The New York herald., 1875-11-12
ADJUSTMENTS.
sTENwAY HALL-oPENISG or THE THOMAS
ToNfppT SEASON

The symphony concert season or Theodore Ihomas
was inaugurated yesterday afternoon by public 70
hearsal Of he programme Of the hrst concert, which
viii take place on Saturday evening It was 70 all in
purposes, a matinee concert; for the orches
..1'1 Sly that they left iittlc to be de-
sired for the regular pcxs- u ...,.u J, :.
works were the overture to 3dpni- - -,
Gluck; Beethovcn's "Eiahth SYM .'nony' anu ia
symphony, illustrating the "Dvina eone~ y
Dante. Miss Sterling saAg q cradle sSRS "O"'
the Christmas OraSorge OF Bach snd
"Der Doppeganger" The visonI by Schubert
Nearly two thousaad people were present "Iphigenia
Aulis produced for tho first ne IN Paris ovor one
hundred years ago. wen the composer was sixty years
old is one Of the OTcble and characteristic OF his
works IL was the climatic effort Of the revolution
successfully accomplished by this Wagner OF the
eighteenth century. His rival Pccini, wrote cpera
the subject, but despite the many charming
numbers 1t possessed, IL failed utterly when brought
into competition with Gluck's work The overture
has the genial hearty ring OF the old school, and,
withal is scored in richer and more effective style
than any OF It's contemporaries The finale has
been arranged by Wagner as In the original
version. The closely connected
with the instrumental beginning OF the nrst
act The orchestra gave It all the expression, power
and spirit it demanded, illustrating s bright
in the most vivid colors.
Tho eighth Symphony . which marks the commence
or the third period Of the life of Beetho-
vcn is idyl OF poetry and beauty, and py many nd
mrers OF the Colossus OF the orchestra is considered
hts best work IL is the personihcation in music OF
everything that Is beautiful delicate and tender, and
for its performance would imagine that orches-
ira OF Ariels would be necessary TO do justice
TO its ETHEREAL measures. Tho first movement
allegro viUdce brio showed in the most effective
manner tho magnificent materials of which Thomas
.hnctr nl.ar nntar
OF the Instrumentation, now from the strings TO the
reeds again from the brasses to the strings here deli
cate little passage for the bassoon, followed by the
clarinet flute and oboe In rapid succession species
OF dialogue, limned With artistic effect The
utmost promptness OF attack and unanimy of ex-
preston necessary TO perform this movement salts
factorily and in instance did the orchestra falter
There hardly musical number in the vast repertoire
OF classical music so entirely charming and at
lractive as the dllegreho scherzando OF the
''Eighth Symphony" Tho dainty little theme OF
the violns with tho wind Instruments as an
accompaniment, which opens the movement, seemed
to be the murmur of fairy band in the manner in
quaintest specimens of that style of music in existence
played with remarkable precision and spirit. The
finale allegro vivace no less beautiful than its pre-
little faster than might be desirable; but the band
faltered in IT. All its shifting Kaleidoscope beau
ties, in tho combinations of instrumental color,
out in bold relief II can be safely asserted that
better performance of the eighth Symphony has
ever been given in New York
The great feature the bil however, Lszs de.
scrptive symphony. 1t has been presented before
believe, by tho Philharmonic Society," but this tho
first time that Thomas orchestra attempted IT, IL is
as wild and as extreme in its style, II the
word style in reference TO its apparently contradictory
phrases the sFaust" symphony, by the same com
poser. The subject is indeed formidable one to at
tempt to illustrate in music An orchestra is not
always as obedien nor score as piablo as the pencil
of Dore, and Dante's Inferno" is filed with horr
BILE maglnngs that there is little to admire bringing
1t into tangible shape, either through the medium OF
music or speaking canvas. one must, however,
entertain the most profound feelings Of ad-
miration and respect for the flashes OF genius
shown IN the first movements of this symphony.
1t is wild, frenetic and, to extent chaotic The
Instrumentation conradicts all received notions OF art
and its violent contrasts OF color ragmentary phrases
which seem to be thrown in without the slightest refer
ence TO their adaptabity to each other, constant
succession of dssonances are sufficient to shock tho
of the least sensitive That II effec-
tive there be question of doubt but il is effective
in the Chinese band of tomtoms and
gongs or a Comanche war whoop The tortures OF tho
damned form unpleasant subject for musical
composer, but there is no reason why they
should be intensified in the orchestra The
over tho gates of he'll, Leave every hope
behind, all ye who enter here" IS thundcrcd forth
blood-curdlng recative of the trombones forming the
| principal motive Of the first movement Then there
comes an allegro renetico illustrating the rage OF tho
damned their crazed state of hopelessnesa hurri-
Is supposed to be in operation, sort Of Putonan
simoom, and certainly everything that wild instru-
mentation can do to produce such an impression IS
brought into requisition. An dnddnte of beauty
commencing with peculiar measure colored with
cending gssandos for the harp succeeds introducing
the unhappy lovers, Pnolo and Francesca di Rimini
Tho dialogue following in which the bass clarinet and
English horn take part is wrought out with wonderful
art Tho next movement, andants amoroso, in IA
measure is equally beautiful being colored in the most
effective manner Chaos returns again, the damned
howl and the internal regions again displayed the
Purgatory Is the subject OF the second part OF tho
symphony. Tho clarnets, bassoons and FIRST horn
give forth choral themo OF two bars, followed tho
next measures by the oboe and English horn
second theme Ldmenfoso, in fugal form, mas
terly instrumentstod, follows and no finer model OF
this species Of music be found any the modern
schools The choral motive is again brought in broken
at intervals by fragments OF mournful reciative
the Instrumentation gradually becomes brighter the
gates OF Paradise opened and chorus OF
female voices sings in Gregorian chant the hymn
ssMagnincat anma mea Dominum" /" This chant Is
enriched with the pures harmonics OF the Paestrna
school, and the orchestration, especially the peculiar
terances of the flutes and oboes gives magnificent effect
IT, The voices, which are at first heard ptdnissino
gradually swell In volume OF tone and last break forth
into loud Hosannas and Halelujahs. Here the tone
poem closes In no other work the eccentric genius
and audacous spirit OF Liszt shown such an extent
1t was terrible ordeal Tor tho orchestra but one
through which they passed successfully and covered
Miss rAntoinctte sterling has not gained in voice
or method OF singing by her European
lugubrious about tho tones OF her that renders
them entirely coloress The orchestra played the
pretty little pastorale from Bachs christmas Orato-
RIO [" gem OF the purest kind whose very simplicity
OF treatment constitutes its chief attraction Tho
"Cradlo Song" Of tho manger of Bethlehem is OF the
charming nature; but the singer robbed IL Of
most OF It's beauty by tho dull, spirtess manner in
which she rendered IT, Tho song Of Schubert was
equaiy uninteressinB. Nou tne Same cause Mr.
Thomas scoring OF this impressive, dcclama-
tory theme shows that the hand that
can WELD the baton with such consummate skill can
also use the pen with effect The Instrumentation Is
of tho true modern school, every instrument being
skilfuy brought in There are double parts for the
volins the vioas and the CELL, and the English horn
and bass clarinet play no unimportant part in the
score The audience listened with breathless attention
from the beginning 10 the end OF the concert sgnia
proof OF the appreciation New Workers have for
good music.
''THB SPHINX" AT THE LYcEuM.
ncfaua Fenllat,a charming drama .eThn Snhinr uua.