The Express.
London, England, 1850-10-16 00:00:00

THE GRAND NATIONAL CONCERTS.

The first of these performances took place last
night, at Her Majesty s Tneatre. Tin y had excited
great expectation, and the house (the promenade part
of it especially) was crowded to excess. The into-
rior of the theatre, as fitted up for these concerts,
presents a very gay and pleasing corp terri!. The
plan is similar to that introduced by Jultieu at
Drury-lace. The pit and stage form an immense
promenade, being connected by two short flights of
steps on each aide of the orchestra, which is erected on
the stage, and entirely surrounded by the promenade.
The pit, in front of the orchestra, eeing the best part
of the promenade fur hearing, is of course the most
crowded. Last tight the audience in that place were
densely packed together; and it was only in tile space
at the back of the stage that it was at all possible,
though with some difficulty, to move about. The steps
between the pit and the stale were the scene of an
incessant struggle between two currents of people;
the one wishing to get into the front for the sake of
bearing better, the other desiring to get out of the
steessy esa into smoother water. In the midst of all
this restless agitation the music could not be
very advantageously heard in any part of the
bows; for the constant hum formed by a cone-
plication of noises mingled itself with the musical
sounds which reached the more tranquil occupants of
the higher regions. The more delicate parts of the
performance were often in a great measure last, and
nothing but strong and bruynnt effects could arrest
the general attenti ,n of the audience. This excessive
crowding and contusion, the natural result of curiosity
the first night of a new entertninment, may be ex-
pected soon to abate; and, indeed, it is not to be
wished, for the sake of the concerts themselves, that
it should continue ; for otherwise the successful pr.
formance of refined and delicate music would be oat
of the question.
Of the concert itself we cannot say much, nor can
we take it as a sample of the quality of the future
performances. The directors aro evidenty not yet in
possession of their full resources, nor in a condition to
exhibit some of the most striking novelties of their
general programme. We had not what may probably
be the most striking feature of the whole—the Ger-
man chorus, fifty strong, from the Royal Chapel of
Berlin; nor had we any of the original vocal, drama-
tic, and orchestral works which some of the most dis-
tinguished' native and foreign composers have been
engaged Si compose. Neither was there any novelty
in the performers who appeared last night. Some of
them bavegreat merit, but all ef them are well known.
Balfe's " Introductory Overture," with which the
concert began, was a piece tie circonstunce which
could not have ooet him a great expense of thought
or labour, and by which probably he himself sets no
great store. It bears the stamp of a skilful hand;
it is airy, fluent, and brilliantly interested; but it
wants the unity of design and symmetry of form
which distinguish the chefs cf mane of this class of
composition, and in its details there are too many re-
miniscences, especially of Weber, whose " Bury-
matte" it repeatedly brings to mind. Charles Halle's
performance of Beethoven's concerto in E fist was cer-
tainly the beat thing of the evening ; but he played
only the first movement, instead of the whole as pro-
mised in the programme; and, after all, it was enough
oonsidering the state of the audience. His Fantasia on
airs from " Lacia di Lammermoor,"without any inches.
tral deleoinpaniment, was a very brilliant performance.
Bo also was Sainton's violin solo, and it required all the
extraordinary strength and fulness of his tone to
make its way through an atmosphere eo turbid with
noises. The overture to " Guillaume Tea," which
closed the first part of the concert, developed the
powers of the magnificent orchestra; the last move-
ment, the famous pa. redoultl4, was one of the most
spirit-stirring things we have ever heard. There was a
rselection from "La Figlia del Regglment,"
wttkit the vocal parts were played on the violin,,
hassosse, and cornet-a-piatone, by Molique, Baumann,
and Arbon. The performance was excellent; but we
dislike this way of slaying vocal music upon instru-
ments, and in speaking of Yullien's concerts we have
always said so. -
- - - -

The viva music wee rather of an ordinary kind.'
The " Chant Maritime," sung by M. Jules Lefort,
was a dull affair. Mdlle. Angri sang the " Ab,
giorao" from " Eemiramide," andlthe " No, no, no 1"
from the " Huguenots," splendidly ; but they were
the only vocal features of the evening. Wallace's
ballad," Why do I weep for thee," wao prettily but
very timidly sung by Miss Mestent ; Mozart's charm-
ing dust is madly threadbare ; and the eternal "Piff,
paff," has really become a bore. The
waltzes, and other pieces of dancing mule were quite
a le Jedlien, and very spirited.