AT the Orchestral Concert on 22nd ultimo Herr Richard Strauss occupied Dr. Cowen’s place as conductor throughout the evening. The programme included Spohr’s »Jessonda« overture, Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony and three of Herr Strauss’s own compositions: the »Serenade for Wind Instruments,« Op. 7, »Don Juan« and »Tod und Verklärung.« With Herr Strauss thus appearing in the two capacities of conductor and composer, it was almost inevitable, if unfortunate, that there should be a comparison, and on the whole the suffrages of the audience appeared to be in favour rather of Strauss the conductor than of Strauss the composer. As a conductor, Herr Strauss possesses the quality of magnetism. Plain and unobtrusive in his methods, even an average audience can see that he is a genius. The Spohr overture was a masterpiece of effective dramatic presentation, and if the Beethoven Symphony was rather different from what we are used to, no single innovation would be cavilled at. The second movement in particular, with his suppression of the too-often overdone staccato, and the consequent greater swing, was a revelation.