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Musical Courier 1894-02-14: Vol 28 Iss 727, 1894
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1The Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert.
3The fourth concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra occurred last Thursday night in Carnegie Music Hall.
5With the solitary exception of the name of Schubert, the scheme of music presented by Mr. Paur was an eminently modern one. Berlioz's "Romeo and Juliet," Chabrier's "Gwendoline" entr'acte, some pretty ballet music from Rubinstein's "Feramors," and Wotan's "Abschied" from "Walküre," gave a distinct impression of the sympathies of the leader of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for latter day music.
7The orchestra played superbly. No other organization in the country could have given the "Queen Mab Scherzo" with such inimitable finish. Rubinstein's ballet music—out of place on a serious program—was charmingly played, and the candle dance was encored.
9Mr. Paur conducted with his usual devotion, but fell short in impressiveness and dramatic dignity in the Wagner number. Chabrier's entr'acte music showed that this eccentric Frenchman has studied Wagner to good disadvantage. He has the manner, too much of it, but he says little and that little with a tortured voice.
11Max Heinrich has been a stranger to our concert stage for some years, as he has been a resident of London until recently. He comes back to us as superb an artist as ever, but he sings with more breadth and has more of the heroic in his style than of yore. By all odds the best musician among singers, he does wonders with that vibrant basso cantante of his. It is not a large voice, but a most eloquent one, and he colors it with every emotion at will. He sang first Schubert's "Die Allmacht," a most trying song, and there the beauty of his legato and his musical phrasing were apparent. He caught the note of immensity in the work, which was orchestrated by Arthur Mees. Mr. Heinrich was recalled three times at the conclusion.
13He also gave an excellent reading to Wotan's music.
15Nature has not endowed him with the rich, mellow organ of Plançon, but he sang the Wagner number with more virility and meaning than the Frenchman. Mr. Paur's interpretation of the "Walküre" music, when compared with Seidl's, was labored and cautious. He is not to the Wagnerian manner born. Yet it was an interesting concert.
17Weimar Letter.
19Weimar, January 11, 1894.
21JOACHIM was the attraction at the last concert on the 5th. This was the first of two concerts given every season for the benefit of the widows and orphans of former members of the Grand Ducal Orchestra.
23Joachim always assists at one of these, charging nothing for his services as the proceeds go to the relatives of his former colleagues.
25The great violinist was received like a conquering hero, with a "tusch" from the orchestra and loud and prolonged applause on the part of the audience.
27It always does me good just to see Joachim on the stage. He is so unassuming in appearance and so natural, so unaffected in his manners, the very personification of modesty and simplicity. He seems utterly unconscious of his power until he puts the violin to his chin. One cannot but admire his modesty when one considers that he has been lionized by the musical world for more than half a century.
29One often hears the remark: "Joachim has seen his best days; he is on the decline." It's not to be supposed that he could play at sixty-three years of age with all the fire and brilliancy which he displayed at thirty-three. But, be that as it may, certain it is that as an interpreter of Beethoven and Bach he is still without a rival.
31His playing of the Bach unaccompanied sonatas, especially, is really phenomenal. Joachim plays all of the Bach violin compositions. But his repertory is on the whole not large according to modern standards, and it is made up almost entirely of works of the old masters. Some of them are works seldom if ever played by other violinists, as, for instance, the Mozart concerto.
33Here is the program of the concert:
35Symphony, F major………………………………………Beethoven
36Concerto for violin in A major…………………………….Mozart
37Allegro aperto.—Adagio.—Tempo di menuetto.—Allegro.—Tempo
38Aria from "Idomeneus"…………………………………….Mozart
39(With violin obligato.)
40Andante, C major…………………………………………..Bach
41Andante and Finale, for violin alone……………………..Bach
42Lieder………………………………………………………..Schumann
43Romanza…………………………………………………….Joachim
44Hungarian dances…………………………………………..Brahms-Joachim
46The symphony was indifferently played. Lassen conducted, instead of Strauss, and he is not a great concert conductor. His place is in the Opera.
48The Mozart concerto as played by Joachim proved exceedingly interesting. Some parts of the work are, to be sure, somewhat antiquated; it is not calculated to show off modern technic to advantage; but what a soothing effect it has on one in these days of prodigious technical feats and heavy orchestration! On a more modern program it would be far more effective.
50Joachim played his own cadenzas. The great violinist was at his best in the Bach sonatas. I have never heard him play as he played these three movements and an encore, also from Bach. Such breadth, such volume of tone and such clearness!
52His romanza is the work of a thorough musician, but not that of a creative genius. His performance of it and of his own transcription of the Brahms' Hungarian dances called forth the most prolonged applause. The entire audience stood up and for several minutes fairly made the theatre tremble. Joachim appeared and bowed again and again, but not until he put the violin to his shoulder again did the applause subside. He played another Hungarian dance. Still the audience was not satisfied. The applause and shouts of "bravo" were kept up for a long time. But the great violinist would not appear again. The songs and the aria were sung by Fräulein de Ahna, one of the sopranos of the Opera, in an indifferent manner. Her only merit is that she always tries to do well. The violin obligato was played by Joachim, seated beside his most illustrious pupil, Carl Halir, at the concertmaster's desk, where he himself used to sit as concertmaster more than forty years ago.
54The Weimar orchestra has always had eminent men at its head.
56Joachim's successor was Ferdinand Laub, also one of the greatest violinists of his day. Then came Edmund Singer, a pupil of the famous Vienna pedagogue, Böhm, who taught Ernst, Joachim, Hauser and others. About this time the late Dr. Damrosch was one of the first violins here. After Singer left the concertmaster's chair was unoccupied for a few years. Then in 1867, through the influence of Liszt, August Kömpel was secured. Kömpel was Spohr's favorite pupil. His playing of the Spohr concertos was unequaled. Joachim is himself a great Spohr player, but he acknowledged Kömpel superior to himself in this respect, and nothing could induce him to play Spohr compositions in Weimar as long as Kömpel lived. In 1884 Kömpel retired and Halir was engaged as his successor. Halir is in every way worthy of his illustrious predecessors. He has had many flattering offers in larger cities, in Berlin, Dresden and Buda-Pesth, but he prefers remaining in Weimar. His position here is a unique one, his time being entirely his own. He plays in the orchestra only when he chooses to, which is not very often, as he is away concertizing a great deal.
58* * *
60A new opera by Max Meyer Olbersleben entitled "Clare Dettin," has been given here several times with fair success. The composer studied here with Müller-Hartung. There is nothing very original in the opera.
62January 18.
64For the past week Eleonora Duse has been the talk of the town.
66The great actress, supported by her own Italian company, played here Monday night in "Cavalleria Rusticana" and the three act comedy "La Locandiera" (the landlady), by Carlo Goldoni.
68In spite of the double prices the theatre was over crowded. I have not seen it so full since the gala performance in honor of the Grand Duke's golden wedding a year and a half ago. Then it was not the stage but the audience that attracted. Such a display of nobility was ever before seen in Weimar. About the venerable grand ducal pair were clustered crowned heads. Nearly all the leading monarchs of Europe were present. In a city so proud and aristocratic as Weimar, such an assemblage of potentates in a public place, would naturally prove attractive. Duse proved equal to the entire body of sovereigns. What magic in her name! Twenty-fours after it was announced that she was to play, every seat had been sold. Seats had even been built in the orchestra.
70No one with any appreciation of dramatic art can see Duse in "Cavalleria Rusticana" without being deeply impressed. Such acting was never seen in Weimar. She is no doubt the greatest living actress.
72In striking contrast to her "Santuzza" was Duse's impersonation of the merry, fun-loving coquetish hostess in the harmless, amusing comedy "La Locandiera."
74The other members of the company are with one exception artists of average ability only. This one exception is F. Ando, who is really a great actor. As "Turriddu" he was a revelation.
76Ando is Duse's impresario as well as the leading actor of the company.
78Arthur M. Abell.
80Alton Sacred Concert.—A sacred concert was given in St. Paul's Church, Alton, Ill., on Thursday evening of last week by Miss Urilla McDearmon, mezzo; B. H. Wortmann, violin, and W. D. Armstrong, organist. The latter is a pupil of Clarence Eddy.
82Springfield Music.—A charity concert was given at Springfield, Ohio, February 1 by the Y. M. C. A. chorus and orchestra, assisted by Misses Pauly and Pretzman, T. P. Fetter and Clarence Lafferty. The chorus numbers fifty voices and the orchestra thirty pieces. Both are under the direction of Mr. Robert Brain.
84Anti-Ziegfeld.
86Dr. Ziegfeld and the State of Illinois.
88Editor The Musical Courier:
90A PROPOS to the announcement in THE MUSICAL COURIER of January 31 of Dr. Ziegfeld's "Comprehensive Scheme" we beg leave for space in your valuable journal for a word from one interested in the "musical life in small cities."
92His scheme sounds well, but the doctor must not forget that the inland towns of Illinois support teachers who have had at least equal educational advantages with those offered at the Chicago Musical College, and, moreover, teachers who are succeeding, not without discouragements, in convincing their patrons into a willingness to pay respectable prices for tuition.
94The great enemy to respectable prices has always been the pin money teacher, who is willing to teach his friends for what he can get. We have been able in a measure to meet this enemy on the grounds of his inefficiency. But what can we say now, when this great doctor who professes to be the very fountain head of truth and wisdom proclaims that he will take them under his wings at the "very low price" of 41 1/2 cents per lesson.
96The real climax, however, is reached when he speaks of his "scheme" as a great boon of incalculable value to the professional musicians of smaller cities, for he proposes to stimulate musical life and establish higher art ideals among them by means of his corps of "three bit a lesson" teachers.
98The price of tuition for the best instruction in every town of any consequence in the State ranges from $1 to $2 a lesson.
100Now we most heartily welcome into the midst of us musicians who can help elevate and maintain the dignity of the profession.
102But the man who teaches for three "bits" a lesson, even in the State of Illinois, is regarded as a disgrace to his calling.
104And when Dr. Ziegfeld proposes to send out his graduates to compete with local musicians at from one-half to one-fifth their prices, he has about reached the climax of his recent unprofessional career.
106We notice that a feature of his catalogue is "Professional Positions for Pupils" and to make good his promise he now proposes to sell out his fellow teachers throughout the State by a system of disgraceful competition.
108We sincerely doubt whether his graduates would teach in any town at such relative prices, and the fact suggests itself that in the wake of the World's Fair Chicago is filled with a host of paupers and adventurers. Can it be that he intends to engage musicians of the Midway-Plaisance category to "stimulate musical interest among professional musicians in small cities" at three "bits" a lesson? The doctor has a truly fertile brain.
110A. T. Graber,
111Greenville, Ill.
113The Last Kneisel Quartet Concert.
115THE Kneisel Quartet gave an interesting concert last Friday night in Chamber Music Hall, and played for the first time in this city a string quartet by Eugen d'Albert, the pianist. The work reveals learning and ingenuity, but is deficient on the spiritual side. The spoor of Brahms, Beethoven, even Saint-Saëns is present, the French composer's "Rouet d'Omphale" being suggested in the scherzo. The work as a whole reminds one of Beethoven's later style, and really deserved the exceptionally smooth interpretation it received. Mr. Franz Kneisel played Bach's great "Chaconne" in a finished manner, and the evening closed with the performance of Beethoven's quintet in C, Mr. Zach taking the second viola part. The playing of the club this season has been of inestimable value to the lovers of the most refined form of musical art.
117To Aid the Actors' Fund.—An important musical event is to be given at Carnegie Music Hall Thursday, March 8, in behalf of the Actors' Fund of America. The program will be performed by Walter Damrosch and the Symphony Orchestra. The novelty of the program will consist of a first performance of a new concerto for piano and orchestra composed by Mr. Friedheim, assisted by the Damrosch orchestra. Mr. Friedheim will also direct the Damrosch orchestra in a performance of Liszt's "Faust" symphony complete. The concerto in E flat by Liszt, for piano and orchestra, will also be given. This is the first concert of this dimension ever undertaken in behalf of this worthy charity, and the managers of the Actors' Fund hope to realize from the music loving public a handsome return from the same. The Actors' Fund assists musicians as well as actors who are rendered incapable by illness or other causes from pursuing their avocations.
119Church Organ for Sale at a Bargain.—Now standing in Fourth Presbyterian Church, West Thirty-fourth street, New York. Contains two manuals of full compass and pedals, 22 speaking stops; in very good condition; built by Messrs. Jardine & Son about 20 years ago. For further particulars address Farrand & Votey Organ Company, 1945 Park avenue, New York.
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