Scan 18
Musical Courier 1893-12-27: Vol 27 Iss 720, 1893
82 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 19. See the scan on archive.org.
1swallowed so much modern music, "Cosi fan Tutte" would make upon me, and I inwardly congratulated myself when I found myself listening with rapt attention from beginning to end, and that the perfect beauty of the music enchanted me to-day as much as it did twenty years ago. Wagner has not spoiled me, and I pity Finck and fellows like him who, because they enjoy Wagner, Liszt and Berlioz, can no longer enjoy the pure fountain of Mozart. No, indeed; like the Pharisee, I thank the Lord that I am not like one of them.
3In the performance Misses Leisinger, Dietrich and Rothhauser and Messrs. Schmidt, Philipp and Krolop were concerned, and with Sucher handling the superb orchestra in fine style "Cosi fan Tutte" was a rousing success.
5Monday night of this week (viz., last night) the Stern Singing Society gave a concert at the Philharmonie, at which under Professor Frederick Gernsheim's direction, Heinrich Hofmann's latest choral work, "Waldfraulein" ("The Woodmaiden.") was given for the first time and was followed by Mendelssohn's "First Walpurgisnacht."
7The novelty was received with but a fair modicum of success. I can also not conscientiously say that it deserved a much better fate. Hofmann, who keeps on composing a year in, year out for the mere pleasure of it (he does not need it, as he is very rich), seems to be about written out. He has nothing new to say. He reached his climax with the "Frithjof" symphony and his orchestral suite, and he has since been slowly but surely ebbing downward. His "Waldfraulein" follows in the latter unfortunate trend. There is some nice choral writing in it and everything sounds agreeable and sweet, like molasses. The griddle cakes, however, are wanting and when you keep up a constant stream of treacle it soon becomes nauseating. There is no excuse for the existence of these latter day compositions of Hofmann's, and not even the hardy pilferings from Wagner will save them from oblivion after they have been once or twice performed by self-respecting vocal societies.
9The Stern chorus did their very best under Gernsheim, and the orchestra (without trombones) was good. Mrs. Schmidt-Kohne the soprano was far too heavy, while Miss Fellwock the contralto has a superb voice and sings well. Paul Haase the baritone, was acceptable.
11Hofmann was called at the close of the cantata and received a laurel wreath.
13I left the Philharmonie and the "Walpurgisnacht" and got to the Royal Opera House in time to hear the greater portion of Mozart's "Titus," which had been preceded by a repetition of the "Finta Giardiniera." The performance was a superb one and lent interest to this otherwise rather tame and at moments most tedious of the master's greater works. Sylva again covered himself with glory in the title part. His coloratura is perfectly wonderful in the no longer very young possessor of so heavy a voice. Rosa Sucher, who sang for the first time in the Mozart cycle, was an eminent "Sextus," and Miss Heidler also appeared to advantage in the male part of "Annus." Mrs. Staudigl was a commanding "Vitellia" and Miss Weitz a pretty "Servilia."
15To-morrow night the Mozart cycle winds up with a performance of "The Magic Flute" and next Thursday night a Wagner cycle will be inaugurated. All works from "The Flying Dutchman" onward ("Rienzi" is left out in the cold) will be given.
17The Mozart cycle has proved more attractive than had been anticipated and all six of the performances so far have been exceedingly well attended; in fact some of them were absolutely sold out.
19Among the concerts which I was prevented from hearing was, as I mentioned before, that of Joachim and d'Albert with which they began a joint tournée. The Philharmonic is reported to have been sold out last Thursday night and great enthusiasm prevailed. The curious feature of the matter is the difference of opinion in the press. No two papers were alike, and while some praised Joachim and "went for" d'Albert, others did just the opposite thing. Nobody, however, found both these well-known and popular artists and musicians good, or (this is less astonishing) bad. They played together the B flat sonata (454 Kocheil), by Mozart; the A major sonata, op. 100, by Brahms, and (one might almost say of course) the "Kreutzer" sonata. Joachim played as unaccompanied soli some movements from Bach's violin sonatas and d'Albert performed the B major nocturne and the B minor scherzo by Chopin.
21On Saturday night while I was at the Royal Opera House Sophie Menter gave a concert of her own at the Concert Haus at which her friend and pupil, Wassily Sapellnikoff, conducted and co-operated. The concert, which was well attended, seemed to be a counter-demonstration against Manager Hermann Wolff for the recent Bilow-Philharmonic affair, about which I reported in one of my former letters. There was also a slight newspaper controversy on the same subject here last week, in which Wolff, however, as could not otherwise be expected, retained the upper hand.
23The Menter performed the Tchaikowsky fantasia for piano and orchestra, which she is said to have given very brilliantly, but in which difficult portions were omitted or simplified. This I have from a most reliable authority. She also played a study by Sapellnikoff; romanzo, by Schumann; "Chant sans paroles" and "Invitation au Trépâc," by Tchaikowsky; Liszt's "Gondoliera" and the Schubert-Liszt "Erl King," as unaccompanied numbers. Furthermore, she played together with Sapellnikoff the Liszt "Pathetic" concerto for two pianos, which ugly work I have not heard since Arthur Friedheim and his wife played it in New York. Lastly Mrs. Menter performed "Gypsy Melodies" for piano and orchestra composed by herself. She is praised in the papers for her still marvelous technic, but my afore quoted authority says that it is now by no means flawless and that the lady plays without feeling.
25Sapellnikoff conducted the accompaniments and "Zorahayda," a legend for orchestra by Svendsen, which proved of interest.
27The Steinway piano was used on this occasion.
29Another artist whom I was prevented from hearing is Miss Rose Soudarska, who is now living in Dresden, but who played the piano here in concert last night. She had the kindness to give me a private recital of the Chopin B flat minor sonata, and some other works by Chopin and Tchaikowsky at The Musical Courier's European headquarters this forenoon, and I must acknowledge that she played not only technically very well, but also with a great deal of feeling and artistic conception.
31Some other interesting visitors were: Mr. Robert Freund, the Zurich pianist, who is to give a concert of his own here with orchestra at the Singakademie on Thursday night. Privately he played some works by Bach and a new little romanza by Brahms, the latter from the manuscript, which his friend and admirer Brahms sent to him. It is a clever, simply invented piece in the style of the last ones in op. 117, and will surely take with the thoughtful listeners, though hardly with the great public. About Freund I don't want to say anything yet, as I should like to hear him first with orchestra, but I can already tell you that I anticipate great things.
33Heinrich Neumann, the music critic of the "Berliner Tageblatt," called on me.
35Furthermore, Mr. Frank Gebest, of Zanesville, Ohio. He is one of the most remarkable cases that ever came under my notice. Entirely autodidact, with considerable talent for piano playing, he worked hard up to his twenty-ninth year to save enough money to come over to Germany to study. His playing of the Chopin A flat polonaise is something remarkable in one entirely self taught. I turned him over to Professor Barth, who no doubt will make something out of him in a couple of years or so.
37Mary Howe and William Lavin, the well-known soprano and tenor, have arrived in Berlin and also called. They are announced to sing here on January 20 with the Philharmonic Orchestra. They will also be heard in Dresden, and probably in a few "Gast" performances in other cities in Germany previous to their return to America in March, when they will begin their tournée of fifty concerts. For the season of 1894-5 Miss Howe and Mr. Lavin have signed a contract with Lago to go to Russia for concert and opera.
39Lastly, Ludwig Schytte, the Danish composer, living in Vienna, came to play portions of his newly finished fin de siècle opera, "Fahrendes Volk." The work is as good as accepted (some slight changes in the too risqué episodes of the libretto are being insisted upon) at the Dresden Court Opera House, and Schytte is in Berlin in order to see whether he cannot get his opera performed here also.
41A most pleasant and pleasing surprise was vouchsafed me last Thursday noon. I accepted an invitation of Dr. Meyer, of the Urania, to see the newly prepared "Trip through the United States." The pictures were taken by Dr. Meyer and his artists from nature, and the Chicago World's Fair, as well as Yellowstone Park, seem very life-like, although I am hardly able to judge, as I have seen neither. The exhibition was an entirely private one, as the party to whom it was shown consisted, besides myself, only of Ludwig Pietsch, the well-known art critic of the "Vossische Zeitung," and his ladies. Among the latter was a Miss Lankow from Bonn, who had brought along an Edisonian wax cylinder upon which was engraved a Brückler "Trumpeter of Säckingen" lied, which Mrs. Anna Lankow had sung in New York into a phonograph. By placing the cylinder upon the Urania phonographic apparatus we all were enabled to hear the noble, sonorous contralto voice and beautiful phrasing of Mrs. Lankow, and her firm, musically piano accompaniment reproduced here, thousands of miles away, in an almost life-like manner. It proved a most enjoyable incident to the half a dozen listeners, all of whom are personal friends of the genial New York singer and vocal pedagogue.
43Willy Birrenkoven, the Düsseldorfer tenor, will sing "Lohengrin" at Bayreuth next summer.
45The opera Paderewski is composing is said to be based upon a subject taken from the sad history of his native land, but the music will be as much as possible free from Polish national flavoring.
47General Director Hermann Levi, of Munich, was recently decorated by the Emperor of Austria with the Order of the Iron Crown. With this distinction formerly the title to nobility was eo ipso connected. Of late years, however, this has been changed in so far as now the party so decorated has to apply for the predicate von. I doubt very much if Hermann Levi will avail himself of the opportunity. He is not that sort of a man, and he certainly is as great a fellow now as he ever could be as Hermann von Levi.
49A Heine Recital.—The Misses Heine gave the first of a series of chamber music concerts at Steinway Hall last Thursday evening, assisted by Mr. Victor Herbert, in the following program:
51Trio for piano, violin and violoncello, op. 70, No. 1………Beethoven
52The Misses Heine and Mr. Herbert.
53Violin solo, Introduction et Variations sur un air Écossais……David
54Miss L. Florence Heine.
55Violoncello solo—
56Berceuse………….(new)………………………………….Van Goens
57Scherzo………….Mr. Victor Herbert.
58Violin solo—
59Ausfahrt…………………………………………………Grieg-Sauret
60Elfentanz…………………………………………………Popper
61Miss L. Florence Heine.
62Trio for piano, violin and violoncello, op. 1……Xavier Scharwenka
63The Misses Heine and Mr. Herbert.
65The program received able interpretation, the two trios being given with great delicacy and finish. The Misses Heine are admirable ensemble players, and with Mr. Herbert give a very satisfying performance. In her solo numbers Miss Florence Heine displayed much technical ability, a good tone and much musical intelligence; her phrasing was excellent. The attendance was good and the audience most appreciative.
67Mrs. Metcalf's Reception.—Mrs. George G. Metcalf, a well-known vocal teacher of this city, recently gave a very enjoyable afternoon reception at her studio, 96 Fifth avenue, at which an interesting program was artistically given by Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf and her pupils.
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