view to
.Istract possibility rather than immediate realisation.
Then, besides the immense quantity of preludes and
(apes and other pieces for the elavecin (the precursor
of the pianoforte). Bach produced some dozen or more
1.1 concertos ; some fur one clavecin, others for two and
three, and one for four clavecins, with accompani-
nmnts. In fact his instrumental music ranks among the
:marvels of art history in extensiveness, in inexhaustible
invention, grandeur of conception, and amplitude of
ml velopment, and would alone suffice, without reference
to his many great vocal compositions, to perpetuate the
time of Bach as an intellectual giant in his art. It was a
tertion of the triple concerto given last night, :th alters.
nous and interpolations by Mr. Muscheles that was
performed in 1844, at the concert of that eminent
pianist by himself, Thalberg and Mendelsohn, when
the latter interpolated a cadenza improvised at the
moment—a vivid dash of spontaneous genius which
sill never he forgotten by those wbo were so fortunate
oto be present on the occasion. The performance last night
was in every respect admirable—the responsive passages
fur each of the three instruments being given with that
finish and precision which was to be expected from the
great players by whom it was interpreted—each movement
being received with delight by the audience, particularly
the final allegro, with its combination of vivacious energy
and learned fugal writicg. The stringed instrument amour
punitnents, by the aunt artists as in the final quartet, with
the addition of Mr. Reynolds (double bass), were suffi-
ciently prominent to fill up the minor details of the
score without overpowering the three principal instru-
ments. The detached solo pieces of Bach were given by
Mr. Charles Halle with all that neatness of finger and
careful execution for which this artist is so distinguished
—while the very opposite styles of Chopin's expressive
Notturno, and Weber's fiery and impetuous Pcherze (from
his second Sonata) were realised by Madame Schumann
with appropriate sentiment and brilliancy. The two ex-
tracts from the series of Spokes elegant pieces for violin
and piano were given by Herr Joachim with all possible
grace and refinement ; no small element in the effect being
the excellent pianoforte playing of Mr. Benedict.
Boocherini's Sonata (also accompanied by Kr. Bene.
diet) is an old favourite at these concerts—so we need
merely say that it was played as finely as on any previous
occasion. A similar comment, for the same reason, will
mace for the vocal music and the singer—both worthy of
the other portions of last night's excellent concert, which
terminates for the present these entertainments, the re-
sumption of which will take place in November. The recep-
tion of Herr Joachim, on the occasion of this his last
appearance, was as enthusiastic as his best a :abet, could
have desired, and the excessively crowded state of St.
James's Hall must have been gratifying alike to the artists
and to the director of the Monday Popular Concerts.

Drama.

ST. JAMESN.

The undoubted and remarkable success of
77,, Liar, at the Olympic, has in luced Miss Herbert to
revive an ingenious piece of the same claim that was
popular many years ago, and in which Wrench greatly
distinguished himself. It is called, lir lies lete Truth ; and
the principal character is sustained by Mr. Walter Lacy.