New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-05-20
MUSIC.

THE sTEIEwAY HALL FEsTIvAL--sEc0ND DAT.
A very fine programme of classical mnsif
was offered night for the second performance Of he
Musical Festival and It gives pleasure TO record hae
every piece executed WELL and several things were
done very finely. The only vocalist was Madame Rosa
who sang "Iet the bright soraphim." frcm HsDdess
Samson" with an excellent trumpet accompaniment p
Mr. Dietz, and spOhrs sweet and melOdiOus a1' The
Bird and the Maiden" with flute ObIgsto Cnss
clarinet as the bills announcedl, by MI. BJen'
For the rest of the entertainment we were ndebtef
20 good orchestra. about 100 strong led byfr Theoa
Thomas. Bachfs Suite No 8, In ID, win which tncy
opened the concert OF those fascinating compost
tions which one cannot even remember without smile
Of delight. 1t is in three movements, Overture.
Air. and Gavote. The first begins rather sfily, but
grows pretty before n closes The air Is charming and
rather solemn measure for strings only The gavote Is
irresistible bit Of gayety, which carries all hearts
away with it. There was loud demand for its
repetition, but, in view of the work still
before him, Mr.. Thomas not urreasonably re-
fused Think Of Bach being encored In
a New-York concert room Web. we'll epur 81 mpOrs
Mendelssohn's Reformation symphony" which was
played last night for the first time in this city has been
already described in correspondence from Boston.
where 1t was produced for the first time in America az
the festival lust closed II written for the intended
celebration Of the tercentenary Of the Augsburg Comics
sion in $780, in consequence Of the excitement among
the Catholics Of Germany the ceebraonwas abandoned
and the symphony not produced until two yeas
later 1t was then played in Berlin Tor ths
only time during the composers life hendeisSohn
would publish It, and after repose OF IS years IL mas
only just been brought to life again IN the course OF 'ns
ruma cling which is going among the composers manu-
script remains IL has been received with great enthu'
slasm in England but having heard it three times We
cannot think this enthusiasm deserved nor DO We eei
that Mendessohn has done justice TO his magnlneent
subject. His purpose was to describe the ccnlie.
between the and the old faith, and the final
triumph Of the reformed creed. To DO tins
he took snatches of the melodies OF the an
cient church, and the grand Lutheran hymn, I'm
teste Burg; struggle goes on between them all through
the symphony and the battle ends at last in the triumph
OF the Reformers choral. In the first movement an
andante and allegro foeo all is yet uncertain ana
chaotic The two themes alternate and mtermnge Win
each other, now one predominant and now the other
The idea is admirable, but the execution rather com
monplace The second movement, an allegro r'rdes'
breaks upon the drama with icuTious effect ana We
own ourselves az loss 70 know what IL means ~
pastoral scherzo, breathing happiness and peace
butperhaps rather trivial and was vigorously encorea 's
Hf os Il aiso was In Boston, IL would have been apoon
10 the audience If the other movements naa oeen eO
rec,Iv described in the programme. The third an an
op,e On which the ecclesiastical spirit comes oacA "
and the smotbered fire Of battle Ia cunnngY eoDion'
with the enthusiasm OF religious aspiration luz -,
movement follows without any break, opening 'e 49,,
fectlyely with the Elm feste Burg as hu'o ' IN
ondoute and not allegro rirdee as the programmes ~
surdIv calls No. and after magnificent treatmeh' " ~
double theme closing with the grand ehoral ouna
last mart is truly superb and would have been
,,0cation for publishing the symphony, even 40" NV
been nothing else good In IT, ,r,,r an
The Second Part Of the entertainment pehah w." -
| admirable performance Of Beethovens gois 80. Of
norap overture No g. and closed with the serVU IT,
Tho Dramatic symphony IROmeo ana !nneS ',
cor perlIoz The portions Of the story whicn 'o
ZION aims 70 illustrate are romantic sohoqy " 80
and the festival in the palace OF the ,a,aor.
nort,on Is almost good. There is breath VI zoo anita
ness and poetry In the lovers patheuo 'os s.com.
| solo with a charming harp and pizLi0A .,.,oncv
| nanment but 10 lacks form ana cvn auv
and wanders vaguely about, without rea0n ,.s, has
| TANGIBLE result The festival opens Win p" ,.t
ou,clv degenerates into riot The gayety Is NOV
no.r,v vat delicate kind which Gounod has 50 m.
illustrated In treating the same subject s.n,ss the
| nightmare OF furious revels, whiriins ., the
| hang ~ the tambourine, tne s"iieA q
| Az tba blare Of the Draheh uuF nm.
deem ., d,sorder An awful reminiscenee Oh Vus ss
| 80 10 aord ma 70 bed upon such a conpos"'A
| little better than cruelty oomnositio "a
| -, ,ho manner in which these various conpV 40
| -. ,,rasanted we can speak with warm 49,.
woi0 1a,ass and bis musicians did themselves 60
nj. snd wa have rarely heard better orche'st ~ "a
,aruoances in New.york. The audience was '"S''
very enthusiastic