Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-14 00:00:00

PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.

The society gave their fourth undress concert last
night, to a moderately filled house. The first part of
the programme consisted of Mendelssohn's " Walnurgis-
nacht," the solo singers being Miss Hiles'
Mr. Willbye
Cooper, and Mr. Armstrong. The first chores had very
nearly been a break-down, from the chorus singers
making a• false start, from which they • had some
difficulty in. recovering themselves. With this excep-
tion, they sung very well and steadily throughout,
especially considering the great difficulty of the music.
The solo singers sustained their parts very satisfactorily;
Mr. Armstrong, in particular, went through the difficult
modulations in the part of the "Druid Priest" with
great steadiness; and the composition, taking it as a
whole, was very well interpreted on all hands.
The second part consisted of a miscellaneous selection.
The programme was as follows

Overture "La Gazza Ladra" Rossini.
Song, Mr. W. Cooper..." Th -,. Home of My Fathers" J. Barnett.
Recitative and Air from " Orfeo" Miss Oldfield Gluck.
Solo, Violoncello M. Vieuxtemps Lee.
Duet " Zuleilia and Hassan" Mendelsohn.
Miss Miles and Mr. W. Cooper.
Four-part song for the New Year Mendelssohn.
Solo, harp 11r. Streather Parish Alvars.
Cavatina, " Robert le Di ale" Miss Oldlield Meyerbeer.
Trio from the " Bohemian Girl" . Balfe.
Miss Hiles,. Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Armstrong.
Overture" • 'Fra Diavolo" Auber.

The overtureto " La Gazza Ladra" we think too light
and operatic for a concert, and of Barnett's song it can only
be said that it is not unpleasing, as there is little in it that
is in any way characteristic. On Miss Clara Oldfield,
who made her debut last night, it is perhaps hardly fair
to pass judgment, as she was evidently exceedingly
nervous—but -we did not at all like the liberties she took
with Gluck's " Che faro," and should have been much
better pleased had she kept strictly to the text. Lee's
fantasia on "Robert le Diable," played by M. Vieu.x-
temps, was a marvellous display 'of executive skill, but
notwithstanding out adthiratiOn of the difficulties that
he achieved, we could not help thinking of Dr. John-
son's wish that such things were impossible. The Harp
solo by Alvars is clever and characteristic, and
was very well played by Mr. Streather. The
single composition given by the chorus was,
.to our cars, by far the most enjoyable thing in
the programme, and was so well sung that we cannot
but, wish that the chorus singers tooka more prominent
place in the miscellaneous performances, instead of
being given only one or two short, and often insignificant
and -trifling, pieces, as has generally been the case
hitherto. _ _

Our impression is that the miscellaneous selection
last night was decidedly below the level of such a society,
particularly in the instrumental music. Light operatic
overtures do very well to close a coacert, and form an
accompaninent to the putting on of cloaks, &c., which
generally noes on at that time; but the want of a piece
of instrumental 'music of the highest class is a lacuna
which ought never to occur, and which the best vocal
music cannot, in our opinion, entirely fill up. X