The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-21 00:00:00

Mr. Benedict's Morning Concert,

Yesterday this pre-eminently great musical event
of the season—among all the fashionable concerts of
the year the most conspicuous and the most fashion-
able—duly came offaccording to announcement. As
any one might very confidently beforehand have pre-
dicted would inevitably be the case—the whole wage
nificent area of the St. James's Hall was thronged
by a thoroughly appreciative audience—the pick of
the friends and admirers of Mr. Jules Benedict.
The majority of those assembled together yesterday
in evidence of this most accomplished musician's
popularity, the eye recognised at a glance to be of
the gentler sex—the appearance of the interior of
the building, alike on the well filled level of the hall
and in the crowded balconies, resembling parterres,
the flowers of which were represented by—to say
nothing of the faces—gossamer bonnets and light
and delicate coloured toilettes of eeety hue and
shade of a hue well imaginable. Leaving the hall,
as we did four hours and a half after the con-
cert bad commenced, we yet left almost one fifth
of the wonderfully ample programme still to be got
through. It was then close upon six p.m,, and
the entertainment had begun punctually, according
to announcement, at half-past one in the afternoor.!
The performance, consequently, could hardly by
any possibility, we should imagine, have contrived
be over until past seven o'clock in the evening. The
fact being, that Mr. Benedict was altogether too
bountiful in his arrangements. It was not so much
a Grand Concert, as it was two or three Grand
Concerts rolled into one. Never was there a more
conEp'cuous illustration of the possibitity of giving
too much of a good thing. The mere time occupied
was more than twice too long. People began drop-
ping out atj last by twos and threes, and at length
by dozens and by scores, because in this feast of
sweet sounds they had already long before its close
been fairly surfeited. The mere catalogue of
the names of the performers, alike vocal
and instrumental, was something extraordinary,
something quite exceptional. To enumerate simply
the most conspicuous of the great names on the
list, there were Signor Giuglini, Signor Gardoni,
Signor Belle Sedie, Signor Bettini, Mr. Sims Reeves,
Mr. Santley, Dr. Gurz, Herr Fricke, Madlle. Car-
lotta Patti, Madlle. Bettleheim, Madlle. Laschetizki,
Madame Parepa, Madlle. Volpini, Madlle. Trebelii,
and Madame Swinton Dolby. There were two such
violinists as Herr Joachim and Herr Wieniaweki,
and those two for once in their lives playing to-
gether a concertant duet of Ludwig Spohr's—a noble
competition ! Each of the two great artists, if not
to the other " a foeman worthy of his steel," cer-
tainly a rival worthy of his horsehair. No less than
five pianists—namely, Mr. Benedict, himself,
with Madame Arabella Goddard, and Mr.
G. A. Osborne, together with two of the youth-
ful pupils of Mr. Benedict, pupils as creditable to
him as Master Frederick Cowen and Miss Eleanor
Ward. A violincellist, as gifted as Signor Piatti,
who fairly surpassed himself in his exquisite per-
formance of one of his own fantasias on that noble
instrument. Added to these distinguished solo
performers, whether vocalists or instrumentalists,
there were a throng of others, aided by a most
efficient orcEe3tra, and in the choral parts by the
well-drilled members of the Vocal Association. Mr.

Benedict himself assiduously presiding over the

whole of the elaborate arrangements of this
most prodigal of musical entertainments.
Selections from some of the greatest masters of
the divine art made up the bulk of 1113 entertain-
ment. Beethoven's glorious overture to Fidslio led
off the performances, we might almost say without
any extravagance of phrabe, sumptuously. Next
Came one of the loveliest among the many lovely
treats provided for his numerous friends and ad-
mirers by Mr Benedict, at this in every way memo-
rable benefit of his—the performance by the Vocal
Association, to the accompaniment of the grand
organ, of Max art's wondrously beautiful "Ave verum
corpus natum." Listening to it with closed eyes, we
almost smelt the incense and felt spirited away
from that gay haunt of fashion to one of the grand
old Gothic cathedrals upon the eminent. Auber's
delicious duet, " Dans les defiles des Montagnes,"
from "Les Diamants de la Couronne," was so charm

ingly given by the Mademoiselles Georgi that it
was the first encore. A brilliant success has to be
here notified as having been achieved yesterday in
the James's Hall by Madame Harriers-Wippern,
whose dazzling delivery of the famous aria and
scena from Weber's haunted and haunting " Drr
Freyschutz," "Wie uahte mil.. der Schiummer," was
applauded by the audienco with a sort of enthu-
siasm. Signor Giuglini's inimitr.ble Tenderiqg
Benedict's own bawitching little romanza,
d'Erina," from The Lily of Killarney, necessitated
its repetition. In its every articulate sound it
breathed evidence conclusive of the skill of the
consummate artist. It is a particularly noticeable
circumstance in regard to Mr, Benedict's concert

yesterday, that in the midst of his immense array
of miscellaneous pieccs, it comprised within its com-
pass the whole of that distinguished musician's
own cantata, 46 itichard Ccear de Lion." A
production admirably pertormed throughout,
and no wonder, remembering who were the
artists among whom the four characters were

distributed—Madame Parepa being the Ma-
tilda, Madame Sainton-Dolby, the Page Urbain,
Mr. Santley, Richard Coeur de Lion himself, and
Mr. Sims Reeves, Blonde!, the Troubadour. After
the completion of the Cantata, Madame Arabella
Goddard played with wonderful delicacy and

dexterity variations upon Ariel's ce vial fairy-Bong,
"Where the Bee Sucks, there lurk I," exquisitely
arranged for the pianoforte by Mr. Benedict. After-
wards coming, another of Benedict's arrang,ementl,

not for the pianoforte this time, but for the voice,
and fur such a voice as it happened, C irlotta Patti's
—natmly Schulhoff's inroduc,ion to the famous
Carnival de Venice. A carnival of delicious sounds
it was—a pelting of sugarplum notes—fountains,
cascades of them, shining upon the senses as the
radiant young soprano sang. It was doing with
the voice what the prestidigitateur does with his
hands. It was, if one might say so, a feat of leger-
de-voix ! A word of admiration is due to Signor
Gardoni for his most dulcet and exquisitely pa-
thetic rendering of Blumenthai's delicious little
romance, "Le Chemin du Paradis"—one of the
very loveliest little French ditties ever dreamt
of by poet or musician, for all it is so simple
both in idea and in melody. Compelled
though we are to pass by unnoticed so much
that was undoubtedly entitled to notice in this
truly remarkable concert,
we would at least men-
tion in regard to it, that as it commenced nobly
with Beethoven's overture to Fidelio, it closed as
grandly, in its way, with the glorious " Wedding
March" of Mende'ssohn.

PisnoP OF LONDON'S FUND.—Dr. Stanley, Dean
of Westminster, has consented to preach on behalf of this
fund on Sunday morning next, at St. Matthew's, Spring-

gardens.
TEE SCENE OF SCOIT'S QUENTIN DURWARD.'
"
—The ancient castle of Plessy-les fours (Indre-et-Loire),
where Louis XI. resided and died, and in which the early
scenes of Scott's "Quentin Durward" are laid, is said to
have been lately purchased by a Paris agent de change, who
intends restoring it in the style of the period.
THE REPRESENTATION OF HUDDERSFIELD.--
A circular has been forwarded to the supporters of Mr
Akroyd, of Halifax, at the list Huddersfield election, in-
viting them to attend a meeting at the George Hotel, Hud-
dersfield, on Tuesday evening, to hear an " important
communication" from Mr Akroyd respecting the future
representation of th4t town. Speculation is rife as to the
nature of the communication referred to ; and it is thought
not unlikely that Mr Akroyd is intending to retire front
the field in favour of a gentleman resident in Hudders-
field, whose name has of late been freely mentioned as a
probable candidate for Parliamentary honours—Nanthester
Courier,