The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-07 00:00:00

[PRICE SD.

WORCL'STE.R MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

WORCESTER, WEDNESDAY.
Before proceeding with our narrative of the progress
of the festival of the three choirs we have to correct an
erroneous impression received as to the financial results
of the first morning. We stated yesterday that the col-
lection at the doors of the cathedral on Tuesday morning
for the benefit of the charity for the relief of the widows
and orphans of clergymen wag about 2501., and it was
currently stated that this sum exceeded by 401. the
amount received on the first morning cd the last Wor-
cester
were as fo festllow :—ival in 1851. The actual results, however,
The receipts at. the door on Tuesday
were 2551. 101. 11d., and the amount received on the
first day in 1851, was 3021., showin,, a present deficiency
of 471., instead of an increase. The stewards, however,
appear to entertain no doubt that this deficiency will be
made up before the end of the week, and that the receipts
for the charity will exceed the general average. We now
proceed with our narrative.
On Tuesday evening the first. concert was held at the
College Hall, a fine open-roofed building, _formerly the
refectory of the monks, and placed on the south side.of
the Cloisters. Until the' preserit* meeting the -only aP-
' preach to the College 11a11 was through the cloisters,
but recently a fresh entrance has . been made out of the-
Collegugreen into the building at the west end. The
attendance at the -firist-cencert was highly satisfactory,
being nearly double the attendance at the first tencert
in 18'51, the numbers being
_465, against 238. Conside •
rablkinconveniencit'and-unplisasautness was occasioned
by an alteration in the numbering of the-seats from the
original plan. In other respec s the principle of economy
appears to have been carried to the extreme; to the incon-
venience and discomfort of somuot the guests: The light;
ing W'as. very g?od• .
_
Miss Delby was again absent, but the secretary, the
Rev. R. Sergeant, -in stating the cause of her absence,
hoped she would be sufficiently recovered to take her
part in the Elijah next day. Viardot Garcia took her
place in to-night's concert.
The following is the programme :---7
PART I.
Overture—" Midsummer Night's Dream'!
Scherzo
line—Mdme. Castelfan et Mdme. Viardot.
I Mendelssohn.
Nottnrno -

Wedding March
Finale
Recit,

... and air—Miss Dolby, " 0 mem'ry,
cease to grieve me" (Brides of Venice)... Benedict.
Recit. and air—Madame Clara Novello,
" Dove sono" (Figaro) Mozart.
Concert Stuck, 'Flute—Mr. R. S. Pratten'
(performed on his newly-perfected flute) R. S. Pratten.
Recit. and air—Herr Formes, " 0 ruddier
- than the cherry" (Acis and Galatea) -... Handel.
Rondo and chorus—Madame Viardot,
" Ah! non giunge" (Sonnambula)
Song and chorus— Mr. Sims Reevei, •
"Come if you dare" (King Arthur)
•PsiaT 11.
Grand concertante (No: 2), two violins—
M. Sainton and M. Blagrove
Aria—Madame Castellan, "Di placer" (La
Gazza Ladra)
Romance—Signor Gardoni, "Le Chemin.
du Paradis"
Cavatina—Madame Clara Novello, " Ah !
se giunge"
Quartetto—Madame Weiss, Miss Dolby,
Signor Gardoni, • and Mr. Weiss, " ICS
di, ee ben rammentomi" (Rigoletto)
Scena—Mr. Sims Reeves, " To the ocean
now I fly" (Comas) C. E. Horsley.
Sons—Mr. Weiss, "I'm a roamer" (Son
and Stranger)
Terzetto—Mesdames C. Novello, Castel-
lan, indViardot, " Le faccio un inchino"
(Il Matriinonio Sogreto) • Cimarosa.
Finale —" Rule Britannia"
The recitative and air from Benedict's Bride of Venice,
set down for Miss Dolby, was omitted. The music to
Midsummer Night's Dream, by Mendelssohn, proved a
great treat. The overture was deliciously played, and
seemed in truth what it was intended to portray—fairy-
like music ; the brilliancy of the " wedding march" could
not have been exceeded, and. the " notturno" '(almost
entirely by wind instruments) was a delicious treat.
The choral portions of the composition were well exe-
cuted. The other instrumental gems of the evening were
Mr. Pratten's "Concert Stuck, a wonderful perform-
ance ; and the violin concertante, by Bainton and Bla-
grove, of which much was expected, bat which rather
disappointed the audience. No doubt the performance,
replete as it was with difficulties and intricacies, was
very clever, but it did not generally please. Herr
Formes made his first appearance in the favourite song
of Polyphemus, from Acts and Galatea, " 0 ruddier
than the cherry," in which he was as great as ever ; and
Viardot Garcia, in the air from Sonnambula, "Ab, non
giunge," displayed the brilliancy and wonderful control
;,hick she has obtained over her voice. Purcell's noble
chorus, " Come if you dare," came as fresh as ever at
the close of the first part of the concert. An interval of
a quarter of an hour was allowed for refreshment, the
second part of the concert consisting of operatic odds
and ends, with two exceptions. Madame Castellan sang
Rossini's air from La Gazza Ladra with her accustomed
sweetness, and the quartette from /?igoictto (Verdi) by
Mrs. Weiss, Viardot Garcin,'Gardoni, and Mr. Weiss went
capitally. A very pretty French romance, "Le Chemin du
Paradis," by Blumenthal, came to the share of Signor
Gardoni, and in it he displayed to the greatest advantage
the delicious musical qualities of his fine voice. The ballad
is an affecting story, and it was most touchingly told by
Gardoni. The pikloforte accompaniment, by Mr.
Townshend Smith, of Hereford, was nicely managed. The
piece was unanimously encored. Clara Novello gave
her old favourite cavatina by Cagnoni, " Ah, Be potessi,"
and displayed in it that brilliancy and flexibility of voice
which render her, performances so universally welcome.
It was encored, and so aleo were one or two other
things in the course of the evening. Mr: Weiss sang
Mendelssohn's "I'm a roamer" with all that spirit and
point which characterises his, execution of music in the
bravura style ; but he' was completely. overpowered by
the instruments, which seemed to vie with each other in
the effort to make the most noise. The concert con-
cluded shortly after eleven o'clock with "Rule Britan-
nia," selected apparently in deference to the national
spirit evoked by our present position with Bussia. Clara
Novello sang the opening verse, hilt of the rest the least
that is said the better. Formerly it was customary—
and it is at Gloucester still—to hold a ball after the first
concert, but this custom has for a long time been unob-
served at Worcester, and in another half-hour the corn-
panyhad deParted.

Rossini.

Blumenthal.

Cagnoni.

Verdi.

Mendelssohn.

This morning- the dullness of yesterday had disap-
peared—clouds had given way to sunshine, and the
cathedral was filled at eight o'clock by early risers
anxious to be present at a real meeting of the three
choirs at morning service. The choir was quite filled,
and many persons had to stand during the whole of the
service. Tho members of the three choirs of Worcester,
Hereford, and Gloucester, took their places in the stalls,
and wore their surplices. The bishop, the dean, and the
canons in residence, were also present. The Rev. R.
Sanders, who possesses a beautiful mellow voice, and is
a good musician, chanted the prayers, and the service
was got through.with a grand and imposing effect.
Tallis's preces and response were employed, Venit and
Psalms were sung to single chants, and the anthem was
Tarrant's " Lord for thy tender mercies' sake," which
was given in true cathedral style. It being Litany-day
the service occupied until after half-past nine, so that
there was not much time to spare between breakfast and
the oratorio. A small collection was made after morning
service.

We slibuld be using a trite every-day form of expres-
sion were we to say that the noble nave of the cathedral
presented this morning a brilliant appearance,- filled as
it was nearly from end to end with a gaily dressed
audience. All the art of the milliner appeared to have
been employed in decorating the belles who mustered
on this occasion ; and when we say that Worcestershire
fully maintained its fame for beauty in this instance, it
will at once be understood that the scene was of no ordi-
nary character. With regard to the attendance, the
best test is a comparison of the numbers attending to-
day with that of the corresponding day of the last Wor-
cester Festival. This shows the following result :
Total attendance Second morning 1854
Ditto ditto 1551

Increase on last festival
Of the 1189 there were only 208 in the aisle (the third-
ht hh
we
eflvoeorr,,
rahnhdm3flo2r
clashsesewaetss)t,ernwhgilaellaebryou.
Tt
herewerewa on
521190 t more in the gallery. On the assembling of the
orchestra, Miss Dolby, who was announced to sing her
favourite pieces in the Elijah, was anxiously looked for,
and her appearance was a great relief to those who
feared she would not be sufficiently recovered to take
part in the oratorio. She sang with her accustomed
perfection and clearness. Herr Formes, however,
much disappointed the audience ; his singing was
coarser Cum ever, and the band must have been not
a little annoyed now and then by the liberties which be
took with the score. This was much to be regretted,
seeing that the great burden of the solo music falls upon
the representative of the Prophet. His declamation was
the best part of his performance. We need not enter
into a critical notice of the execution of this oratorio,
seeing that it has been so frequently done of late, and
that it has become a regular standard at these festivals.
The " cast," if we may use the term, was an exceedingly
good one ; Gardoni and Sims Reeves divided the tenor
solos, the former taking them in the first d
latter in the second. Gardoni sang the part, an
fine air, "the
with all your hearts If
," in a very chaste and efketive
rn/tmer. The beautiful quartet, " Cast thy burden upon
the Lord," was given to Madame Castellan, Miss Dole-y,
Signor Gardoni, and Mr. Weiss, and was repeated by
desire of the stewards. Madame Via.rdot sang, as her
first song in oratorio here, " Woe unto them that for-
sake
him," and she gave a somewhat different
reading to what we have been accustomed. Instead
of denouncing vengeance on erring sinners in_aa.nt.o_ne_
of indignation, she gave to the strain a plaintive
saidtiv
expression, as if wailing over the lost. It
her reason
that, on her first delivery of this solo at
ham Festival in 1852, she was asked.s.
____ the •
and
for-giving this reading, and that herree.pyl
anvFaansge.;
effect that the annnouncement wasmd
itself with justice.
that it was likely pity would mingle the Binning-
" Have ye not
Queen, In the declamatory solo of the
__tic effect into
energy 1%0 heard," ehe threw great