Full House," Hope the Concert will go well" were the remarks one heard on entering the Theatre on Thursday night, and the Suciety may congratulate itself un having lad one of the fullest houses we have soon since the opening concert of the L.and D.S. The concert itself went in every respect "well," it was a distinct success, and the hearty applause with which the numbers were received showed that the Suciety has achieved its object, which was to make Shanghai recognise that there is a large amount of pleasure to be got from a programme almost purely orchestral. All thanks and praise are due to our indispensable Chevalier for the pationes) and endurance which have enabled him to bring the Band to the pitch of excellence which it has risen, and we hope that who next we have the pleasure of hearing the Society they will have so far further improved that he will not find it necessary to tap on his desk at the commencement of every bar, for this practice must be most antieying to anyone who has cannot but irritate the performers.. We the slightest love of music in him and
noticed with much pleasure that the Band had mastered one of the greatest difficulties in orchestra playing namely the attack. It is so seldom that one hears even professional come in all together with the first beat of the baton that it was quite refreshing to note the smartness with which the different changes of time were taken up, especially in the operatic selection, a forum of musie which at all times is difficult, and especially to amateurs who are not accustomed as a band to play accompaniments tu solos whether instrumental or The "Gem of the Collection," if the orchestra will fo e.us for saying s0, was certainly Miss sen's violin solo. Tt has been our good fortune to hear some of the t violinists of the day, and we can safely say that this young lady has a brilliant future before her if she follows up her art. The great point about Miss Jansen's playing is her power and strength in bowing, and for this she has in a great measure to thank her late teacher Mr. Tburg, who had he lived would have been justly proud of the success of his pupil on wursday night. On glancing through the 5 programme we thought that the choice of fan operatic selection as a solo, following immediately on the heels of the selection from La Fille die Regiment, was perhaps a little hazardous, but we were mistaken. The success of the Fantaisie from La Traviata was unquestionable, each number of the piece, whether grave or gay, melody or variation, was applauded to the echo, and at its conclusion the young artiste retired under a perfect tornado of plaudi to which she responded by playing most sweetly and gracefully one of Mendelssohn's Lieder.
The singers will not, we hope, be offended if we say that the vocal music was not quite up to the level of the instrumental on Thursday night. The duet, "The Rose Maiden." sung by Mrs. Findlay and Mr. Fleet, dees not sound so well when taken out of the Cantata in which it is eet, and the very changeable weather had had its effect On both voices. Mrs. Lancaster's voice was not improved by her nervousness in the song "Sunshine avd Rain," but she made a greater success with her encore song, My Lady's Bower," by Hope Temple, with its exquisite gavotte-like accompaniment, admirably played byM. Vela, The quartet Evening," was short and pretty, and would have been encored had it sume on earlier. Miss Edger's harp solo on Welsh Airs was heartily applauded. 'To take the orchestral pieces in detail, we may say that the overtures to Fra Didrulo and Maritana, both very dificult pieces, were uncommonly well played, but the' piece that roused the audience' to the greatest enthusiasm was the selection from La Fille de Regiment, which was an immense it proventent on Carmen. The Ballet m from Faust was very good, tuny and capt vating; the Athalie march was well executed, but we were sorry to hear that it was layed without the usual repeats. Mr.
sullivan and M. Vinay deserve hearty thanks and praise for their accompaniments.
Tu conclusion we anay say that this has been quite the most enjoyable concert we have heard for some time here. None of the music was above the heads of the audience while it was all standard if not severely classical. The Society is now one of Shan; accomplished facts, and it only remain with the members to stand by their colow and by not allowing any retrograde move ment, to keep it so. They have a most excellent working committee, the executive member of which Mr. J. A. Sullivan, ie in_his efforts to keep up the efficiency of ity, and it is mainly due to his indomitable energy that the Society has attained the excellent position it now occupies.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.