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 Manna
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 Mantis has laboured assidu •
ously at his task, fought, with a perseverance de-
rived from inward faith, against more than one pre-
judice, and 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 m. 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, althongh less in number
than by many could be wished—fewer than the
"600 prononneed "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
thosewhom 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 fol-
lows :

Symphony No, 4 in B flat
Rondo—" Pensa alla Patria" (Made-

moiselle Zeiss) Rossini.
Serenade—" Oh I Moon of Night" (Mr
Santley)
Concerto, violin, in E (Herr Joachim) Spohr.
Cavatina—" Ah I quel giorno" (Made-
moiselle Zeiss)

Song-4, Bliss for ever past" (Mr.
Santley) ... Balfe.
..
Overture -"Der Freischutz" ........ C. M. v. Webber.
The symphony of M. Niels Gade—that Danish
composer whom,nearly 20 years since,Mendelssohn,
always more alive to talent in others than desirous
of exhibiting his own, so generously took by the
hand—was given for the first time in England,but
not, we may be sure, for the last,
xsculfausciiveently reserved, in-
if Herr M,„
DS is
sett to decide. It is one of this zdt..uwetoorrs'lsii;ph,a;
productions of the mo
_rdaeeeptdee,rriiithpi ces :in
osut thatravtehyaeli
ini stgi 1 imoees
the
dern school of writers(Germans especially),of whom
M. Gade ungestionabiy, though by Lo means 1,
composer of genius, is one of
violin
c00n0.,0,
iu
some
rthe sanest. Spohfl-
espects his best, was the
most striking feature of
the programme—and this
I ,