Scan 11
Musical Courier 1893-05-17: Vol 26 Iss 689, 1893
80 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026. Printed page 12. See the scan on archive.org.
1gram first with his overture in G minor to the opera "Dimitri Dunskoi." It is a work drawn on somewhat conventional lines, but partly with the true Russian gloomy coloring, while the themes are neither as melodic nor as original as most of Rubinstein's imaginings, and the second theme is only rhythmically pregnant. The overture was well received. The second Rubinstein number was an aria, "Oh Abendluft," in E flat, from the opera "The Children of the Heath." There is a good deal of tender and graceful mood in this warm toned excerpt, and Miss Annette von Jerebtzoff sang it in most sympathetic style, with simplicity and yet a touch of feeling, and with a pure soprano voice. She as well as the composer was loudly applauded and several times recalled.
3Miss Jakimowski, whose name I mentioned before, is a young lady still in her teens, beautiful to look at, fair of complexion, blond of hair and most modest as well as graceful of demeanor. She had won the audience in her favor before she had played a note. As she is described as her master's favorite pupil, expectations regarding her abilities were of the highest. And I must say she has indeed much more than her prepossessing youthful appearance to commend her. Her technic is remarkable, even throughout and wrist and fingers are alike supple. She phrases exquisitely, and everything she does sounds most musically, but her physical strength is hardly adequate to so trying a task as the playing of the Rubinstein G minor concerto. In the first movement she lacked somewhat in élan; the slow movement in E minor she played most poetically, but for the finale her tone production was not sufficient successfully to cope with the orchestra. Naturally, however, her tone is good and pliable, only there is not one-half the quantity of what her master still possesses in so phenomenal a degree. The G major concerto is by no means as important a work as the D minor, and one does not therefore meet with it as frequently on a concert program as with the latter. Well played, however, it is without gainsaying very effective, and it proved so on this occasion, when both the performer and the composer-conductor were most enthusiastically recalled half a dozen times or more.
5Miss Franceschina Prevosti, who has just absolved a successful season at Kroll's Opera House, sang with fine colorature the "Charmant Oiseau," aria from David's "Perle du Brésil," after which she aped Patti in giving as an encore that perennial daisy: "Coming through the Rye," and at the close of the program she gave with the bass buffo, Quirino Merly, a funny duet from Donizetti's "L'elisire d'amore." The serious concert stage seemed hardly the right place for the drastic manner in which this duet was actually "performed," and the otherwise excellent artists did not materially enhance their prestige by this number.
7Miss Nuscha Butze, from the Berlin Theatre, made a fizzle with a recitation in dialect, and the Philharmonic Orchestra, which afterward did remarkably well under Rubinstein, played the "Oberon" overture rather slovenly under Herfurth's direction as the opening number of the program.
9RUBINSTEIN AT THE OPERA HOUSE.
11The climax of the Rubinstein recognition, however, was yet to come. It consisted in the first performance here at the Royal Opera House of his one act comic opera "Among Robbers," and of the two act ballet "La Vigne." The double première took place last night and proved quite a success, but not an overwhelming or entirely unanimous one. As I had been among the few invited guests who had a chance to hear the last general rehearsal of both works on Saturday forenoon, I was prepared for this, and in fact the whole affair created just about the impression I thought it would.
13The comic opera "Among Robbers" is by no means a novelty, it having been given in Hamburg some ten years ago, when it proved a semi-failure. The cause for this was then laid at the doors of the performers. No such reason could justly have been assigned in this instance, for the Berlin performance was a truly magnificent one in every respect, and Rubinstein himself expressed his greatest satisfaction thereat. The reason why the little opera will never have a rousing success must be sought elsewhere, therefore, and it is found easily enough. The book by Ernest Wichert deals with that romantic class of burlesque brigands who walk the stage in dark velvet breeches and red silk blouses, and who some years ago were all the rage in novels, on paintings and on the stage. They did not wear very well, and the fad evaporated long ago. Their temporary booty is the usual prince in disguise, with his faint hearted valet, the traveling prima donna, the customary dowager with her innocent daughter, the rich merchant who does not want to pan out his ransom, and even the time honored English governess, with her old maiden ways, yellow curls, shawl, books, eyeglasses and all. Their doings on the stage are not overwhelmingly funny, and besides there is very little of a plot, and still less of dramatic action going on. To this hotch potch Rubinstein set himself the very difficult task of setting humorous and dramatic music. That he succeeded even as well as he did shows him to be considerably more of a master in operatic composition than many would give him credit for; but on the whole his music, like the plot, lacks "go," coherency and dramatic verve. Here and there some remarkably pretty bits occur, more especially the song of the prima donna requesting the chief robber to become her impresario, that she may thus pay him her ransom, and some incidental Spanish dance music, which has all the national flavor, especially in rhythm, yet withal is original and thoroughly Rubinsteinish in invention. But these cannot save the little opera, and it was with some difficulty that a triple recall before the curtain was worked up for the composer by his multitudinous friends in the house.
15The performance, as I said before, was a very good one, especially on the part of the orchestra under the direction of Dr. Muck. Mrs. Herzog, as the traveling prima donna, was delightful and vocally superb. Mrs. Goetze and Stammer as the dowager "Donna Urica," and the merchant "Madoz," respectively, also sang well, and brought down the house with their graceful Spanish dances. But the greatest hit in the latter direction was scored by old Mrs. Schramm in the part of the English governess, "Miss Braden," who has nothing to sing but a lot of funny by-play, and who was excruciatingly drôle in her dancing of a sailor's hornpipe. Bulsz was a capital brigand, and Rothmühl sang well, although he was much too earnest and not a bit jocular as "Antonio." The cast besides called for a half a dozen others, among them Miss Leisinger, for whom the part of "Miss Laura" is much too high, all of whom did their very best. Besides the mise-en-scène of Tetzlaff was simply superb. But all this and including a good male chorus of brigands could not save the opera, which scored hardly more than a succès d'estime.
17The "La Vigne" music is familiar to New York concert goers through excellent performances of it which they heard under Theodore Thomas at the old but ever unfor-gotten Steinway Hall. The ballet in two acts and five pictures is somewhat lengthy, and in spite of all beauties a trifle wearisome toward the end. Rubinstein's imaginative invention also did not quite hold out, at least not in the much promising and dashing manner in which it starts, and which is sustained only up to about the middle of the first act, and then lapses until toward the very close of the second, when it once more bursts forth quite gloriously. Wonderful also is the truthfulness of musical expression he hits nearly all through the ballet in musically illustrating the diverse pantomimic action on the stage which at times is quite intricate. Furthermore the national characteristics in the dances of diverse wine-growing countries, such as Italy, Spain, Hungary, Germany and France, are well preserved, and altogether the dance music in "La Vigne" is even superior to that of "Feramors," which has become so popular in our concert rooms. The bacchanale of the second act, however, is quite tame when compared—and one cannot help thinking of it—with the opening of the Paris version of the "Tannhäuser."
19I spare myself the trouble of narrating the so-called plot of the ballet, although it was arranged by no less than three authors, among whom the name of old Taglioni is the most prominent. The staging of the novelty was the most gorgeous I have ever seen, and the costumes were all new and of the most recherché taste as well as magnificent. Moreover a finer, younger, better looking or more complete corps de ballet no city in the world can boast of. We in New York have surely not been spoiled in that direction by either Colonel Mapleson, Abbey or even Mr. Stanton. Of the solo dancers our former prima ballerina from the Metropolitan Opera House, Miss Urbank, was still as handsome and sprightly as of yore. She represented "Gayety," and did her level best to justify her name. As the impersonation of the grape vine goddess and the heroine of the plot, Miss dell' Era was the greatest attraction among the entire personnel. She is graceful, well built and musically expressive, and moreover she dances like an angel. Everything in fact was beautiful, except of course the little representatives of the phylloxera, who attack the grape vine girls, and these were so realistic that a good many people in the house began scratching themselves.
21Rubinstein was called before the curtain twice after each act, and ballet master Graeb appeared with him the last time. The performance was conducted by Mr. Steinmann, the able successor to the lately retired Mr. Hertel.
23"Among Robbers" and "La Vigne" will be repeated to-night, and the ballet also on Friday night, together with "Bajazzi," while the remainder of the week at the Royal Opera House is taken up by the "Nibelungenring," of which more anon.
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27I have still to account to you for my Wednesday and Friday nights, and will do so in as few words as possible. Well, on the former evening I went to the symphony concert of the Philharmonie, where Burmeister conducted for the second time his symphonic fantasia, and with the greatest success, he being recalled three times at the close by the public and the orchestra. The performance had the practical value that the composer sold his score to that musical music publishing firm, Messrs. Ries & Erler, who promise to have it ready for sale by the end of next September.
29On the next day Burmeister left for Vienna in company of Moriz Rosenthal, and the twain will thence go together on a recreation trip to Upper Italy. I saw them off and wished them God-speed. They have since, as I know by a letter received yesterday, arrived safely in the Austrian capital.
31Friday night I wandered once more out to Kroll's to hear that magnificent artist, Gemma Bellincioni, really a great dramatic as well as bel canto soprano in "A Santa Lucia." The dramatic opera which, if not scientific, is live and highly interesting, characteristically colored music, draws as well as the dramatic singer, and you get Stagno and a few other quite competent singers thrown in into the bargain.
33* * *
35Oscar Niemann, the only son Albert Niemann had by his first wife, Marie Niemann-Seebach, died at San Remo last week, carefully nursed to the last by his grief-stricken mother. He was highly talented both musically and as a painter, in which latter capacity he was a pupil of Herkomer. Vocationally scored quite a success as "Mime" when he traveled with Angelo Neumann's company in Russia.
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39That Richter after all will remain quietly in Vienna you will know by cable long before these lines will reach you. But who is to be Nikisch's successor in Boston? Echo answers, "Who?"
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43According to private information received by me from Bayreuth, Cosima Wagner has gone to Montreux, where she will spend the spring and part of the summer.
45* * *
47Among the many New Yorkers I met in these days were Alexander Kaufmann, the talented amateur actor; Reinhold L. Hermann, the composer, who was my neighbor at the second Rubinstein concert, and Otto Hackh, whom I spoke at the Royal Opera House. The latter told me of Paderewski's splendid generosity, which enabled the sick and emaciated looking Mr. Hackh to leave New York and undergo special treatment here at the hands of Professor Mendel, the great authority on nervous diseases.
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51At Mr. Pierson's interesting 5 o'clock tea I made the acquaintance last week of Mr. Reinhold Becker, the Dresden composer, one of whose operas met with great success at the Saxonian capital a few months ago. The composer has since completed the piano score, which he brought along with a view of finding a publisher for his work, as well as a possible chance of having it brought out at the Berlin Royal Opera House.
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55The latter institution in spite of the advanced state of the season does not seem to be quite done with novelties. Count Hochberg evidently is indefatigable. Next month we shall have Stiebitz' new opera, "The Gypsies."
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59Conservatory Director Geusz, of Mayence, has come here to take charge of the Klindworth Conservatory, as the latter gentleman is not in the best of health. I understand that a plan has been formed to merge the Klindworth and Scharwenka conservatories into one. The combination seems a good one, and with Philipp Scharwenka, Dr. Goldschmidt and Geusz as directors, Mr. Klindworth as an adviser, and a good staff of competent teachers, the Scharwenka-Klindworth Conservatory should meet with widest public favor.
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63In my Berlin Branch Budget of the 21st ult., which appeared in The Musical Courier issue of the 12th inst., and has just arrived here, I see that the printer's devil twice in succession makes me speak of the ballet in "Freischütz," instead of the bullet. The mistake would not be such a bad one if there were a ballet in Weber's chef d'œuvre, as this, however, is not the case, while on the contrary bullets play an important part in it, I beg leave to correct the mistake even at so late a day and from such a great distance.
65O. F.
67EDMUND PAULUS,
68MARKNEUKIRCHEN, SAXONY,
69Manufacturer of all kinds of
70Musical Instruments and Strings.
71NEW YORK OFFICE:
72BREITKOPF & HÄRTEL.
7339 East Nineteenth Street.
74PRIVATE SALE
75OF THE
76YON DER HOYA COLLECTION
77OF
78Violins, Violas and 'Cellos,
7981 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK.
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