Scan 10
Musical Courier 1898-06-01: Vol 36 Iss 952, 1898
58 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 11. See the scan on archive.org.
1THE MUSICAL COURIER.
3BRITISH OFFICES OF THE MUSICAL COURIER,
421 Princes Street, Cavendish Square,
5LONDON, W., May 13, 1898.
7IN consequence of the great success which has attended the Lamoureux concerts, an extra one will be given on May 21, when the program will include the overture to the "Magic Flute" and the symphony "Eroica."
9Mlle. Rosa Olitzka has lately been singing with great success at the Singakademie, Berlin, and was then engaged for several operatic performances in that city during the latter part of August. Mlle. Olitzka will shortly be in London, and intends to give a vocal recital.
11Mme. de Champmoynat, the gifted French composer, whose portrait recently appeared in the London MUSICAL COURIER, has made arrangements for the publication of her piano compositions with Messrs. Forsyth, Schott, Enoch & Hill, while her songs will be published by two other well-known houses.
13Herr Georg Liebling has been engaged for one of the Hallé-Cowen concerts in Manchester early in November, and has also been offered for early next winter a brilliant tour in Canada, to comprise twenty-five recitals.
15Miss Rachael Hoffmann, well known as a pianist in New York, where she has lived for some time, and appeared with Damrosch and the late Anton Seidl, is now in London. Miss Hoffmann is a native of Brussels, and studied at the Conservatoire there under Auguste Dupont. She has appeared both in that city and in Paris with much success.
17Miss Agnes Niles, a native of Cedar Rapids, Ia., U. S. A., and pupil of Moszkowski, will give a piano recital at Steinway Hall on May 16, when Miss Regina de Sales will be the vocalist.
19Leo Stern, the 'cellist, has arrived in London after a long and successful tour in America.
21M. Emil Sauer was lately very successful at a concert of the St. Cecilia Society in Rome, and was invited to play at some of the state concerts. He is now touring on the Riviera.
23Herr Klindworth will be in London next month, where he will find many old friends, and he proposes to conduct a concert at St. James' Hall.
25Miss Margaret Reid, the young American soprano, who made her reappearance at Covent Garden as Siebel on Thursday, is related to Whitelaw Reid, the American representative at the Queen's Jubilee last year.
27At a reception given by Countess Bremer in Belgravia on May 7, Mme. Vanderveer Green and Whitney Mockridge contributed an interesting musical program, which included songs by Leoni, Lalo, Oscar Meyer, Korbay and Sheppard. They were assisted by Miss Bessie Waugh as accompanist.
29The Scala Orchestra has ceased, as an organization, to exist. Its final concert closed with the prelude to "Nabucco," with which the first concert began in 1879, when it was founded under Verdi's auspices.
31Sir Frederick Bridge has continued his excellent lectures this week. On Monday his subject was "Chopin's Songs," on Tuesday "English Organ Music," on Wednesday "The Development of the Oratorio," while the last lecture on Friday will deal with the Elizabethan madrigals of "The Triumph of Oriana."
33An enjoyable "at home" was given by Mrs. Atwater on Saturday afternoon, when an excellent musical program gave pleasure to a great number of her friends. Herr Georg Liebling gave a wonderful rendering of Liszt's Rhapsody No. 14, while Miss Muriel Handley's interpretation of Boccherini's Adagio and Allegro from the Sonata for 'cello was marked by rare charm and grace. Vocal solos were contributed by Miss Margaret Stone, whose German diction exemplified the excellent method of Miss Eugenie Joachim, and by Miss Adelaide Lamb, who has studied oratorio with Miss Kate Bahnke. Miss Maud Evans was the accompanist. A pleasing feature was the recitation of "How Ruby Played," by Mrs. Frank Howard, and her no less successful delivery, in wig and gown, of the famous speech of Sergeant Buzfuz.
35The Worcester Philharmonic Society, newly established under the conductorship of Edward Elgar, gave their first concert on the 7th inst. at Worcester. Humperdinck's cantata, "Die Wallfahrt nach Kevlaar," was given in the first part of the program and put down again for the second. This innovation, which met with no little success with the audience, will doubtless prove a precedent for a like action in the production of new works of some of our composers.
37By invitation of Dr. Campbell a large audience of pupils and guests gathered at the Royal Normal College to hear a recital by a blind pianist from Boston, Edward Baxter Perry, who has much fame and a large concert experience in the States. A tone which even in fortissimo passages never loses its pure and sympathetic quality, great smoothness and delicacy of finger work, and an octave and chord technic of the Kullak School are the characteristics of his playing. Remarkable warmth and refinement, especially in the treatment of Chopin, have earned Mr. Perry the title of "The Poet Among Pianists." His accuracy, command of technic and scholarly methods would be remarkable in any player with or without eyesight, while a nicety of phrasing and extreme but judicious use of the rubato and a dramatic treatment of climaxes evince an unusual amount of musical feeling.
39Dr. F. J. Campbell, of the Royal Normal College, was Mr. Perry's first piano teacher in Boston thirty years ago. Later he studied with Kullak, Bruckner, Liszt and Clara Schumann. During the last ten years he has given about 1,300 recitals in the United States.
41THE OPERA.
43The opera season at Covent Garden opened Monday night with a performance of "Lohengrin," with Van Dyk in the title role. Mme. Eames' beautiful voice had ample opportunity in this melodious score, and as the demands of the opera upon her histrionic powers are not very great it suits her better than those roles calling for more action. Van Dyk's treatment of the hero was convincingly artistic and worthy of the position this artist has achieved. Mlle. Brema, vigorous and dramatic throughout, was thoroughly satisfactory in the part of Ortrud, which gives scope for so much effective acting. One of the newcomers, Herr Feinbals, made a most successful debut, though his full powers cannot be gauged on account of his obvious nervousness. Lempriere Pringle sang the part of the Herald, and M. Edouard de Reszké was a truly regal King. The singing of the chorus was excellent for the first night of the season, showing they had been carefully drilled, but the work of the orchestra fell far below the level we have a right to expect from Covent Garden. I understand that the directorate have brought over fifteen men from the orchestra of the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels, and that others have been engaged from Italy and France, so that many members of the present band are new to London and to Mr. Mancinelli as a conductor. Judging from the other night's work it will be some time before they really do efficient service. They need a man like Anton Seidl to put them into shape. one of two readings
44The opera season at Covent Garden opened Monday night with a performance of "Lohengrin," with Van Dyk in the title role. Mme. Eames' beautiful voice had ample opportunity in this melodious score, and as the demands of the opera upon her histrionic powers are not very great it suits her better than those roles calling for more action. Van Dyk's treatment of the hero was convincingly artistic and worthy of the position this artist has achieved. Mlle. Brema, vigorous and dramatic throughout, was thoroughly satisfactory in the part of Ortrud, which gives scope for so much effective acting. One of the newcomers, Herr Feinbals, made a most successful debut, though his full powers cannot be gauged on account of his obvious nervousness. Lempriere Pringle sang the part of the Herald, and M. Edouard de Reszke was a truly regal King. The singing of the chorus was excellent for the first night of the season, showing they had been carefully drilled, but the work of the orchestra fell far below the level we have a right to expect from Covent Garden. I understand that the directorate have brought over fifteen men from the orchestra of the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels, and that others have been engaged from Italy and France, so that many members of the present band are new to London and to Mr. Mancinelli as a conductor. Judging from the other night's work it will be some time before they really do efficient service. They need a man like Anton Seidl to put them into shape. one of two readings
46On Tuesday evening "Romeo et Juliette" was chosen for the London début of three artists entirely new to us. Miss Suzanne Adams as Juliette created a very favorable impression with her singing and acting, but at times her work lacked dramatic significance. M. Saléza showed at times a slight tendency to flatness, due to his having failed probably to gauge the size of the theatre. In the duet with Tybalt he somewhat overdid facial expression and gesture, but in the latter part of the opera his voice proved clear and fresh, of genuine tone quality, enabling him to take the effective high B's with apparent ease. I have no doubt he will form a valuable addition to the thin ranks of opera tenors. Miss Fanchon Thompson, who, I believe, is from Chicago, took the part of Stephano. I shall have more to say of her work later on. Among those included in the cast were Mlle. Bauermeister, MM. Plançon, Gihbert, Caseneuve, Soulacroix, Journet, Meux and Vanni. Signor Mancinelli conducted. There was just a little raggedness about the ensemble, but the orchestra showed some improvement on the previous evening's work.
48"Die Walküre" was given Wednesday evening and served to introduce to London Herr van Rooy as Wotan. This magnificent artist failed to make the proper impression at once, evidently from the effects of nervousness. As the evening progressed his work improved and the impression left was wholly satisfactory. Personally I doubt that his impersonation of this character was any better than that of David Bispham. The Brünnhilde of Marie Brema is worthy of very high praise, as her conception and impersonation of the character were exceedingly strong, always having the proper dramatic significance. Two debutants, Herr Costa and Frau Cziuk, were the Siegmund and Sieglinde respectively. The tenor has a good voice, which he uses intelligently, and his début was certainly a success. The same may be said to have rewarded the work of the soprano, though a persistent tremolo was rather disagreeable.
50The remaining parts were taken by Miss Meisslinger, as Fricka and Waltraute; Miss Maude Roudes, as Gerhilde; Mlle. Bauermeister, as Ortrinde; Miss Aldridge, as Schwertleite; Mlle. Regina de Sales, as Helmwiege; Miss McCullock, as Siegrune; Miss Bartlett, as Grungeerde; Miss Agnes Janson, as Rossweise, and Lempriere Pringle, as a fierce and imperious Hunding. one of two readings
51The remaining parts were taken by Miss Meisslinger, as Fricka and Waltraute; Miss Maude Roudes, as Gerhilde; Mlle. Bauermeister, as Ortrinde; Miss Aldridge, as Schwertleite; Mlle. Regina de Sales, as Helmwiege; Miss McCullock, as Siegrune; Miss Bartlett, as Grungerde; Miss Agnes Janson, as Rossweise, and Lempriere Pringle, as a fierce and imperious Hunding. one of two readings
53The operas to follow are: "Faust," on Thursday; "Carmen," on Friday; "Tristan and Isolde" (with the two de Reszkés and Mme. Nordica), on Saturday. Next week we are to have "Romeo et Juliette," "Orfeo" (preceded by "Philemon et Baucis"), "Lohengrin," "Les Noces de Figaro," "Tannhäuser" and "Die Meistersinger."
55CONCERTS.
57Mme. Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler has made a great success in London. I do not remember any woman who from the first made so great an impression in this arena, where all the great artists of the world appear nearly every year. To triumph as she has done is certainly a great artistic achievement, and no one is more deserving of this success than she. A signal honor has been conferred upon her by selecting her in the place of M. Paderewski to play at the Lower Rhenish Festival next month. At
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