New-York tribune., 1881-03-28
MUSIC AND TIE DIANA.
rgE ME1RopoLrrAN CONCERT HALL.

TIE METROPOLITAN CONCERT HALL.
The Sunday evening concerts which MIR. Rudolf
Bial and his orchestra have been giving for sone
time at the Metropolitan Concert Hall have been
swift to attain a large measure OF popularity,
but, considering the quality of the music
which is performed at them. 1t be no
wonder that they have sprung readily
into the good graces Of the class Of amusemens
seekers from whom concerts Of the sort generally
derive their chief support There bas been no at
tempt, professedIy TO maintain the high standard
which marked the performances at this hall under
Theodore Thomas, anu to do SO would have been
neither necessary nor wisc The selections mainly
Of the lighter sort, light overtures marches and
dance music and 10 this province Mr. Bial long ago
established bis excellence as O conductor.
LasttuighHs programme. which may be taken as .,
fair sample of the sort of work that he is doing con-
tanned Adams "Roi dYyetot" overture. Webers
"Invtafion Ia Valsen the Wedding March from
"Lohengrin," the overture to "The Merry Wives OF
Windsor Gounoda Funeral March Of Ma
rionette,r two or three Strauss waltzes. aud some
otner kindred compositions. From this it will be
seen that the music very light, is perfectly good
and wholesome. and Mr. Bal does not neglect to
give something Of more serious sort for
those of his patrons who desire 1t. This
element has been supplied for the lass four weeks
by the playing of Maurice Dengremont, who has
st;irdiy refused TO attempt to win popularity by tue
performahce of triine end meretrioous piecee. but
has confined himself to eound and legitimate violin
music and 1T will be found next Sunday in tho
presence of NIr. Rafael Joseffy, who will then make
his first appearance at these concerts Ii one cannot
accord high praise to Mr. Bal for exalted motives
and aims in his work, which is nothing less than
educational or eevating in its character neither can
one find any fault with 1t, TO: his concerts are al
that they profess to be- simply light and pleasant
entertainments at which people who not in search
of especially coed music can while away an evening
pleasantly enough. and find something to amuse and
divert them agreeaby. Maurice Dengremonfs
PLAYING has lost of the beauty which impressed
every one strongly when ne first came to u.s. Nor
is its effectiveness diminished by its being heard
IeotioSs by by Ernst last evening, "Les
Pirates and the Fantasia on Hungarian
airs Ills taste, his intelligence, and his wonderful
command over his Instrument, as shown IN the
perfection with which ne performed the most dihi-
cult harmonics and arpeggios, and In the breadth
and accuracy OF his ntonRtoD; we're as admirable as
ever and showed him, as all his work
has done, an artist of extraordinary accom-
pIishments and surpnsing maturity. III. Hubert dc
Blanc pianist of some technical ability, played q
Bercei,se by Chopin and Liszts "Rlgeletto" Fam
tasia.
Mr. Bial has an orchestra composed of ex.
cellent material which plays with plenty OF spirit
and vgor. but with q lack OF refinement and dell.
cacy which sometimes makes 1T hard 10 believe tnas
most of the men ore among the best players IN the
Philharmonic orchestra.