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Musical Courier 1893-04-12: Vol 26 Iss 684, 1893
62 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 12. See the scan on archive.org.
1BERLIN BRANCH BUDGET.
2European Headquarters of THE MUSICAL COURIER,
3BERLIN, W. Linkstrasse 17, March 21, 1893.
5ALTHOUGH the musical season is fast approaching its legitimate close here, there is yet no diminishing of musical entertainments apparent, and I find that the critics here are as hard worked, if not more so, than their New York confrères. The latter, however, are also in other respects far better off, and certainly will cease some of their grumblings when they read in Heinrich Ehrlich's memoirs that he, as music critic of one of the greatest journals of Germany, the "Tageblatt," and after having served in that capacity for an uninterrupted period of twenty-five years, during which his salary was raised three times, finally reached the right royal payment of 2,400 mks.—viz., not quite $600 per year! When somebody who had lived for some time in the United States was approached on the subject of what he would take to fill the vacancy caused by Professor Ehrlich's removal, and thought he was modest in suggesting only five times the amount received by Ehrlich, he succeeded in nearly throwing his interlocutor into hysterics, and thus the "Tageblatt" has as yet no music critic who knows the difference between a trumpet and a trombone when he hears these instruments.
7RICHARD BURMEISTER.
9My budget opens this week with the second concert, or, rather, first piano recital of the Chopin of Baltimore, Prof. Richard Burmeister, which took place at the Singakademie on Wednesday night of last week. A fair sized audience was present, and, through their most hearty approval and frequent enthusiastic applause, gave proof that they were aware of the fact that they heard some extraordinarily fine piano playing. The critics, too, seemed unanimous on that point, and one or two of them gave vent to their astonishment about the fact that such a magnificent player should not have been better known heretofore in Berlin. Well, it is never too late to mend, and I am sure that before many more recitals Richard Burmeister can exclaim with the French autocrat, "Nous avons changé tout cela!"
11Burmeister's program, although not deviating much from the usual make up, was nevertheless highly interesting, well and contrastingly selected. It opened with a not frequently heard Liszt transcription of a sarabande and chaconne from Händel's long forgotten opera, "Almira." Liszt, when he does not try to evolve anything original, but merely transcribes, is always interesting. He could do more with another fellow's thoughts than that fellow could ever have done with it himself, unless, indeed, he happened perchance to be a Mozart, a Beethoven, a Wagner or—a Brahms. Well, Burmeister played that fine transcription finely, but where he took me still more was in the next number, the Schumann F sharp minor sonata. Of the three Schumann sonatas, all in a minor key, viz., G, F sharp and F, you always hear the G minor one, and yet the two others are certainly quite as beautiful, and musically much more important. The F sharp minor one especially is a great favorite of mine, but I have only once in a lifetime heard it in public, although both Joseffy and Rosenthal frequently play the exquisite romanza in A major which forms its slow movement. Burmeister thus did me a favor, for which I felt truly grateful, and I must acknowledge that he performed the sonata as poetically and with such rare taste and skill, especially in dynamics, as if he had been—Paderewski. Higher praise than this I cannot bestow, and I think it would likewise be superfluous.
13Schumann was followed by Schubert, who was represented by his genial impromptu in C minor, op. 90, No. 1, and then came a group of Chopin entrefleets, consisting of the preludes in C minor, F minor, A flat and E flat, the B minor scherzo with the shriek, the love duet study in C sharp minor and the A minor study. All of these were exquisitely played and their varying moods portrayed with fine musical insight.
15Finally of course Liszt had his say, and I must confess that his "Benediction of the Lord in Solitude" seemed to me, in Professor Burmeister's interpretation, a more inspired musical creation than I had ever dreamed it to be. Burmeister, as you know, was one of Liszt's really favorite pupils, and he studied this "Benediction" (not "Benedicition") with the master, from whom he got the true spirit (not the spirits, for these Liszt used to take and distribute only after the lessons).
17The program wound up with the "Pester Carneval," which was performed with surprising vigor, brilliancy and virtuosity; after which, Burmeister being again and again recalled, sat down to play an encore, of which I only heard that it was in the key of either F sharp or G flat major, as by that time I was outside of the building, hurrying to a long delayed and therefore doubly appreciated supper.
19"DER FREISCHÜTZ."
21The monotony of the concert routine was on Thursday pleasantly interrupted by a visit to the Royal Opera House, where, on that evening, Weber's ever young, ever enjoyable "Freischütz" was presented for the first time in an entirely new and most gorgeous as well as fitting garment. The work has deserved and amply paid for a new mise-en-scène, for it is statistically proven that of the ante-Wagner period creations the "Freischütz" has been, in Germany at least, the most popular of all operas in existence. I use the modification "in Germany" advisedly, for you have to be a German indeed to love and to fully appreciate the romantic spirit that pervades the entire work. I remember well how flat it fell, when last given in New York under the late Dr. Damrosch's direction, at the Metropolitan House. It was then argued that the somewhat long spun out dialogue, which was incomprehensible to the Americans, was the cause of the failure. This, however, might have been overcome by the introduction of secca recitative, and is by no means the true cause. To a real American such scenes as the "Wolf's Glen" scene with its apparitions will ever remain as incomprehensible as the dragon appearance in "Siegfried" will always seem ludicrous to him. He is too realistic, the real American; he lacks the spirit of romanticism, which in turn is the essence of all imaginative fiction. I shall never forget how after the second act of "Siegfried" I asked my friend Krehbiel's charming little daughter whether she had not been scared by the dragon. Smilingly the pretty miss replied: "Oh, no; it looked like a big straw basket with red railroad bull's eye lanterns." And such indeed it did look, but it would not have appeared so to a German child's eye. The little American lady, however, sees of everything but the reality, and if she gets to be a little older, she will probably speculate more on the amount of the cost of production of so elaborate a piece of stage mechanism as a dragon than upon the improbability of the monster's musical utterances.
23In this respect the Germans of to-day may still, and happily for them, exclaim with the Pharisee: "O Lord, I thank thee that I am not like one of these." Such an enthusiasm as reigned in the Royal Opera House after the second act of the "Freischütz" last Thursday night I have rarely witnessed before, and the rejuvenated work which has since been twice repeated has been hailed with equal enthusiasm by equally large and delighted audiences. Also it must be confessed that stage manager Tetzlaff outdid himself with this mise-en-scène and absolutely covered himself with glory. The Wolf's Glen, moreover, is most picturesque in every detail; the great cascade only ought to be a trifle less noisy as the rush of the real water absolutely "drowns" some of Weber's music which, though finely, is not yet orchestrated up to date. The weird and uncanny creatures which make their appearance with the casting of each new ballet are not as unlikely as they are often represented; the appearance of "Samiel," the evil one, seems almost natural, and the storm which accompanies the casting of the seventh and last ballet throws down the big trees as naturally as a Western tornado would.
25The opening scene is idyllic and the last act's scenery with the hunting feast quite appropriate. Among the booty was noticeable a magnificent stag, which His Majesty, the Emperor of all Germany, had shot last fall, and which he had stuffed and presented to the Royal Opera House for the "Freischütz" mise-en-scène. Other minor stage arrangements were equally well planned and carried out, and for the first time I saw it plainly what I had always known to be the case, that "Caspas," the wicked fellow, was the one shot by "Max's" seventh bullet, and not "Agatha," his fiancée, who merely faints on account of fright caused by that shot.
27The performance under Weingartner was something remarkable. From the overture, which was magnificently played and greeted with a double round of applause, to the last note of the last act, the orchestra was superb, the horns especially greatly distinguishing themselves. The chorus, too, was very good, although it is hard to get old time habits out of them when a work is newly studied. The "Ländler" in the first act was taken very slowly, and this is the only thing the Berlin critics are blaming Weingartner for. Yet it seems to me as correct as the return to a slow, dignified tempo in the playing of a minuet, even when it is not intended for a dance, but forms part of a symphony.
29Of the principals Miss Leizinger sang purely, but somewhat coldly, the part of "Agatha." Miss Dietrich was alike charming in voice and looks as "Aennchen," and her acting, as always, was sprightly and vivacious. Rothmühl was vocally one of the best "Max" I ever heard, and even histrionically he went beyond his usual reserve. Mödlinger was an excellent "Caspas," and the minor rôles were all in thoroughly competent hands. Altogether it was a most enjoyable performance, the ideality of which was in no point and at no moment disturbed.
31This is greatly to be praised and to be mentioned with special emphasis, as the intendant has of late somewhat wrongfully been accused of giving undue preference to the works of the modern Italian school to the detriment of true German music.
33ANTON FOERSTER.
35Friday night saw me again at the Singakademie, this time to hear a young Leipsic pianist who made his pianistic début here. His name is Anton Foerster, he is a favorite pupil of that great piano teacher, Prof. Martin Krause, and he is just now the beneficiary of the Liszt stipend. Foerster is quite young yet, perhaps not more than eighteen, but after last Friday night's performances I predict for him a most brilliant future in the very near future.
37For the so and so manieth time this season I heard from him the Beethoven G major concerto, and that he succeeded in making it not only pianistically but also conceptionally a thoroughly interesting performance is in itself saying a good deal for him. Perfectly astonished, however, I was after the Bronsart F sharp minor concerto, which I heard for the first time on this occasion. I consider the work despite its frequently rhapsodical character, one of the best, most interesting and most important piano concertos of modern times. It far outranks the Liszt concertos in the style, but not in the form, of which it somewhat pointedly moves. It bristles with technical difficulties and demands a performer of far more than average strength to carry it to a successful ending. The first movement alone might knock out 75 per cent. of the average concert pianists. This savage work Foerster had chosen as his début pièce de résistance, and it gives me pleasure to be able to record that he was irresistible. He carried everything before him—audience, critics and even the Philharmonic orchestra, who applauded most vigorously after having done their share in playing the difficult accompaniment in most laudable style under Herfurth's direction.
39As somewhat of an anti-climax, but yet with hardly less success, Foerster played after these two big works two unaccompanied Liszt soli, the study in F minor and the "Napoli" tarantelle, after which upon vociferous recalls he added the Chopin nocturne, op. 27, No. 2, as an encore.
41The orchestra contributed in commendable manner, besides the accompaniments, the Mozart "Magic Flute" overture and Schumann's "Evening Song," arranged for strings.
43SARASATE AND MARX.
45The first of the two concerts which Sarasate, as usual in conjunction with Mrs. Berthe Marx, is billed to give here took place at the Philharmonie on last Saturday night. The great and deservedly popular violin virtuoso has so strong a following here that, though he did not have the assistance of an orchestra for his opening concert, though his program was for the greater part of the most earnestly and not virtuoso style musical nature, and albeit he was only moderately well advertised, the large auditorium was very nearly completely filled. Next Saturday night, however, when he plays with orchestra, and when meanwhile the news of his reappearance here and consequent success have spread, the Philharmonie will probably be sold out to the very last place.
47Sarasate can be as earnest, sincere and straightforward a musician as any one, and in fact it is asserted by those who know him best that he greatly prefers that style of performance to the one the public insists on demanding of him. It is the same thing with Rosenthal and yet such artists cannot resist to throw the sop to Cerberus. This, however, Sarasate did on the occasion of his first concert only toward the very close of the program, while he opened with Raff's interesting and at times very beautiful E minor violin sonata op. 73. This was followed by Goldmark's suite in E major and five movements, op. 11, of which he played the really fine C sharp minor slow movement with much feeling and the quasi allegretto with exquisite grace and finish. You all know how Sarasate plays, and I only need to assure you that he is the same as of old, that he has lost none of his finesse, beauty and purity of tone and grace of bowing in order to satisfy you that the now absolutely gray color of his abundant hair has nothing to do with the perfection of his performances.
49Mrs. Berthe Marx played the piano part in the above named works in a most musicianly and satisfying manner, but when it came to the solo performance of the Chopin B minor sonata her tone left her somewhat in the lurch in the slow movement and her technic did not quite suffice for the finale, which she blurred with the pedal.
51Sarasate then played four Slavonic dances by Dvorák which before were only known to me in their orchestral garb, after which he was loudly cheered, and after three recalls gave the Chopin E flat nocturne in the key, whereupon he was cheered some more.
53Berthe Marx followed with a valse fantaisie by Bernard, a Moscheles etude and her own transcription of Sarasate's "Zapateado," after which the Spaniard himself wound up the program with his own "Serenade Andalouse," to Goldschmidt's marvelous accompaniment, and was probably still playing encores by the time I reached the Hotel Bellevue.
55Goldschmidt, Sarasate's well-known factotum, tells me that they have just come from England, where they have played with most unprecedented success in sixty-eight concerts, only in England and Scotland, leaving Ireland without music to her own and Gladstone's Home Rule bill destiny.
57BACH'S PASSION MUSIC.
59The approach of Easter week brings with it several performances of Bach's great Passion Music, the first of which took place last night. On Friday next the Passion after St. John will be given by the Singakademie Chorus, under Martin Blummer, and the same society will be heard in the St. Matthew Passion on the Friday following, which is Good Friday.
61The performance of the St. Matthew Passion last night at the Philharmonie was given by the Stern Singing Society under Professor Gernsheim's direction for the benefit of the Home Sanitary Culture and Children's Vacation Colonies Society, which benevolent association stands under the pro-
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