There are not many winter evenings better spent in Shanghai than those which are spent at the Lyceum Theatre when the Philharmonic Society is giving " concert, and the attendance, which is quite inde: pendent of the weather and of whatever other concurrent attractions there may be, is w proof how thoroughly this is appreciate ed here. It is not possible that with Nociety whose membership fluctuates so cons antly as that of any Society in Shang. hai must do, its every concert should be better han the one that preceded it; and no-one would probably claim that that Wednesday was the best the Suciety his ever given, though it was among the best. There was, perhaps, for so mixed an audience, a little too muck orchestral music, and we have heard it suggested that it would have been even wore enjoyable if it had been shortened by the omission of the two movements from Mendelssohn's Symphony.
h has seldom, if ever, been beard before in Shanghai; the music is, it is objected, somewhat above the heads of large portion of the audience, and it cannot be done justice to by so comparatively small an orchestra. But it must be remembered that the Society plays for the pleasure and instruction of its own members, as well as for the amusement of the public, and it does right to include the highest music Altius but qui ad ardua we have said, greatly anyed. It opened Asa whole, Wednesday's concert was, as
with the Nicolai's Merry Wices of Windsor, a piece with plenty of "go" in it, and played of 9 certainty and precision. Wodsiayie then undertook the very with orchestral ae: tive and Aria by fication of those present. The supper room Benedict, "Raye, thou angry Storm" The task called out all his powers, and his fine voice responded. well to the appeal, how well the energetic applause of the audience showed, As an encore he obligingly gave Tosti's well-known song, Beauty's Zyes, Mr. Macdonald accompanying most delicious obliyaty ow the This was followed by the orchestra with F.. Thomé's Ballet music, Les Noces d' Arleguin in five movements, It isa very bright, melodious, and effective piece, and was played as if the orchestra thoroughly enjoyed it, the passages for the horn with violins and flute in the third movement being especially pretty, and we must heartily congratulate the'lndy who played the flute, Mme. Pariset. The next number was the Allegro Brillante from Schumann's quintet, Op. 44, admirably played by Mra, Adler, Miss Jansen, Miss Macleod, Mr, Danenberg and Mr Macdonald. This was 1 decided treat, and the audience would godly have heard another movement, Two movements from Mendelssohn's Sy: phony, to which we have alrendy referred, respectively closed the first part and opened the second part of the concert.
Expectation was on tiptoe when the Symphony was over, for of all the amateurs who sing in Shanghai, Mrs. Maitland is the one who is most angerly looked forward and most thoroughly enjoye'. She di not dis"ppoint her admirers. She had chosen a pretty song by Tito Mattei, '*''o be ness, a sympathy, an accuracy, and purity my Love," and this she sang with asweet-
of intonation not to be easily surpassed, The applause which followed was overwhelming, and go sustained that the fair singer could not refuse to come forward again, choosing as an encore Sit Henry Bishop's delightful 'Tall me, my Heart." It was even better than its' predecessor, as Bishop was a greater musician than Mattei is, Two pieces fcr strings only followed, both well played, a somewhat incomprehensible Entr'acte, A Sera, by Oatalii id a very plensiny Berceuse, Clos ta punpidre," by Gounod. The part sons, No. 9, "In the Woods" by Mendelssoln, and, Afezsa Notte" from Flotow's Marta, would ive gone even better than they did if the tenor's voice had blended better with the other thre. A well executed Gavotte by Bourgevis brought a very delightful evening to " close, The Society is expecially to be congratu-Jated on the ney ion of 80 accomplished a pianist us Mrs. Adler, whose execution is really admirable, and her taste and mus tery in accompanying the concerted music beyond praise. We may mention that the second movement of the Noces d'Arlequin would have hid to be omitted, owing to the absence of the harp, but that Mrs, Adler undertook the part on the piano, having never seen the music until a quarter of an hour before the concert commenced, and having no opportunity of practising it over with the orchestra atoll, It was done like an artist. We have dilated so often on the incessant and good-natured care and patience displayed by Mr. Vela, of which the public reaps the results, and on the ability with which he trains and conducts the orchestra und accompanies the singers, that we can only confirma what we have said before. The members of the Society know even better than the public how much of their success is due to their talented and indefatigable conductor.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.