The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-12 00:00:00

CRYSTAL PALACE' CONCERTS.

The commencement of the winter musical season
at Sydenham must not pass without a word or two
of recognition. The uniform excellence of the first
concert, both with regard to programme and execu-
tion, showed Herr Kapellmeister Auguste Mantis
determined to sustain the credit of an institution
which, under his fostering care, has grown to such
importance. The performances of the " Crystal
Palace Philharmonic" (why not ?) are indeed equal
to anything this music-loving country can boas,.
They are model entertainments of their class—
neither too long nor too short, almost invariably
well made out, and quite invariably well presented.
How much of this is due to the conductor we need
hardly insist. Herr Manes has laboured assidu •
ously at his task, fought, with a perseverance de-
rived from inward faith, against mute than one pre-
judice, end ultimately established his concerts upon
so firm a basis that their periodical re-occurrence is
looked forward to with unfeigned interest by ama-
teurs of music in and about Lond Moreover, he
may be said to have created an orchestra for his own
special uses; and trained it to such strict discipline
that anything approaching an unfinished, much
more a careless or a slovenly performance, is scarcely
within the limits of probability. The players in this
orchestra obey the indication of their conductor's
stick as closly and expeditiously as Ariel the wand
of Prospero. In short, not to mince words, the
band of the Crystal Palace, although less in number
than by many could be wished—fewer than the
" 60" pronounced " enough" by Beethoven—is in-
ferior in quality to none with which we are ac-
quainted. Not only does it play well when engaged
solely on its own account, as in overtures and sym-
phonies, but accompanies well where singers or in-
strumental soloists are concerned. This, it must be
allowed, is too rare an accomplishment not to be ac-
credited with due honour. In short, Herr M nns
has done justice to his employers and won a musical
reputation for the Crystal Palace. He has a right,
therefore, to claim the support and encouragement of
those w hom he had servedwith so much zeal and honest
purpose in the winter concerts (of " good" music;,
through the medium of which alone he has any
chance of obtaining public recognition, while at
the same time upholding the dignity of that art of
which he is a truly devoted follower.

-The programme at the first concert was as I'ol-

lows :

Symphony No. 4 in B flat

Rondo—" Pensa alla Patria" (Made-

moiselle Zeiss) Rossini.
Serenade—" Oh 1 Moon of Night"(Mr
Santley)
eCaovnacteirntao_, (glijoerrnroJuo;hl)
..
moiselle Zeiss)
Sosn
CSBP.:MI hf
er.
v . Webber.
Rossini.
........ • ..
h"utz"
M. Niels Gade—that Danish
agn—u`e‘y)Bliss for ever . past".. .
.. (.M..r
20 years since,Mendelssohn,
Overture—ym"DpherotFlyre:forl
neetao tyalent in others than desirous
generously took by the
always composeri
bmimore alive whomhiitvs
own,
SO
ofh exhibiting
was given for the first time in England,but
not, we may be sure, for the last, if Herr M4nns is
lett to decide. It is one of this conductor's cha-
racteristics that he is no exclusive past-worshipper
_perhaps not at all times sufficiently reserved, in-
deed, when surveying the productions of the mo
dery school of writers(Germans especially),of whom
M. Gade unqestionably, though by no means b
composer of genius, is one of the sanest. Spohr':
violin concerto, in some respects his best, was the
most striking feature of the programme—and this

owing even more to the superlative execution of
Herr Joachim than to the admirable beauties of
the work. Without applying a string of laudatory
epithets to this unequalled artist—of which he
stands in no want—we may add, in a sentence,that
the concerto could not possibly have been played
better, The audience listened to it from one end to
the other with marked attention and evident de-
light, applauding and recalling Herr Joachim, at
the termination of the last movement, with down-
right enthusiasm. The overture to "Der Preis-
chutz"—either movement of which contains more
ideas than the allegro, andante, scherzo, and finale
of Gade put together—was a genuine triumph for
Herr Manns and his orchestra. Weber him-
self would have been more than satisfied, and
have gathered compensation for the torture to
which be was occasionally subjected during the
preliminary rehearsals of his " Oberon."

The vocal music was unimpeachable. Mr. Santley
(we Peed not praise Mr. Santley) took equal pains
with the serenade of Herr Manna and the ballad
from " The Puritan's Daughter (one of Mr. Balfe's
happiest inspirations), and was heartily appreciated
in both. Mademoiselle Zeiss—a new contralto—'
has a flexible voice, with considerable ease of vigour
and delivery. She aimed high in selecting two of
Rossini's most difficult airs, but was cordially en-
couraged, and indeed deserved the applause she ob-
tained. " God save the Queen," and the " Danish.
National Air," arranged for the occasion by Herr
Manus, brought the concert to an end. The room
was so inconveniently crowded that closing the
staircases leading to the galleries immediately after
the commencement amounted to an act of arbitrary
despo ism. At the beginning of each piece such a
precautionary step may be advisable; but we qv es-
tion the expediency, not to say the right, to bar the
ingress and egress of visitors during the entire per-
formance. Good taste should prevent any part of
an audience from disturbing the enjoyment of at-
tentive listeners; but surely thou, who pay for ad-
mission are entitled to the privilege of hearing as
much or as tittle as they think proper.
After the concert the new gas candelabra in the
nave were lit up for the promenade, daring which
Mr. James Coward, organist to the Crystal Palace,
with his accustomed skill, gave selections from
Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and
Meyerbeer, besides an improvisation on the great
organ in the Handel orchestra. Altogether the
entertainment was one of the most delightful that
can be imagined. At the next concert (Saturday)
Mr. Charles Halle is to play one of Beethoven's
concertos.