Scan 17
Musical Courier 1894-02-14: Vol 28 Iss 727, 1894
122 lines. Read by computer on 20 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 18. See the scan on archive.org.
1excellent Leipsic correspondent, Mr. August Guessbacher. I agree with him in his judgment that this work in overture form is nothing more than an estimable pièce d'occasion and will never hold as high a place in the Leipsic master's long list of musical creations as his far better "King Manfred" overture, which Reinecke conducted later in the evening.
3As pianist the veteran appeared with Mozart's C minor concerto, which I heard from him also some twenty years ago at Cologne, at a time when between Reinecke and his chum, the late Ferdinand Hiller, still existed the most lively and friendly controversy as to who was the better Mozart player of the two. The battle has never been decided in anybody's favor, for both were equally admirable, both in amiability and simplicity (the two true characteristics of Mozart interpretation) of conception and smoothness and finish of technic, as well as pliability and grace of touch. All these admirable qualities are still preserved at his high old age by Carl Reinecke, of Leipsic—and may he long continue to possess them! The public in just appreciation of the master's great and many merits overwhelmed the distinguished visitor with much applause and enthusiastic recalls.
5Two other likewise highly successful soloists at this concert were Rosa Sucher, who sang the five Wagner leider with orchestral accompaniment, with which she created such a furore at the Wagner Society concert, and Prof. Waldemar Meyer, who played the Mendelssohn violin concerto, the adagio from Spohr's ninth concerto and a presto by Franz Ries, all with abundant technic, fire and sound tone, as well as clean intonation.
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9By cable I advised you of the success which both Mary Howe and her husband, William Lavin, achieved here in a concert of their own at the Singakademie on last Saturday night. The house was crowded with a select audience and great enthusiasm prevailed.
11The beautiful lady from Vermont I had not heard for several years and was surprised at the gain she has since made in musical depth and the amount of feeling and warmth, quite unusual in a soprano leggiero, which she displayed. It has been said of nearly all the coloratura singers I can remember that they are cold. The predicate would certainly be undeserved and unjust in Mary Howe's case, for joined to the qualities gained by excellent schooling, her voice has the warm timbre of a true artist and woman. Her singing of the "mad scene" from Thomas' "Hamlet" was as artistically polished as the "Oiseau charmant" aria from David's "Perle du Brésil" was technically flawless, and in the duet from the third act of "Aida" she showed a wealth of feeling, verve and tenderness.
13The latter qualities distinguish also William Lavin's delivery, and his fine tenor voice, which lately seems to have grown under good training, as well as his much improved style, shone to an advantage which the public was by no means slow in appreciating. Moreover, Lavin is one of those rare birds, a tenor with brains, and he sings musically, always in absolutely true pitch and without affectation. I liked him ever so much and am sincerely glad of the couple's great and unanimous success with the public and press. Besides participating in the aforementioned duet from "Aida" Mr. Lavin sang the "Celeste Aida" aria from the same Verdi opera and the great "Elezar" aria from Halevy's "La Juive." As an encore he gave a very pretty little song, "At Parting," by James Rogers, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Mary Howe sang in response to hearty recalls, "Solveig Lied," from "Peer Gynt," by Grieg.
15Professor Mannstaedt, with the Philharmonic Orchestra, accompanied unusually well and contributed to the program, quite in the spirit of its Italian-French complexion, the "Aida" overture and Massenet's little interlude, "Le dernier sommeil de la Vierge."
17In order to verify my assertion of the unusually unanimous praise which our compatriots achieved with the Hamburg and Berlin press, I subjoin some translated criticisms.
19Says the
21"Hamburger Nachrichten."
23Mary Howe is a singing phenomenon. She startled us with several pieces of song technic that were to her so easy that no one could imitate her. She is a virtuosa par excellence. She attacks the highest notes with wonderful ease and trills on high C with the elegance and grace of a flute and her scales are like pearls.
25Besides her arias she sang two songs, one from an old opera of Barthee, the other Grieg's "Solveig Lied," which seemed to us like a flower. Miss Howe sang all her music in a masterly artistic fashion and received an ovation.
27"Hamburger Fremden Blatt."
29Mary Howe has a pure, beautiful, ringing, coloratur soprano. The public was electrified by her brilliant rendering of the aria from "Perle du Brésil."
31When one hears such a splendid performance of coloratur singing one cannot but respect and admire it. In the air from "Fiancée d'Abydos" and "Solveig Lied" (Grieg) the singer also won the sympathy of her audience by her expressive rendering of same.
33"Hamburger Correspondent."
35Mary Howe, who appeared before a Hamburg audience for the first time last night is a magnificent, finished singer with a beautiful, ringing soprano voice, full and rich in the middle and upper registers. She sings to high F and trills exquisitely on the high C. Her floritures glisten like gold dust in the sunshine. She sang the air from "Perle du Brésil," also an air from "La Fiancée d'Abydos," by Barthe, and Grieg's "Solveig Lied," in an artistic and surprising manner. The public gave her great applause and she was recalled many times.
37"Deutscher Reichs Anzeiger."
39The American artists Mary Howe and William Lavin, who are making a tour through Europe, appeared here last night for the first time together.
41Both singers ready for their work have started on a brilliant career.
43Mr. Lavin, who appeared first, showed us in his several arias a strong, even, ringing voice, easily reaching the high C, combined with a warm, dramatic delivery. His performance aroused vociferous applause, and he was recalled many times.
45In still greater measure did Mary Howe astonish the audience with her coloratur. With the greatest ease she reaches the high E, and sings trills, rapid runs and chromatic passages with pearl-like purity. In her selections, the air and ballad from "Hamlet" and the aria from "Perle du Brésil," she showed great virtuosity and worth.
47Neither singer ever failed in purity of intonation nor clearness of pronunciation, and from all sides of the numerous audience was heard the wish that these richly endowed singers might visit us often.
49"Berliner Fremden Blatt."
51Fortunately for us I was able to hear at least the last part of the program given by Mary Howe (heard formerly at Kroll's Theatre) and William Lavin at the Singakademie. From the lady I heard the air from "Perle du Brésil," which she sang with a full, beautiful voice, without any of the "beloved" tremolo in her intonation.
53Mr. Lavin showed himself the possessor of a beautiful real tenor voice and as an artistic and sympathetic singer. They sang together the great duet from "Aida," which was received with great and justly deserved applause.
55"Kleine Journal."
57In order to be understood in my criticism of the concert given by Mary Howe and William Lavin, I must refer to an event of several years ago. On May 28, 1888, there was a performance of "The Barber of Seville" given at Kroll's Theatre which promised to be of great interest, as a newly rising star was to allow her light to shine for the first time.
59Mr. Joseph Engel discovered her and was very proud of it.
61Miss Howe, of charming appearance, young and fresh as a sunny spring morning, appeared as "Rosina."
63We wrote at that time, the voice has an exquisite timbre and a decided tendency to the coloratur nature. Even the best of the Italian singers could not use their voices more easily or more freely than Miss Howe.
65One then noticed that she is still a beginner, but that matters not, as she shows a splendid method to support her voice, with which she can hope to attain to the first rank of artists.
67Now after five years of study and most successful singing she comes to us again as Mary Howe-Lavin, with her husband, William Lavin, to gain new laurels, but unfortunately not at Kroll's, for there is never to be more opera given there—and what a pity! for what a magnificent appearance these two gifted singers could have made there! Of Mary Howe we can speak in the same complimentary terms as heretofore, but adding that she is now a thorough mistress of her art and can cope with any rival. The timbre of the voice is lovely, like a flute. Mr. Lavin is a splendid artist, whose real tenor voice, although educated in the pure Italian school, retains none of the disagreeable mannerisms of the same.
69Without tremolo, without tiring the public with long held notes, he made a deep impression on his audience through natural expression and the liquid sounds of his sympathetic voice.
71Berlin "Lokal Anzeiger."
73Being obliged to come late to the Singakademie I did not hear the aria from "Hamlet" sung by Mrs. Mary Howe-Lavin nor the arias from "Aida" or "The Jewess" sung by William Lavin, but I heard enough to convince me that both people are splendid singers. Mary Howe showed us a strong, full, even, pure voice, possessed of remarkable technic. Hers was a most happy appearance in the concert hall, and after never ending applause she was obliged to give as an encore a song of Grieg's in the German language. We heard Mr. Lavin only in the great duet from "Aida" with his wife, but we can say that he has an easy, expressive and sympathetic voice and that the next time he sings we shall most certainly not be absent from the performance.
75"Neue Preussische Kreuz Zeitung."
77We had no idea that we were going to hear Saturday evening such a splendid concert as was given by Mary Howe and William Lavin. We only wish that our German singers had half the good qualities that this "singing pair" have; then our concert stage would be tremendously improved.
79A voice of truly fascinating loveliness, a most praiseworthy school, a use of the head voice which we have hardly ever heard before, good, pure intonation, a simple and distinguished style, and in all respects a pure and brilliant coloratur—what more can one want?
81William Lavin possesses also a beautiful, even, sympathetic voice, and his style—warm, fresh and full of life—is highly to be praised. With splendid dramatic feeling and warmth was given the great duet from "Aida." That these singers had a very unusual success is understood, and the wish that this incomparable "singing pair" shall return to us soon is universal.
83"Vossische Zeitung."
85Mrs. Lavin was already known to us from her appearance at Kroll's. The charm of her soprano lies in the piano which she maintains up into the octave in alt. The voice there sounds silvery, airy and tender. In the aria from "Perle du Brésil" it could hardly be separated from the tone of the obligato flute. Fluent and certain is her coloratur, especially the firm, nimble trills on high notes. Lavin's tenor voice is of soft timbre, but clear and powerful, especially in the high register. Mr. Lavin sings in Italian manner, but the darker color of his vocalization tends toward the German school. His expression is one of momentary vivacity, which might lead one to think that he belongs upon the operatic stage. His intonation is of remarkable reliability.
87"Berliner Boersen Zeitung."
89Mrs. Mary Howe-Lavin has, since her appearance here at Kroll's in 1889, ripened into one of our foremost coloratura singers. She possesses a remarkably sonorous voice of the big compass up to high E, and knows how to handle it with perfect mastery. Her vocalization is flawless in all registers, and these are perfectly even, which, together with her technic, for which no difficulties seem to exist, make her one of the noblest and now so rare representatives of the bel canto. The artist sang with pronounced success, and received endless applause, flowers and other tokens of esteem in richest measure. Mr. Lavin is the possessor of a powerful tenor voice that reaches up to high C. He made his best effect by means of the dramatic faithfulness of his interpretation and, with his wife, shared the honor of the public favor.
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93After the Howe-Lavin concert I complied with an invitation to the annual ball given by the Berlin Press Club, and I must say that it was one of the most interesting affairs of the kind I ever attended. Everybody of importance in the artistic or literary world of Berlin and a good many from out of town were present at the Philharmonie. In the musical field the Opera was strongest, represented by such notables as Count Hochberg, Leoncavallo, Pierson, Sucher and his wife, Dr. Muck, Pollini, of Hamburg; Gross, of Bayreuth; Gudehus, Buloz, Krolop, Lieban and a host of others too numerous to mention or to remember.
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97After an absence of several years, spent in London, one of the world's greatest violinists, Emil Sauret, made his rentrée here with a concert of his own at the Singakademie last night. I had not heard Sauret since he left New York some seventeen years ago. The Frenchman, who at that time was the first husband of Teresa Carreno, left the New World in disgust. He was not appreciated there, and he could not even make a decent living. To-day it would be different in all probability. For not only has Sauret grown to be a much greater artist than he was at that time, but New York has since learned a good deal and great artists are better appreciated there now than they were seventeen years ago.
99Sauret, who is well liked here was greeted by a large audience, predisposed in his favor. The violin element of course was most strongly represented, and the only one of importance I did not see was Joachim. Where was he?
101For his opening number Sauret performed the horribly difficult and by no means equally effective violin concerto in C major, op. 30, by Moriz Moszkowski. The composer himself conducted, and as he is not very efficient in handling the stick, and most of the time lagged behind with the orchestra, he neither rendered the soloist nor himself a service. The concerto has many beauties, but most of those, especially in the first movement, are strongly reminiscent of Richard Wagner, and above all "Die Meistersinger." A mental coherency between the different movements seems to be lacking, and altogether this Moszkowski violin concerto will hardly survive its author. A not much better fate will befall the "Pibroch," by Mackenzie, which was Sauret's second work for interpretation. A few cases in a big desert of difficulties, bizarries and agglomerations of national Scotch peculiarities, are the distinguishing features of this composition, and it is only when players of the technical ability of a Sarasate or a Sauret give to its performance all the thought and skill they are possessed of that such dreary stuff as the Rhapsody in F and the A minor Caprice will take with the public. The Scotch dance at the close, however, is effective and captivating. one of two readings
102For his opening number Sauret performed the horribly difficult and by no means equally effective violin concerto in C major, op. 30, by Moriz Moszkowski. The composer himself conducted, and as he is not very efficient in handling the stick, and most of the time lagged behind with the orchestra, he neither rendered the soloist nor himself a service. The concerto has many beauties, but most of those, especially in the first movement, are strongly reminiscent of Richard Wagner, and above all "Die Meistersinger." A mental coherency between the different movements seems to be lacking, and altogether this Moszkowski violin concerto will hardly survive its author. A not much better fate will befall the "Pibroch," by Mackenzie, which was Sauret's second work for interpretation. A few cases in a big desert of difficulties, bizarreness and agglomerations of national Scotch peculiarities, are the distinguishing features of this composition, and it is only when players of the technical ability of a Sarasate or a Sauret give to its performance all the thought and skill they are possessed of that such dreary stuff as the Rhapsody in F and the A minor Caprice will take with the public. The Scotch dance at the close, however, is effective and captivating. one of two readings
104The great hit of the evening was made by Sauret with Saint-Saëns' piquant and Frenchy introduction and Rondo capriccioso, which was given in superb style with elegance, finish, dash and of course magnificent technic, tone and admirable bowing. To the storm of applause that followed Sauret responded with an unaccompanied violin variation fantasia on a theme from "Lucia," which bristled with difficulties and which he dashed off in an absolutely inimitable manner. Of course he was recalled again and again, and the public would not leave the hall until he had yielded to another encore demand. The Philharmonic Orchestra besides furnishing the accompaniments contributed to the program under Mannstaedt's direction the "Prometheus" overture by Beethoven, an andante from one of Tchaikowsky's string quartets, and the "Dance of the Will o' th' Wisps" from Berlioz's "Damnation of Faust."
106* * *
108I am in receipt of the following unexpected epistle from a very young but evidently also very promising gentleman, which I herewith reproduce verbatim et literatim:
110Mr. Floersheim:
112SIR—Some time ago I chanced to peck (sic!) up a copy of your interesting paper (of which, thank heavens, I am not a regular reader) and read a most insulting and silly criticism of the playing of my Uncle Sally Liebling. While I do not resent the criticism for the sake of the influence which it may exert on the public, I do resent it as an insult to my uncle, my family and consequently myself. You have also seen fit to speak of my father, Max Liebling, in very derogatory terms at times, and I feel myself called upon to warn you herewith that if you ever dare to repeat those or similar remarks about my uncle Sally Liebling I shall thrash you publicly. Perhaps a hore whipping (sic!) in public will cure you of your habit of cowardly attacks upon eminent artists who have incurred your displeasure.
114LEONARD M. LIEBLING,
115Charlottenstr. 5 II.
117What the last sentence about the hore whipping has to do with it I do not exactly see, for I fail to remember that the uncle, Sally Liebling, ever "incurred my displeasure," and he most certainly is not an "eminent artist." Quite on the contrary, I "dare to repeat" that he is rather a poor pianist. Now "lay on, Macduff."
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121Mrs. Marie Ritter-Goetze seems at last to have recovered from her throat trouble. She has returned to town from
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