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Musical Courier 1894-06-20: Vol 28 Iss 745, 1894
29 lines. Read by computer on 20 September 2026. Printed page 11. See the scan on archive.org.
1European Headquarters of THE MUSICAL COURIER.
2BERLIN W. Linkstrasse 17, May 31, 1894.
4IF it is undoubtedly true, as proverbs never lie, that the early bird catches the worm, I don't ever again wish to be the early bird at an exhibition. I caught nothing at the Antwerp exhibition but a pretty severe cold. The big thing itself was not half finished when I was there ten days ago, and it looks as if it would not be finished for another six weeks or thereabout. So don't you go there until you are ready to start for the Bayreuth performances. Most backward of all is the pavilion yclept "American Progress," in which nothing at all was progressing except a few workmen who were busy unpacking some Edison phonographic apparatus, and others who were taking some roll top writing desks and similar furniture out of their boxes. The rest was, if not silence, for the present at least only bare walls. Of musical instruments the French section showed the most complete assortment, foremost being the pianos of Erard & Co., Pleyel, Wolff & Co. and Henri Herz, wind instruments of Martin Thibouville, the older, and marqueterie of Chevreil, of Paris. In the Belgian section I saw the pianos of Guenther, of Brussels, and Gevaert, of Ghent; in the German section the pianos of Mand, of Coblenz, claimed my attention, and in the English section I would have tried the Bell organs from Canada, if anybody had been there to unlock them for me. A complete report of this branch of the exhibition will be given in the trade department of THE MUSICAL COURIER later on when all the exhibits will have been completed. At present writing the entire undertaking is apt to create more the impression of a big fair with Kirmesse attachment than that of an international and industrial exhibition. The attractions of the rue de Caire and the accomplishments of some other booths' inhabitants you can see far more decently (?) at Paris any day in the week, if you are so inclined, and the only thing that is really worth seeing and highly interesting in the show line at the Antwerp exhibition is the historically correct imitation of "Old Antwerp." This latter I can recommend to all intending visitor of the exhibition.
6My trip up and down the Rhine from Cologne to Coblenz and back was as pleasant as of necessity it was short, but as it was not undertaken in connection with events musical I have nothing to chronicle that would interest you. I returned to Berlin the day before yesterday and have been busy seeing and interviewing Americans ever since. The first one to call on me was my old friend George Neimbach, of the celebrated piano firm of Geo. Steck & Co., of New York, whom I had not seen for nearly two years. I took him to the Royal Opera House, where we saw an excellent performance of Smetana's "The Bartered Bride." The work was last year given here at the Theater Unter den Linden by a Bohemian national company, when I took occasion to comment upon its many musical beauties, which, however, are a trifle weakened by occasional lengths and too many repetitions; above all, however, the opera suffers from a tame, too complicated and not over interesting book. The overture, which is a veritable masterpiece, you have also heard at New York, and it is decidedly the best part of the entire composition. "The Bartered Bride" was brought out as the fifth or sixth novelty of the present season at the Royal Opera House, while I was at Aix-la-Chapelle, and has since been repeated a number of times before crowded houses. The house was also sold out the day before yesterday, and the performance under Weingartner's direction justified the great praise which it had elicited from public and press at the première. Of the performers, Miss Weitz, as "Marie," the heroine of the plot, was charming in every way, while Sommer, as "Hans," sang well, but as usual acted stiffly. Lieban, as the stuttering "Wenzel," was excruciatingly funny, and Moedlinger, as the marriage maker, "Kezal," very humorous and vocally sonorous. The rest of the cast was likewise good and efficient, especially Miss Dietrich, as "Esmeralda," and the Bohemian national dances in the first two acts were executed by the corps de ballet and some coryphées, among whom Miss dell'Era greatly distinguished herself in the "Furiant." Tetzlaff's mise en scène as usual was all that could be desired.
8Yesterday morning I had, earliest of all, a most pleasant call from Henry Heyman, Esq., K. S. O., "solo violinist to His late Majesty, King Kalakaua," one of the oldest friends THE MUSICAL COURIER ever had in San Francisco, an artist who is in the very front rank among the musical people of the Pacific Coast, and such an all around good and jolly fellow that everybody must of necessity like him and that it did my heart good to meet him once more. Yesterday he was the guest here of Joseph Joachim, and from here he will go to Leipsic, Dresden, Weimar and Vienna to meet old friends, of whom he has a legion. He was succeeded by Mr. Sebastian B. Schlesinger, the Boston Lieder composer, and later on I called on Miss Louise Nikita, who passed through Berlin yesterday en route to Paris, where she has gone to meet Ambroise Thomas, the veteran French composer.
10I caught a short interview with the pretty diva and learned that she had just arrived from Russia, where she had sung forty times in opera and given fifteen concerts during the period between December 13, 1893, and April 27, 1894. She sang "Mignon," "Lakmé," "Zerlina" ("Don Juan"), "Juliette" ("Romeo et Juliette"), "Marguerite" ("Faust"), "Gilda" ("Rigoletto"), "Zerlina" ("Fra Diavolo"), "Rosina" ("Il Barbiere"), "Cherubino" ("Nozze di Figaro"), and "Santuzza." For the operatic engagement she received—besides hotel and traveling expenses for herself, mother and secretary—60,000 rubles, and for the fifteen concerts Lanjeintz paid her 45,000 rubles, in all 105,000 rubles.
12She has been compelled to refuse many tempting offers from Europe and the Continent on account of having renewed her contracts in Russia for the season of 1894-95.
14"Yes," said Miss Nikita, "I am an American, 'native and to the manor born,' and am justly proud of the triumphs with which my faithful Russian admirers overwhelm me; these jewels, ribbons and costly bric-a-brac bear silent testimony of a genuine appreciation of the songs I sang. How much happier I should be if I could only bring myself to imagine that the outrageous treatment I met with in Chicago did not happen in the country I call my home!"
16In the evening I went in company of that most excellent artist and amiable gentleman, Mr. Joseph Staudigl, the baritone, whom you will remember from the first season of opera in German at the Metropolitan Opera House, to Kroll's establishment. The cool and brilliantly lighted garden has been greatly improved, and the new orchestra Kios is one of the most handsome structures of the kind I ever saw. As it was a Wednesday, the program was a "classical" or rather symphony concert one. These symphony concerts are given by the excellent "new" orchestra of fifty-two artists, which Manager Hermann Wolff has engaged, and which is being conducted by Paul Prill every Wednesday, while on every other day of the week and also Sundays "popular" programs of the better and best class of lighter music prevail and the performances of the "new" orchestra alternate with those of one of the best of the numerous military bands of which the German capital boasts.
18As I said before, this was symphony evening, and the program opened with the finely "executed" Goldmark "Sakuntala" overture. It was followed by Nos. 4 and 5 from Beethoven's "Prometheus" ballet music, in which the 'cello solo was played by Kiefer, the flute solo by Tronicke, the clarinet solo by Goehring, the bassoon solo by Fischer and the harp solo by Posse, all of whom did excellently. But the solo of solos was that of Concertmaster H. Kolkmeyer, who played the entire Bruch G minor violin concerto in most finished style and with broad and noble tone, the sonority of which was all the more remarkable as it was an open air performance on a rather damp evening.
20The second part of the program brought, besides Schubert's "Unfinished" symphony, a novelty in the shape of Hamish MacCunn's concert overture, "In the Land of the Mountains and the Flood." I heard it for the first time and was greatly pleased with the work of the talented young Scotchman. The first theme in B minor is strong, original and characteristic, and is well and variedly treated. In form the overture is very concise and almost a bit too short, but this is a rarer fault than the other extreme, and is moreover less dangerous. This overture makes me curious to hear more of MacCunn's music.
22The third and last portion of the program was of the mixed kind and contained the "Freischütz" overture, the Haydn Kaiser Franz string quartet variations, the Intermezzo from Delibes' "Naila" ballet, the Liszt Second rhapsody in the Mueller-Berghaus orchestration and Rubinstein's "Trot du Cavalier."
24To-day I had a very interesting call from Mr. Walter Damrosch, who is here in search, and a most successful one it seems to be, of artists for his season of opera in German, or rather exclusively Wagner opera. Mr. Damrosch tells me that he came from Vienna, where he ordered a good deal of new scenery of the celebrated Koutsky Brothers. Of his reception by Marianne Brandt he spoke in enthusiastic terms, and said that the famous singer was winning golden opinions now as a teacher whose pupils found engagements readily, an American young lady only recently having been placed at Mannheim and another one of her pupils at the Munich Opera House. From Vienna Mr. Damrosch went straight to Hamburg, where after a great deal of parleying with Pollini and by offering a fat contract he succeeded in engaging Max Alvary. This news will make the heart of many of the American young ladies beat a trifle faster. Mr. Damrosch tells me that he saw Alvary lately as "Tannhäuser," and that he found the handsome tenor's voice as fresh as ever, and even improved. Alvary will sing "Walter Stolzing," "Tristan," "Siegmund" and "Siegfried," while for the earlier Wagner heroes Mr. Damrosch has engaged Nicholaus Rothmuehl, formerly of the Berlin Royal Opera House, and one of the most conscientious and thoroughly reliable artists I ever knew. One of the best strokes of business done by Mr. Damrosch, however, is the engagement of Rosa Sucher. You will hear an "Isolde" such as you never even dreamed of, an ideal impersonation and a most rare one of its kind. Mrs. Sucher will also sing "Venus" in "Tannhäuser" and "Brünnhilde" in the trilogy. The engagement is perfect as far as the consent of Count Hochberg is concerned. The royal intendant received Mr. Damrosch most courteously and did all in his power to aid him, which is saying a great deal. It now remains for the Emperor to sign Mrs. Sucher's grant of so lengthy a furlough as the American tournée necessitates, but there is little doubt that His Majesty, who esteems the artist highly, will give his consent.
26These are all the engagements which Mr. Damrosch, who finds it difficult to get really first-class artists, has so far definitely concluded; but engagements, he tells me, are pending with Mrs. Milka Ternina, dramatic soprano from the Munich Court Opera; with Miss Gadsky, soprano, of Bremen; Mrs. Fraenkel-Krauss, a young contralto, also of Bremen, and with Carl Nebe, of Carlsruhe, the best "Beckmesser" I ever saw. All costumes are ordered by Mr. Damrosch here in Berlin.
28Another engagement for the United States just reported to me is that of the little girl pianist, Frieda Simonsohn, of whom I spoke admiringly in one of my former letters. On a tournée which this wonder child made in conjunction with Mrs. Patti in England last season the diva took such a fancy to the little pianist that she recommended her to the
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