Thirty Years of Musical Life in London, 1870-1900

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

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text excerpt

This same year, by the way, witnessed the brief “Perosi craze”. How that purely artificial vogue ever came to extend beyond the walls of the Italian churches no one knows. At least it should have stopped short at Paris, which was as far as the youthful abbe himself contrived to get on his road to London. But for a time the “craze" raged in England with the virulence of an epidemic, and many sane musicians persuaded themselves that the new oratorio composer was a genius of the first magnitude. His “Transfiguration", his “Raising of Lazarus," and his “Resurrection of Christ" were all performed at the London Musical Festival which Robert Newman started at Queen's Hall in May; while his “Passion of Christ" was given at the Norwich Festival in the autumn. In each instance, however, there was felt a keen sense of disappointment. At best Perosi's works could appeal only to the ear amid ecclesiastical surroundings, and even there their woeful lack of originality was bound to irritate the critical listener.

This same year, by the way, witnessed the brief “Perosi craze”. How that purely artificial vogue ever came to extend beyond the walls of the Italian churches no one knows. At least it should have stopped short at Paris, which was as far as the youthful abbe himself contrived to get on his road to London. But for a time the “craze" raged in England with the virulence of an epidemic, and many sane musicians persuaded themselves that the new oratorio composer was a genius of the first magnitude. His “Transfiguration", his “Raising of Lazarus," and his “Resurrection of Christ" were all performed at the London Musical Festival which Robert Newman started at Queen's Hall in May; while his “Passion of Christ" was given at the Norwich Festival in the autumn. In each instance, however, there was felt a keen sense of disappointment. At best Perosi's works could appeal only to the ear amid ecclesiastical surroundings, and even there their woeful lack of originality was bound to irritate the critical listener.

excerpt from 'Thirty Years of Musical Life in London, 1870-1900' pp. 454 (178 words)

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