Scan 28
Musical Courier 1896-12-23: Vol 33 Iss 877, 1896
41 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 29. See the scan on archive.org.
1MR. LEO STERN has been most successful at the recent concert of the Leipsic Gewandhaus with Dvorák's new violoncello concerto. It is stated that this is the first time an English cellist has played at one of these concerts. The audience was at first cool, but gradually thawed as the work proceeded, and at the end Mr. Stern was enthusiastically applauded and recalled several times. M. Nikisch warmly complimented Mr. Stern on his performance. In consequence of his great success he was commanded to the New Palace, Potsdam, to play before his majesty the Emperor William.
3On this last occasion he was accompanied by Hof Kapellmeister Muck, a most unusual occurrence, as Dr. Muck only conducts at the Court Theatre, but Mr. Stern was so highly recommended to him that he was induced to confer this honor on the English cellist. The emperor was delighted, and asked Mr. Stern many questions about his beautiful Strad., saying that he never before knew that Stradivarius made anything but violins.
5Mr. Stern's selections comprised compositions by Saint-Saëns, Godard and Chopin, as well as a tarantella from his own pen. At the close the emperor shook hands with him, and was good enough to say he had never heard such splendid playing, and promised to write to Princess Beatrice and say how much he had enjoyed it. Mr. Stern was then presented by Count Eulenberg to the empress, who was told of his appearances at the English court. A valuable souvenir of the event was a pin of diamonds and rubies in the form of the letter W surmounted by a crown.
7Writing of Mr. Stern's playing at the Gewandhaus concert, Bernard Senberlich says in the Leipsic Anzeiger.
9The second soloist was Mr. Leo Stern, from London, who appeared for the first time. His capabilities as a 'cello virtuoso were shown in the concerto by Anton Dvorák. This artist, who is still young, can confidently hold his own with our leading virtuosi. He has great neatness and facility of technic, pure, rich tone, and gave a tasteful rendering of the work. His playing is free from mannerisms. Perhaps a little more tenderness in the cantilene might be more desirable, but, aside from this he left nothing to be desired. His shakes, harmonics, glissandos came out perfectly clear. At the close the soloist had much success and many recalls.
11Mme. Norcrosse was specially engaged for the gala performance of Carmen at Mainz, on the birthday of the Grand Duke of Hesse. She achieved a veritable triumph. Godslive, the new oratorio by Edgard Tinel, recently appointed as professor of counterpoint at the Brussels Conservatoire, will be performed at the fourth concert populaire.
13Last Tuesday a concert of Emile Mathieu's compositions took place at Louvain. Among the other pieces of this composer, a new violin concerto with orchestra was performed for the first time.
15At Liège the first of the Nouveaux Concerts was also a striking one, and the occasion of a great success for Miss Marie Brema, who sang exceedingly well the last scene of The Götterdämmerung, three Irish songs by Stanford, and Lieds by Schubert and Schumann. The orchestral pieces included Henry Duparc's Leonore and Claude Delrissy's "L'après-midi d'un faune" (a young composer of the new French school which Sylvani Dupuis has already made popular in Liège). These were very cleverly given under Sylvani Dupuis' powerful baton. one of two readings
16At Liège the first of the Nouveaux Concerts was also a striking one, and the occasion of a great success for Miss Marie Brema, who sang exceedingly well the last scene of The Götterdämmerung, three Irish songs by Stanford, and Lieds by Schubert and Schumann. The orchestral pieces included Henry Duparc's Leonore and Claude Delrissey's "L'après-midi d'un faune" (a young composer of the new French school which Sylvani Dupuis has already made popular in Liège). These were very cleverly given under Sylvani Dupuis' powerful baton. one of two readings
18Mlle. Sethe is now on tour in Belgium, where she played last Tuesday week for the first time the concerto by Emile Mathieu, recently composed. Her last concert there takes place in Antwerp on the 13th, and after having played in Steinway Hall on the 15th she will start for Scotland.
20At the weekly musciale of Mr. Sebastian B. and Miss Schlesinger on Saturday, November 28, Mr. Harold Bauer played a composition by Mr. Schlesinger, a ballade by Chopin, the Walküren March, &c., and electrified his audience by his masterly playing. He is certainly one of the foremost pianists of the day. Such delicacy, combined with such power and execution, is rarely heard. Baroness von Reibnitz, daughter of Mr. Schlesinger, sang a number of her father's songs, and Mr. Schlesinger sang various excerpts from Schubert.
22Mr. Joseph Bennett will give a Schubert lecture at Gloucester on Friday. The lecture will be illustrated by eight songs, sung by Mme. Medora Henson and Mr. Ben Davies, and the selections for the piano, the Impromptu in A flat, and three numbers 3 and 6 of his Moments Musical, played by Mr. Waddington Cooke.
24Mme. Moriani, the well-known teacher from Brussels, will be at the First Avenue Hotel, Holborn, from January 3 to 10, to give consultations to singers and lessons in singing.
26Our correspondent writes from Wellington, New Zealand, that there has been "a musical battle" during the past few weeks. Mr. Alfred Hill refused to conduct the Orchestral Society at a concert given by Chevalier de Kontski, on the grounds that the veteran pianist was not what he claimed to be—namely, the only living pupil of Beethoven—and that in Auckland he stooped to the level of a circus performer by playing the piano with blankets on the keyboard. The society decided to assist the chevalier, and obtained the services of another conductor. Mr. Hill then resigned his position. M. Ovide Musin had previously engaged the services of the Orchestral Society, but when Mr. Hill resigned declined to allow them to assist him.
28The Orchestral Society asked Mr. Hill to reconsider his resignation, but in the meantime M. Musin made the young composer and violinist an advantageous offer to tour the world with him, which Mr. Hill accepted.
30Mr. Carl Armbruster has been giving a very interesting series of lectures. Their purpose is to bring forward some gems of song of a very different calibre to the usual ballad, songs which are neglected here in England, either because they are not known or are not understood. Mr. Armbruster points out the workmanship of the composition, the beauty of the inspiration, the unity of idea between text and music, relates the circumstances under which they were written, and gives a short biography of the composer. The last lectures treated of Berlioz, Wagner, Hans Sommer, and Max Schiller as song writers, and illustrations by means of some of their compositions were sung by Miss Pauline Cramer.
32CONCERTS.
34At the second Henschel concert, December 3, St. James' Hall was crowded to its utmost capacity. To the great drawing powers of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, Mme. Soldat's violin playing and the first performance in England of Dvorák's Te Deum must be attributed the generous demand for seats. As to the Te Deum, it sounds to our sober English ears more of a burlesque of sacred music than does the Amen chorus of Berlioz's Faust, the difference between the two being that Berlioz intended his chorus as a joke, while Dvorák wishes his to be taken seriously.
36The Queen's Hall Choral Society scored again over the performance of Samson and Delilah last Thursday evening, and more than realized the expectations formed at their opening concert. A better performance it would be hard to obtain, and the time is not far distant when these concerts will be a pride of Londoners. The choral portion of Saint-Saëns' work allows for wonderful contrasts, and of this Mr. Randegger has taken full advantage. After the wail of the despairing people with which it opens, Samson's words, "Israel, burst your bonds," were caught up with exaltation that seemed truly inspired by hope renewed. The exquisite Philistines' choruses, Fair Spring Smiles Again and The Dawn Now Awaking, were given very sweetly, while the taunting of blind Samson was almost diabolical in its malevolence. The orchestra, too, did excellently, particularly in the Bacchanalian Dance, but once during the duet they completely drowned the soloists. This was a pity, for the other accompaniments were not too prominent.
38Miss Marie Brema took the rôle of Delilah, and sang magnificently. Only the first number was disappointing, and her portrayal of the beautiful Philistine, loving, haughty, wooing and revengeful, was a perfect work of art. She received quite an ovation at the end of Act II., and well deserved it. Mr. Edward Lloyd, who is not so much at home in dramatic music, sang with considerably more passion than usual, but in spite of his splendid vocalization he does not make an ideal representative of the love-torn Hebrew. Very fine, however, was I See in the Hands of Angels. Mr. Andrew Black sang the music of the Priest of Dagon with excellent style, and made a great effect with his curse of Samson.
40The feature of special interest in the program of last Saturday's Crystal Palace concert was the performance of Mr. A. Barclay Jones symphony in C minor, first introduced at a concert of the Westminster Orchestral Society last June. The interpretation of the work under Mr. Manns showed its beauties to the greatest possible advantage. The intensely interesting first movement, the melodious second subject, and the work as a whole is a worthy memorial to the composer's dead friend and master, Thomas Wingham. The prelude to Tristan and the ballet music from the Vesprì Siciliani, of Verdi, were the other orchestral numbers; Mr. Mark Hambourg played the C minor concerto of Beethoven with his usual mastery of
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