Litchfield enquirer., 1868-05-21

orchestra Is silent, and Lhe organ gives tn, accompaniment alone. It was a good tes of the power of tho instrument. Ever with 750 strong voicH shenting in un1son hthe organ was rather Uoo lotid @5
 HANDEL's "sAMsoN."
 The evening performance was Handel'
 Samson" We all know how good Mad anne Rosa is in that, and how nicely Mir Simpson does his part also. Miss Phillips I need hardly say, was glorious exchang for Mrs. Kempton, who took the alto par at Steinway Hall winter, and MT. Whit
 ney was great deal better in the bass thar MT. J. R. Thomas. But the excellence O the solo singers was entirely overshadowet by the magnificence of the chorus. I car give no higher praise than to say that the spirit and perfection of the performance did full justice to the subjimity of the com position. great chorus of Handel's, ad equately sung, is the acnle of musical gran. deur, and the "Samson" certainly was SUI perbly sung tonight. This morning tn. sopranos and bassos were rather too strong for the other parts; but tonight they art better balanced, several accessions having been made to the ranks.
 MENDELssoHN's ssT. PAUL"
 The est. Paul' last night Thursday was one of the best performances of an or atorio to which I ever listened, and tht "Choral Symphony" it is hardly too mucl to say, has never been sung in Americf until to-day, though we know to our sorrow that it has often been attempted. If the great Festival had done nothing else than bring out this stupendous work in an ade quate manner, it would have been entitled l to afectionate remembrance by all music loving Americans. Bat sarst for the orato rio. est. Paul. contains few striking so- los, and no long ones. It is chiefly mar rative conveyed in short recitatives witt here and there q rythmical solo, and inter rupted by 8 frequent recurrence of exquis ite choruses instinct with the beau. ty of Mendelssohn's rare genius il /! all it's most fascinating manifasta tions. The majesty of the old hymns, the passionate intensity of such dramatic scenes as the "Take Him Away, . and the s'Stone Him to Death, the songs of praise, tho pathos, the peaceful prayer and the sweet calm of religious hope-all are expressed in these wonderful choruses There was magnificent work here for that magnificent company of singers, and no bly, they did it. How glorious was thei, opening. "Lord! Thou alone art God;' how grand were the massive chorals, the "Sleepers Wake," the ( Rise up, arise;' anl how superbly they gave that fine cho rus at the end of the First Part. "Oh, great is the Depth!' That was the best oi all They shouted tho "Stone Him to Death" with forcibls dramatic passion which was no less than marvellous in SC large body of singers. and they breathed forth the exquisite beauty of /" How lovely are thy messengers" opening soto voct with a rolling accompaniment on the or gan, with Q delicacy which ! cannot toe 800 singers, my respect for them and fo, their leader is raised. Only rare combi nation of enthusiasm with culture could produce such results blush for my own city when see how far New York has been excelled. The solo parts in the St. Paul were taken by Miss Houston, soprano, who has strong, pleasant, but perfectly fresh voice, and great deal of taste; Mrs. Cary alto, who sings very sweetly and touching ly; MT. Simpson and MT. Rudolphson.
 BEETHovEN's s NINTH SYMPHONY
 If the Handel and Haydn Society have done themselves credit by the oratorios O. the week, their performance of the Nintl Symphony can only be justly characteriz ed as glorious achievement. When onl Harmonic and Philharmonic Societies tried it together last winter and failed so utterly we heard great deal about the ''impossi bilities' of the music We are assured that it could not be sung effectively; tha it was written when the composer from long years of deafness had lost. in meas ure, his comprehensioDs of harmonic com lbinations-when his mind was in a state o sublime chaos, not unlike the confusion generally produced in the last movements of this choral symphony. This is all non sense. It has always seemed wild and be- wildering to us because we. have never heard it properly performed. But this possible to give it with the grandest and most inspiriting effect Frightful as its difficulties are, they are only such as pa, tience and intelligence can overcome, and l for the first time in America they have been completely conquered. Can you not 1 imagine the sensations of tbe conductor as he stood in his place to-day, the eight hun dred singers rising in grelt m asses around and above him, and watching his slightest movement, the waving of his hand, the flash of his eye, to lead them through the terrible labyrinth; the hundred players obedient to his slightest motion; the dense audience behind him, quick to blame and slow to praise, and not half approaching the magnitude of the task in hand; and fronting him there in the middle of the orchestra the great bronze statute of Bee 1 thoven wearing his awfulest look-''The look he must have worn" said musician in my hearing, s'when he wrote this choral symphony" The leader was like gener al, with the eyes of his king upon him, leading his assaulting columns against q stronghold where the best troops lad been, time after time, repulsed. But there was | to be no failure to day. felt sure of that as soon as few measures of the quartette which opens the vocal portion, had been sung. Mir. Rudolphsen, who took the bass has good, strong, pleasant voice. little deficient in smoothness, but perfectly trus l ty. MT. Simpson had evidently studied the tenor part with zeal, and though he once showed signs of faintness, in the cri l sis of the difficulties. he soon recovered himself. Miss Phillips sang the alto as she sings everything, admirably; but Mad anne Rosa was the life of the quartette, and after MT. Zerrahn, one might say, the in spiration of the whole symphony. But Vt all know that music has no difficulties fol her. The success: of the quartette was