That Shanghai really likes good music can hardly be doubted when it is seen how crowded is the Lyceum Theatre at A Philharmonic Concert, and with what close attention the audience, comprising all that is most cultivated in our Society, listens to the music, and with what genuine enthusiasm, but not without discrimination, every number is received. We mentioned the other day that it was noticed at home that nowadays more women study the violin and more men the piano, and it ix certain that there is no pose in which a woman appears to better advantage than when she is playing the violin. Itisnotsoremarkable therefore as it might otherwise seem that all the violins in the orchestra on Wednesday evening, the four Ist and the four 2nd, were ladies, the two flutes, curiously enough, being' also ladies. It is a commonplace of the superficial humorist that woman is a variable and uncertain quantity; but we understand that in the Shanghai Philharmenic at least, the lady members of the orchestra are more constant and reliable at rehearsals and performances than the wren. How faithfully they rehearse and how devoted they are to the divine art of music, music, which, "when soft voices die"—and have not violins voices?—'' vibrates in the memory," was shown by the success of the orchestral numbers on Weilnesday.
The opening piece was the Overture in Do, composed for and dedicated to the seven years ago on the occasion of his Philharmonic Society by Commander Vela
being presented by the Society with a baton of honour. It was played once by the Society in 1899, and was again admire ably given on Wednesday, and on its! conclusion there were very urgent calls for j the composer, to whose devotion, ability, and indefatigable care the Society owes 50 large a portion of its success. Miss Gilmour next appeared, greeted with a storm of applause. The song which she had chosen for the display of her pure soprano voice was Bizet's Adieu & U'Hétesse, trans-Jated into English by Marzials as' "The Arabian Girl." It is a very difficult, but a very delightful, song, Bizet. who' had a remarkable talent for assimilating-exotic music, having made it notably Oriental in' feeling, especially in the finale. Miss Gilmour's rendering of it was much applauded, and she found it impossible to resist the demand for an encore. The fair singer responded, perhaps even more de-rightfully, with w very pretty ballad, "A Dream." In the third number Miss Jans (not Miss A. Jansen, as stated in the programme) made her pearance at a Philharmonic Concert as soloist since her return from Europe, an appearance that was eaverly anticipated. She chose a Capriccio Valse, Op. 7, by Wieniawski, and more than' satisfied the most ardent expectation. Bowing, execution, and tone were magnificent, and it is no exaggeration to say that she held her audience spellbound. As an encore she played with equal delicacy, sympathy, and force a charming Récérie by Hansel. Shanghai is indeed fortunate in possessing two such masters of the violin as Miss Macleod and Miss Jansen, and it would be hard to say which has more power to charm the amateur of music. The first part of the concert closed, and the second part opened, with Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony, Op. 90, two movements being gi each part. Ttis very dificult m pecially the andante and the saltarello presto, and was unusually well rendered, for an amateur orchestra. Mrs. Fried's clear, powerful, and true so no was admirably heard in Gounod's popular Are Maria, which was rendered still more effective by the accompaniment by Miss Jansen on the violin, Commander Vela on the piano, and M. Lemiére on the organ. Mrs. Fried's perfect singing made an encore inevitable, and she kindly responded with Tosti's Could 1" (WVoreei). The quintett, Op. 14, by Saint-Saens, which followed, is a highly classical composition and requires to be heard three or four times before its beauties can be thoroughly appreciated. Only taro movements out of the four were given, the andante being taken before the allegro, and it was excellently rendered by Mrs. Korff at the piano and a double quartett of strings. In No. 8, Mr. Hagberg, who has a really beautiful baritone voice, made his debut at a Philharmonic Concert, singing a song of Weatherly, "Margarita." by J. N. Lehr. It was' very much enjoyed, and as an encore Mr. Hagberg gave Sol mann's. well-known ''Ich groile nicht," in German. The closing number, for the strings only, was a bright and pretty little piece, Li Pluie, by David, well played and well suited to play out-an audience, but perhaps more appropriate to the piano than to the orchestra.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.