Scan 7
Musical Courier 1891-09-30: Vol 23 Iss 606, 1891
119 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 356. See the scan on archive.org.
1The Philharmonic Concerts.
3The coming season of concerts of the Philharmonic Society will be its jubilee season, and arrangements for an unusually attractive series of musical events have been made. The performances will be given in the Metropolitan Opera House. Mr. Anton Seidl will be the musical director and the orchestra will number over one hundred and will be of a high order of merit. There are to be six Saturday evening concerts, one each month, the first on November 21, 1891, and the last on April 9, 1892, and, as usual, a public rehearsal of each concert will be given on the afternoon preceding the concert. For the first four concerts the following soloists have been secured, and they are to appear in the order named: Lillian Nordica, soprano; Emil Fischer, basso; Xaver Scharwenka, piano, and Camilla Urso, violin. The preliminary program shows that the selections will be of the same high standard as in previous years, and in the matter of production the society aims to excel itself in this its fiftieth year. The box office of the society, at the Thirty-ninth street entrance of the Metropolitan Opera House, will be open for the renewal of subscriptions from October 19 to October 24, inclusive. On Monday, October 26, the sale of unclaimed seats to new subscribers will begin.
5The program of the first concert is as follows:
7Symphony No. 6 ………………………………………….. Beethoven
8Aria, "Samson and Delila" ………………………………. Saint-Saëns
9Tone pictures from "The Sea" (new) ………………… Nicode
10Aria ……………………………………………………….. Lillian Nordica.
11Overture and Bacchanale, "Tannhäuser" …………….. Wagner
13altogether a very pleasing work. The great German tenor Goetz was the only attraction in the cast and he carried off nearly all the honors of the evening. He seems to me in almost as good voice as he was before his throat troubles began, but he sings with evident carefulness and very rarely lets out the full volume of his sonorous and beautiful vocal organ. In the cool and agreeable garden at Kroll's I met, between the acts, nearly the entire haute critique of Berlin, among them George Davidsohn, Otto Lessmann, Wilhelm Tappert, Oscar Eichberg and a few others. Moritz Moszkowski I also saw and am sorry to say that he looks far from well. But as he has looked that way for quite a number of years now it may be that his talent may be spared us for a good while to come yet. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Pierson were there also. The latter is re-engaged with a five years' contract for the Berlin Royal Opera House, which will prove pleasant reading to the many friends and admirers she made in the United States when a few seasons ago she was one of the most useful members of the defunct National Opera.
15Manager Carl Sternberg, formerly Franz Rummel's impresario, and now sole owner of the concert agency of Guevkow & Sternberg, will, among several other artists of note, bring to Berlin this winter our little friend, Moriz Rosenthal. That young man seems to have studied a great deal since he last was heard in a comparatively small repertory in New York, at least if one may judge by the following interesting lot of recital programs which he is to play next season:
17I. CHOPIN.
18Sonata in B minor, op. 58.
19Berceuse.
20Ballad in A flat.
21Ballad in F minor.
22Mazurkas in A minor, B minor and D major.
23Tarantella.
24Sonata in B flat minor, op. 35.
25Preludes (selected).
26Valse in A flat.
27Etudes in G sharp minor, G flat major and C minor from op. 15, and F minor, A flat major and D flat major from the "Nouvelles Etudes."
28Nocturnes in F sharp and G major.
29Barcarolle.
30Polonaise in A flat.
32II. SCHUMANN.
33Fantasie, op. 17.
34Etudes symphoniques.
35Aria from op. 11.
36"In der Nacht."
37"Warum."
38Novelette No. 2.
39"Schlimmerlied."
40"Vogel als Prophet."
41"Traumessiren."
42"Carneval."
44III. BEETHOVEN.
45Sonata in E flat, op. 31.
46Sonata in A flat, op. 101.
47Sonata, op. 49, in G minor (very short, but a little cabinet sketch which I never heard in public).
48Sonata appassionata, op. 57, in F minor.
49Three bagatellen, from op. 126.
50Sonata in C minor, op. 3.
52IV. SCHUBERT, MENDELSSOHN, WEBER, BRAHMS, SCHUBERT-LISZT.
53Sonata, A flat, op. 39. …………………………………. Weber
54"Momento Capriccioso" …………………………………. Weber
55"Invitation à la Danse" …………………………………. Schubert
56"Wanderer Fantasie" ……………………………………… Schubert one of two readings
57"Wanderer Fantasie" ……………………………………. Schubert one of two readings
58Five songs without words ………………………………… Mendelssohn one of two readings
59Five songs without words ……………………………….. Mendelssohn one of two readings
60Scherzo in E minor ……………………………………… Brahms
61"Paganini Variations" ……………………………………. Brahms one of two readings
62"Paganini Variations" …………………………………… Brahms one of two readings
63"Wohn" …………………………………………………. Schubert-Liszt
64"Serenade" …………………………………………….. Schubert-Liszt
65"Sorée de Vienne," No. 8 ………………………………. Schubert-Liszt
67V. VIRTUOSOS AND MODERN COMPOSERS.
68Sonata in B flat major, op. 53 ………………………….. Ludwig Schytte
69"Wiegenlied" ………………………………………….. Henselt
70"Si oiseau j'étais" ……………………………………… Henselt
71Theme original et etude …………………………………. Thalberg one of two readings
72Theme original et etude ………………………………… Thalberg one of two readings
73Serenade …………………………………………………. Rubinstein
74"Near the Brook" ………………………………………. Rubinstein
75"Little Waltz" ………………………………………….. Rubinstein
76Barcarolles in G major and A minor ………………….. Rubinstein
77Valse Caprice …………………………………………… Rubinstein
78"Harmonie du Soir" ……………………………………. Liszt one of two readings
79"Harmonie du Soir" …………………………………… Rubinstein one of two readings
80"Consolation," in E major ……………………………… Liszt one of two readings
81"Consolation," in E major …………………………….. Liszt one of two readings
82"Au bord d'une source" ………………………………… Liszt
83Valse impromptu ………………………………………… Liszt
84Rhapsodies Nos. 10 and 12 ……………………………. Liszt
85"Tell" overture ………………………………………….. Rossini-Liszt
86"Tanzarabeske" ………………………………………….. Josefey
87Concert etude …………………………………………… Paul von Schlözer
88Menuet …………………………………………………… Ed. Poldini
89Vienna Carneval (after Strauss) ……………………….. Moriz Rosenthal
91With the "Cavalleria Rusticana" I am somewhat in bad luck. I have not yet had a chance to hear this little wonder work, but at the Wallner Theatre, under Victor Hollaender's able conductorship, I saw a very clever musical travesty of Mascagni's now celebrated opus 1. This is called "Cavalleria Berolina" by Bogumil Zepler, who seems to be endowed with pronounced talents for that genre of work. It is very funny, indeed, and effectively scored in, what I understand, is the true style of Mascagni. Anyhow the public seemed to like it as much as the genuine "Cavalleria" and applauded vigorously with the greatest of hilarity. Anybody acquiring the American rights of this little musical farce and translating the libretto from the Berlinese into New York colloquialisms would, in my opinion, do a good stroke of business.
93Charles Gregorowitsch, the handsomest and most talented of the younger school of violinists, seems to be rather idle at Berlin at present. I met him at dinner one day and he acknowledged that an American engagement would not be unwelcome to him. Of his abilities I say enough if I mention that he played the enormously difficult violin concerto by the late Dr. Damrosch at last year's meeting of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Musikverein and that everybody congratulated him on his successful performance.
95At the Royal Opera House I witnessed a good performance of "Lohengrin," with Krauss in the title part and a Miss Hiedler as one of the best "Elsas" I ever heard. Otherwise the representation was remarkable also through the elegant entirely new mise-en-scène, through the fact that absolutely no cuts were made, whereby I was enabled for the first time in my life to hear the warlike music preceding the last scene with all the trumpets demanded in the score; and, lastly, also through the circumstance that "Lohengrin" was conducted by that young and energetic composer-conductor, Felix Weingartner. Barring a slight and quite modern tendency to overdo all the forte passages in the orchestra, the performance, as far as conducting is concerned, was almost a model one.
97A performance of "Mignon" which I heard a few days later was not quite on the "Lohengrin" level, but the impersonator of the title part, a Miss Rothhauser, made up for the deficiencies of the rest of the cast. She is a young lady from Hungary who sings, acts and looks alike charmingly and who would prove a great acquisition for the personnel of the opera in German which in all likelihood we shall again have at the Metropolitan Opera House.
99Quite accidentally I met at Berlin Martin Pluddemann, who used to belong to the staff of Richard Wagner and is now located at Graz, in Austria, where he is teaching the vocal art.
101The "Free Musical Union," under Phillip Roth's ægide, begins the third season of its useful activity on October 1. Seven public concerts will be given during the winter months, and the programs will consist exclusively of novelties which have never before been performed.
103Teresa Carreño, I am told, will play next season in Berlin and other German cities the Steinway piano. I know very well that this will not suit Wolff's concert agency, as Hermann Wolff is bound over body and soul to the Bechsteins, and has so far always tried his level best to keep any other piano but the Bechstein out of the Berlin concerts, upon which he held until quite recently a monopoly. However, lately Blüthner has also been heard here despite Wolff's manipulations, and now Steinway is to follow, which had formerly been played here only by Rummel in his own concerts. Monopolies, as everybody knows, are always dangerous, and thus it is to the interest of true art, the artists themselves and to that of the art industry that all efforts at monopoly in favor of single persons or houses should be destroyed. OTTO FLOERSHEIM.
105NAHAN FRANKO.—Prof. Nahan Franko, leader of the Solomon Eldorado Band, has entered into an engagement with the management of the show for the season of 1892. In recognition of his skill as a musician, Professor Franko was last Friday evening presented with a handsome gold badge by members of the Musical Protective Union. The presentation took place at the rooms of the union, No. 62 East Fourth street.
107HARRY PEPPER'S SUCCESS.—At one of the Seidl concerts at Madison Square Garden recently Mr. Harry Pepper, the tenor, achieved a most flattering success.
109MISS SCHOTTFENFELS.—Miss Rose Schottenfels, a well-known soprano, sang at the afternoon reception given by the Woman's Press Club.
111HE WILL NOT SING.—Having read that Mr. Saxon, the baritone of D'Oyly Carte's Opera Company, of London, had been engaged by Mr. Hammerstein to sing the baritone rôle in Mascagni's new opera, "Cavalleria Rusticana," I wish you would kindly publish this in contradiction of such report. It is true that I have been offered an engagement by Mr. Hammerstein, but upon his cabling to Europe, Mr. D'Oyly Carte refused to allow me to sing here, as I am under contract to sing only in the Royal English Opera in London, where I have created and sung the part of "Friar Tuck" in Sir Arthur Sullivan's grand opera of "Ivanhoe," for 162 consecutive performances, and where I must return the last of this month to resume my work.
113While I should like very much to stay in America and sing, I am much pleased and satisfied with the treatment I have received from the British public and from my London manager, Mr. D'Oyly Carte. Very truly yours,
114NEW YORK, September 25, 1891. AVON SAXON.
116SOPHIA SCHIFFMANN.—This young singer participated in the concert given by the "Morning Journal" at Castle Garden last Saturday night.
118CARL MARTIN.—Mr. and Mrs. Carl Martin, after lots of song and shooting recitals in the Adirondacks, have returned to the city. They resume October 1.
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