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Musical Courier 1895-01-09: Vol 30 Iss 774, 1895
71 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 19. See the scan on archive.org.
1IN THE CONCERT WORLD.
3THE holidays are absolutely over at the time of this writing, else would the concert goer's occupation be gone. There has been little the past week, but the weeks forthcoming will pay up freely for preceding short scores.
5On Thursday evening the Maud Powell String Quartet, assisted by Mr. Carl Reinecke, clarinet, gave the third concert of the season at Chamber Music Hall. Haydn's D major quartet, and Brahms' B minor quintet were the ensemble numbers. Miss Powell herself played Bach's E major sonata, so that the program was one of reasonable brevity.
7Maud Powell's playing never disappoints. She has purity, dignity and breadth, and her work has much firm authority. The extremely familiar—positively domesticated—Bach music got excellent treatment at her hands and provoked well-earned enthusiasm. The Brahms quintet was the pièce de resistance of the program, and proved duly so in the performance. It had evidently had good rehearsal, and went smoothly, and, of course, Mr. Reinecke handled his clarinet like a musician, and proved himself an artistic force. The other members of Miss Powell's quartet acquitted themselves with more moderation and finish than was noticeable at the previous concert, and the entire program was intelligently and enjoyably given.
9On Friday evening the New York Trio Club, which must be noted as phenomenally active, gave a Beethoven program at the New York College of Music Hall. The club, which was assisted by Miss Louise Gerard, soprano, and Mr. Albert G. Thies, tenor, played the D major trio. Mr. Gallico and Mr. Jan Koert played the "Kreutzer Sonata," and Mr. Gallico played the C minor piano variations. As detailed in these columns a week ago, the club has a smooth ensemble and already plays like a trio in old time harness. Its members separately are solo performers of good reputation, and their vigorous combined rehearsals are bound to result in public performances of interest and value. They have no rivals in the "trio" field pure and simple, and as an initiatory organization their personnel is quite happy. The "Kreutzer Sonata" was played by request, and again did Mr. Koert recall more and more the manner of Adolph Brodsky, particularly in this same work, which Brodsky played here with Franz Rummel three seasons ago. Mr. Koert is always sure in his work and firm as steel in his methods. Mr. Gallico also performed his part well at the piano.
11The scena and aria "Ah Perfido" were sung by Miss Louise Gerard in the purest manner and with a fine and ample style. Miss Gerard has made big strides forward in the matter of dramatic as well as vocal breadth. As she gives an "Evening of Song" this coming week with her husband, Mr. Albert G. Thies, at Chickering Hall, she will be heard at varied advantage and can be written of more fully. She has an advantage in a rare degree over the average songstress of a particular intelligence and personal refinement. Mr. Thies sang "Adelaide" with just appreciation of its pure beauty. The New York concert goer can never hear this without recalling the Campanini explosion and a thankfulness that "Adelaide" should fall into less spasmodic and fiery hands.
13"The Messiah" was repeated on Sunday evening at Music Hall by the Oratorio Society, conducted by Walter Damrosch. It was a good house and sufficiently enthusiastic, particularly for Madame Nordica, who certainly earns her Oratorio laurels well. Her voice has the quality of a silver bell and carries with it the musical ring and echo of an instrument of the purest metal that has been properly struck.
15Nordica has still further a charming presence on the concert stage. She is one of those pretty, natural types which lose instead of gain in the frame of stage glamor and trappings. Hers is a fair, sweet, fresh and nut brown beauty, and just as winsome as the day in its smile and quiet bred grace. In the ordinary costume of everyday life she is a most fair, unspoiled and unartificial specimen of gracious womanhood. In no opera she sings does she manage to look one-fourth as pretty as when she is simply Lillian Nordica, either at home or on the concert stage. And then what a brilliant voice and at times superb delivery! It would appear often that she can outsing—but the least said soonest mended, only Nordica is an admirable artist. This much may go.
17On Monday of last week the fourth December "Musical Morning" was given by Albert Morris Bagley at the Hotel Waldorf. César Thomson played, Bemberg accompanied songs of his own and played an excerpt from "Elaine," and Mme. Mantelli, from the Opera, sang.
19Mantelli sang admirably and had an enthusiastic reception. Her voice and the large emphasis of her methods are better adapted to a wider frame. Nevertheless her sentiment and her dramatic delivery were, as usual, apparent, and the "Connais tu le pais," from "Mignon," was charmingly modified to the exigencies of the Waldorf ballroom. Bemberg accompanied her in his own "Chant Hindou," and for encore to the same she sang his "Amie-moi" so well that in the form of a double encore she had to repeat the second verse. Of course M. Bemberg was immensely in his element. The aristocratic women nearly clapped their gloves off for him, and that "Entr'acte" from Act II. of "Elaine" was absorbed with delight. Bemberg has a really graceful touch, but he will never take away the breath of his hearers by a forte. A Bemberg song, however, sung by Mantelli and accompanied by the composer, is a charming enough thing.
21The virile feature of the morning was the playing of César Thomson. Among his numbers were Max Bruch's "Adagio Appassionata," the finale from Wieniawski's second violin concerto, a Rubinstein "Romance," a Scandinavian folk-song, Mr. Thomson's own, and Sarasate's "Gipsy Dances." His astoundingly flawless execution was never more in evidence, and in the Bruch "Adagio" his sentiment took on a genuinely impassioned glow. It is the look of the pale, sober, unemotional visage surmounting the fiddle which seems to rob Thomson's playing of magnetism more than the actual performance itself. One can hardly look at the man and believe that the soulful-sounding and polished strains come from any other region than his reflective cranium, aided by a phenomenally dexterous hand. Thomson's face gives the lie to passion, and a terrible pity it seems; for hear his playing from a distance when he is not visible and it sounds fairly, often like the outpouring of a really turbulent soul.
23The Sarasate dances the other morning were played with a fiery sweep which with one's back to Thomson might be sworn to as temperamental, but turn and face the man, there was again before you only the intellect and technic. To make the emotional success, which after all would secure his position in this highly strung climate of ours, Thomson might be at his best behind a curtain à la Turiddu, first scene in "Cavalleria." His grave immobility confronting us is a chill to sympathy, and largely devitalizes strains which separably might rouse the blood. But taken all in all, what a mighty rock of purity and strength is César Thomson! He was felt the other morning and had a most cordial reception. Only if he looked as his instrument spoke he would have had everything at his feet, first and above any and all.
25Mantelli was showered with plaudits and petted by the ladies to more than her heart's content. Aside from her art, she has great personal magnetism, and is an extremely pretty woman off the stage, of the tall, slender, dark-eyed and pale, oval-cheeked variety. Mantelli got out of a bed with chills and fever to sing "Guinevere" at the première of "Elaine." Bemberg almost went on his knees to her in gratitude, as she had no understudy fully equipped for the rôle, and the piece would have gone asunder without her. "Madame Mantelli est un ange," he said; and for once Mantelli said she felt like it at heart, though she sang far off from her ordinary earthly harmony.
27Mantorami, her husband, swears by the New York press. They wrote next day that Mantelli was either ill or did not know her rôle, without having any certainty as to what was really the matter. "That was just," he said; "they did not sweep her out of existence and say simply she was a bad artiste, they furnished to themselves an excuse."
29The Mantellis are among the most intelligent and agreeable of the newcomers at the opera to find at home. The singer herself is a good all round musician, plays piano very well, reads rapidly and is ordinarily her own répétiteur. When she asks for Louis Saar Grau tells her good-humoredly that she can get along herself. She is the fairest, and at the same time a keen judge of her fellow artists. She declares Jean de Reszké to be the sort of perfect artist whose refinement in detail makes him grow upon one more and more at each performance. At the same time she says Tamagno moves her by his anguish in the fourth act of "Otello" more than any singer on the living stage. "When it comes," Mantelli says, "to the 'morta, morta, morta!' I am shaken so terribly that I could not myself keep up much longer." Tamagno himself, she says, is so strung up at this point, letting himself go because the end of the opera is reached, that he is completely played out and seldom leaves the stage without tears in his eyes. This episode Mantelli thinks the most heartrending effect of rugged passion on the present stage and works the greatest havoc with her own emotions.
31In the matter of praise she would rather one moderate word from Victor Maurel than the most cordial terms from the rest of the company rolled into one. She thinks him the most acute of critics, and in fact Maurel occupies a position of lofty distinction in the minds of most of the artists, whether they all express it freely or not.
33The men file in to sit in the front rows of the orchestra to study him when he sings, just as regularly as the curtain goes up. There was a liberal point in "Don Giovanni," however, which they all may not choose to copy if they get the chance. The supper table flowed with champagne—the real article. Maurel hates shams, hates poor setting, defective properties. He sent in the dozen bottles of wine, and to do the chorus ladies justice they drank it like good fellows, and didn't wait for Leporello to refill their glasses either. Maurel in "Don Giovanni" means a better beverage for the choristers than they always get at home, and they don't fail to profit by their opportunity.
35Maurel hates the "Huguenots"; the sitting about and pouring wine from empty tankards alternately in the first act is death to him. "Je trouve," he remarked the other day, "que les Huguenots est un opéra tres admirable des chaises et des fauteuils."
37M. Michel Mortier wouldn't have it this way. "La pièce m'embête," he said; "C'est vrai, mais je le trouve tres admirable de voir ce corps de grands artistes ranger par file après l'acte II."
39"Ah, Monsieur Scribe, Monsieur Scribe," repeated Maurel, half a dozen times wearily in reply, "Ce pauvre Monsieur Scribe."
41"Mais je les trouve pour moi un très belle opéra," he went on dryly, "Des costumes et des chaises. Pour moi c'est vraiment excellent pour les chaises."
43Mortier got half cross. He thinks Maurel looks well at least as "Nevers," and he finds the opera only half a one, while at the same time he dreads Maurel's sarcasm in anything regarding himself.
45"Mais je l'ai chanté" said Maurel, as if to appease him, "très agréablement, mais très agréablement, mon cher, mais bon Dieu cette prodigalité de meubles!"
47Maurel's humor is exceedingly dry. He doesn't laugh very much, but his eye tells a frequent humorous tale. His speaking voice is a wonderful gift—full, deep and remarkably resonant. If Maurel should cease to sing he has a speaking voice to support his dramatic gift, which is hardly equaled on the stage to-day.
49The best picture made of him was painted by Constant on the La Bretagne coming over. He is done as "Iago," with golden red wig, and the picture stands in his apartment at the St. James. It is immensely effective. Everything about Maurel is effective for that matter, and well considered.
51And so we will let the forthcoming "Falstaff" rest for the present.
53At the Twelfth Night Club reception on Sunday evening Mr. and Mrs. Albert G. Thies (Louise Gerard) again sang. They are prime salon favorites, aside from their serious aims in art, and always do delightful and encorable work in the concert room.
55Mr. J. Charles Aster, a new arrival in New York, who has opened up a recherché studio at 10 East Twenty-third street, somewhat after the model of his recent studio in Paris, opens up this week with a series of musicales, assisted by Mrs. Ida Gray Scott. A list of prominent artists is put forward for the first, headed by Plançon.
57A New Schlesinger Song.—The New York "Herald's" European edition published in its Christmas number an original song by Sebastian W. Schlesinger, to words of Col. Richard Henry Savage, entitled "Love Haunted." The song is copyrighted, and is to be published by J. H. Schroeder, 12 East Sixteenth street, New York.
59Lachaume to Write an Opera Comique.—Aimé Lachaume, the pianist of the Ysaye Concert Company, who wrote the music for Vance Thompson's pantomime, "A Dresden Shepherdess," has been engaged by Manager Saunders, of the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, to write the music for an opera comique to the book of Oscar Barrett. The new opera will be produced in London in September with Marie Tempest in the leading role.
61Balzac and Music.—The De Goncourts tells us, on the authority of Théophile Gautier, that "Balzac abhorred music." "Théo" did, we know. To him is generally attributed the saying that music was the most expensive noise of which he had cognizance. Balzac did not himself thoroughly-understand it, but he was deeply interested in it; he treated it most sympathetically; he got, so it is said a learned German to help him to deal with it elaborately and not a little pleased, it may be remembered, was he with the result.
63Had any writer of fiction, before Balzac, ever analyzed any musical composition with half the thoroughness with which, in one of his shorter stories, Balzac analyzed "Robert le Diable," and all the method of Meyerbeer? And Meyerbeer, it is worth noting, was, in the Paris of Balzac's day—just half a century ago—almost the Wagner of that place and time. He was an innovator scarcely less discussed.—"The Academy."
65Fine Choral Work.—The Dayton and Cincinnati papers speak in the highest terms of the work of the chorus in the performances of "The Messiah," given at the former place on the evening of December 28, and on New Year's Eve in Cincinnati, the Dayton chorus participating at the latter performance. All the chorus training was under Mr. W. L. Blumenschein, of Dayton, who also conducted the final chorus at Cincinnati, by request of Mr. Theodore Thomas, who was the director of the Cincinnati performance.
67New York College of Music
68128 & 130 EAST 58th STREET,
69ALEXANDER LAMBERT, Director.
70The College offers unusual advantages for a complete musical education. Catalogue sent free on application.
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