The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-01-18
WAGNER NIGHT.
seidi and His metropolitan Orchestra at
Infantry Hall Last Night.

| Infantry Hall Last Night.
Wagner night at Infantry Hall last
evening set the pace for future patrons
| OF the Star Course. The generous nat
ronage was evidence both of the nubIic
| confidence in the excellence OF the pro.
! jected series and of the high position held
by the Seidl Orchestra in the musical
| world. ''i
The program was strictly Wagnerian
and EN- braced selections from some Of
| the best Qf the masters works The
music is eniinently adapted to orchestral
work: 1t would be di inlcult for band to
faithfully adap. itself to MANY of the
strains OF Tarnhauser or the Mester-
singer. There is much that is unex-
pected in Wagner music Indeed IL NAV
almost be said with safety that 10 is the
unexpected, always, that happens in the
works OF this latter-day composer.
Many musicians Of high stand
comprehend or appreciate Wagner's style.
The two striking peculiarities or depar.
lures OF his compositions are the eccen.
,ricity OF melody and the apparently
paradoxical harmonizing OF discords
One cannot presa9e a single strain of
theme In Wagner's works They begin
aud END in equally bewidering arranSe.
ment. The theory Of discord, only AT
times aud family traceable in other com.
posers, is given full sway in the works of
Wagner
+ ninent musicians have agreed that
tnere are certain crises In musical com
position where discord may be intro
duced with wonderful effect. 1t re.
mained for Wagner to discover the num-
Der and application of these crises and |
he utiliZes them in an effective way that
no other composer has been able to at |
tain.
The program last night embraced
selections from Tanuhauser. Lohenprin1
Tristan and Isolde, the Meiste rsinger.
Ring OF the Nibelungen and Parsifal' |
Tannhauser and Lohengrin are tolerably
familiar to the musical public. The
Ring OF the Nibelungen displays the core
OF Wagner's genius. especially in the
Gotterdammerung wherein is depicted
the grief OF the friends of Lord Siegfried.
slain by the treacherous hald of a de-
feated rival.
The orchestra responds in excellent
time TO the stroke OF the leader and the
phrasing and disposing of the parts is
wonderfully exact. The soloists are ali
masters OF their art, aud their fidelity to
the relation OF their parts to the whole
EXHIBIT It's careful training and nicety
OF judgement rarely found in orchestral
work. Mr.. Seidl is "A Wagner enthusiast.
and his early tutelage under the great |
master added TO his own native talent
qualities him asa leader of
this class OF music.
Providence music-lovers have become
expert orchestral critics. They have been
in that variety of musical criti-
,ism by the yearly series of concerts given
here by the Boston Symphony Orchestra
aud by Mr.. Damrosch's orchestra botb
superb musical organ zations. and as
here is no local interest in either ornani-
iation the musicians here may be relied
ipon TO form estimates wholly free from
prejudice. This intelligent verdict it ia
'oraUle TO Sedl orchestra.
The Star Course opened most auspi-
iously. Ii is evidently destined to Tar
urpass the previous efforts of MaTaaer
Iovell TO give Providence the best enter
alnments In the country at such low
rices as enables everybody TO enjoy
hem.