New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-11-16


| PHILHARMONIC SocIETY's CoScERr.--Th>'
first concert of the Eleventh Seasonbeng the forty
first took place Saturday evening November
l3 at Nblos Saloon and Of that excellence which
has now become traditional in the annals OF the society
The room crowded with attentive and spprc-
cistve audience which of tseh Is small satisfaction
since in order fully to enjoy ne music, it is necessary
that attention and interest OF the audience b.
interrupted ami harmonious the performance OF the
orchestra MI Theodore Esfeld was the conductor for
The evening, and Mr. Scharfenberg accompanied the
singing upon the piano The leading features OF the
concert were Beethoyens Symphony in F.--No. =
and Gades Ossian,' concert overture. The Sym
phony is OF that lighter and graceful style which has
always the pleasure OF surprise in Beethoven, from
whom nstnctvely anticipate another strain 1t has
throughout genial sweetness melodic charm, akin
TO that of the Pastorae which is peculiarly grateful
when united with the perfect of power in the
composer. The AHeereto is a winning and delicious
movement given with fine precision by the Orchestra
but in itself so delicate, that missed certain piano
shading. essential to its complete rendering 1t
heartily encored and repeated with not less accuracy.
We may we'll here the characteristic fault OF the
Philharmonic Orchestra. which is a tendency loud.
ness, arising from the determination of each instru-
ment to be heard Mr. Eckert, in his management of
Madame Sontag's Orchestra showed what can be done
in this respect Orchestral would ruin the deca
cy of Sontass singing and it was only by reiterated
efforts that her conductor ct last succeeded in pruning
the luxurancco OF sound. In doing this however, he
not only saved the singer but taught the orchestra and
the audience a useful lesson. Perspective is
ta TO fine musical it is to good pictorial effect
Nothing is more striking in the performance of the
Merere by the Sstine Choir than the sense of space
of hight, and depth, and distance in the music
OF Gade's "Ossisn" we had heard glowing accounts
In hearing it on Saturday evening for the FIRST time
recognized the great obligation Of every lover
and student of Music to the Philharmonic Society. Two
years since occasion of the performance OF one of
Gadcs Symphonies by the same Society, prepared
On extensive notice Of the life and works Of this young
composer founded upon various articles in foreign pc
rodicals. A Dane by birth he was for n long time
student of Mendelssohns in Leipsic and has now
ccoded that master as Director of the GewandIIaus
Concertf-the Philharmonic Of Leipsic The Sym.
phony played two years since indicated fresh talent
enamored of Mendelssohn and trained strictly in his
school wac too individually characteristic be
-dercd on imitation but in it, general form and treat
ment followed its authors master. In the "Ossan'
there is longer any trace Of LEADING srngs pref
erencc 1t is rich, solemn work. Instrumental in the
most mastery manner,-muscallyp pictorial and sugges
tive ndthoroughly individual The work Is written in
the key of minor and has throughout, the undertonc
like awailingwind, which characterizes all Northenmu
sic and answers to the languhng sigh of the Italian and
Southern styles. The same thing occurs in all the
Northern songs of Jenny Lind in Ole Bulls best play
ing in several Lapand songs that we once Glanced to
hear and generally in whatever is essentially and dis
tinctvely Northern in musical character. Theharmo-
ny between this inherent necessity Of Danes music,
and such a theme Ossan, Is directly apparent And
it is entirely sustained, as musical picture merely
The "Ossian" is greet success. The heavy mists,
formless, vayue-that drift through the whole opening
movement-the sudden riffs toward the bue--the clos
ing agan Of the cloudy chaos through which call the
voices Of the Bards-Ggures walking invisbly and
prophCsying woe, tho rush Of mountain winds
and the general sense OF grand dosolate land
scnpse itself the symbol Of grander dcsolation,-
all this, which il simply obvious to the listener Is
setting for the musical thought large and appropriate
as the bare mountains for the King ofMorven." His
Excecncy, President Tinm, played upon tie piano
the passages written for the harp capable harpist
was not to be found. They were perfectly Done OF
course but the resonant twang of the harpstrngs WA,
equally Of course, lost which injurious 10 the
general effect The whole conception OF the work s
wild and romantic, and an imperial movement, tempo
di marcia toward the close is of breadth and spcn
dor no lcss striking than original We trust the So
cieiy will not fail to repeat the work during theprcscn
series OF Concerts Let hear again while the i'm
preston IL fresh. The audience VIII be better pleased
by such repetition and the aim Of the Society more
fully secured. If Schumann's symphony il given az
thc leading feature Of the next Concert way not nj
low the Ossian' to occupy the post OF honor in the
second palf, rs Oh saturday EVENING"
The other instrumental performances were the hrst
H,.,tt,a hy Mr
Timm. and Orchestra The purity, and elegance
of The accomplished Presidents playing were never
more remarkable Yet whether the Hall is unsyor
able or the Piano not sufficiently brilliant or that
a Piano never can be heard to advantage after an Or
chestra-thcre was a lack OF force in the effect which
must have been more noticed by those who were less
happily situated than ourselves The trio Of variations
upon theme of Mehuls Joseph by Messrs Nol,
Rcyer and Eichhorn was in the quaint, traditional
siyle of that kind OF composition end was well rem
dercd EXCEPT that the fault oil monoony was TOO
evident 1t seemed also hardly up to the Philharmonic
standard Of selection. Ltolfs overture to Robes
rierre was good specimen OF the thunderandliSnt-
ming captrsp. with the Narcotics Hymn, groans OF the
diving portcutous silence Of the Reign Of Terror, fd
neral marches, guns trumpes and tromeones unspar-
incy mingled into an ola podr.da OF unmesning noise
Webers Jubilee overture is precisely what Lrofs
"Robespierre Is Ho'-but what Il desperately aims
to be
The singing Of Miles. Nina and Louisa Tourny was
very German and pleasing in Mondelssohns May
bells" Mile Minas contralto II effective with her SIS
ter sOpIsno but rather crude 10 be heard aonc ana the
Luce d qres emma requires the most perfect style oil
Italian elaboration 10 be ct all toerabe. Abs "Po-h
Mothers Cradle Song sung by Mile Nina, Is wild and
characteristic That too kind OF music to be heard
nowhere but Of these concerts. Why, therefore, was
Luce permitted The eleventh season OF this pros
perous Society is thus most auspicousiy naugurated
However good the music dsewhere-howeyer irresisi'
sbe the attraction Of single great virtuosos-tne sub
scriber 10 the Philharmonic Concerts is always sure
10 hear some Of the best works OF the greatest com
posers performed they cannot be elsewhere IN the
country.
re ST. NICHOLAS SOCIETY or THE CITY OF
NrwYoRK-.ra specis meeting OF the Society, held