The Portland daily press., 1870-04-16
The Thorn rs Concert

L
thoroughly written up by the New England
press during the past year and has become so
thoroughly established as the leading orchestra
IN the United States, if not in the world, that
criticism upon their performances is disarmed
at the outset. While, therefore, we have moth
ing but words of praise for this band of thor
ough musicians we must thank Mr.. Thomas
'Or the great benefit he has conferred upon our
citizens by stimulating their taste for good mu
sic and the rare treat he has afforded all lovers
| of the great tone masters, and composers o
rare melodies. And what programme was
presented to the public on both Thursday
| and Friday evenings. There were the compo-
| sitions of those great masters Beethoven and
Bach, the former of whom appeals to both heart
and mind, the latter to the mind alone-those
of Mendelssohn and Schuman SO exquisite in
conception. So moving in execution that they
seem like angels sighs' and carols-Liszt who
appeals to the imaginatons- Haydn the great
tone poet-Rossini, whose overture to william
Tell" is one of the finest pieces of orchestral
composition in ex.stence-Wagner and Am
brose Thomas with their peculiar orchestral
effects-Meyerbeer, loud and brassy, and final
ly dear delightful Strauss who should be styled
the modern Orpheus since while listening to
his witching strains it seems as if the feet
would obtain the mastey over the will and
cause one to forget the proprieties of the occa-
sion by INDUCING in waltz or polka on the
spot.
The audience that gathered in City Hall on
Thursday evening was one that did the
eye good to rest upon. 1t is no exageration to
say that never before have those four walls en-
closed at an orchestral concert such splendid
assemblage of the intelligence, the wealth and
fashion of the city. With the exception of one
or two settees every seat was occupied. And
what well-bred audience it was too, not a
very demonstrative one it is true but so ap-
preciative that at the pianissino passages you
might almost have heard pin drop. There
were times, however, that it was stirred out of
its decorous quiet by its enthusiasm as, for in
stance, when it insisted on a repetition of
Schuman's 'Traeumerei" and tried to get an
encore for the Scherzo to Midsummer Nights
Dream" Furthermore, let it be known far
and wide, that the audience remained seated
til the very end of the concert, and the closing
overture was not marred by the usual breaking
up to catch the last car.
1t would be useless for US to attempt to 60
through with the programme for each evening
in the brief space allotted to newspaper arti-
Gle, and especially on a morning when there is
so much matterpressing for insertion as onthis
To our own interest we must confess that from
amongst the bouquet of choice melodies we
should choose the Beethoven "Prometheus,'
the Mendelssohn "Sherzo," the overture to
civilian Tell'' by Rossini, the "Traeumerei"
of Schumann and Strauss "Wiener Boubons'
waltz. But after all, where all we're so perfect
ly executed and SO different in style, it seems
as if 1T would be as difficult to decide what you
would have left out (if compelled to chose), as
for Alexander to decide in regard to his wives.
Such lights and shades of harmony. Such
crescendos, pidnissin,os, such remarkable tune,
aud such a careful selection of instruments to
delineate all the features of a musical eompo-
sition (like the colors in painting) from the
shrll piccolas to the bass drum-with the proper
proportion of strings to the reeds and brass
we have never heard in any other orchestra
and, in fact, it is doubtful if there is any Or
chestra that embraces so distinguished
solosts as this.
On Friday evening another brilliant audi
ence gathered, not SO large as on the evening
previous owing to the fact that it was Good
Friday evening, but still of good size and high
ly delighted with the entertainment. The pro.
grammo was rather more classical than on the
evening previous, but nevertheless it was a
second banquet of dainties. How magnificent
Iy that Leonora overture was rendered, how
imaginative and poetical LISTS "Les Preluds,"
how charming Weber's L'Invitation la
Danse but stop! we were going to name
everything on the programme. Let us hope
that shortly Mr.. Thomas with his inimitable
orchestra will visit US again, and, in truth, we
have half promise that he may come in Octo-
Der. Till then we wait and hope, and dwell
upon the memories of the past.