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Musical Courier 1898-06-01: Vol 36 Iss 952, 1898
81 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. Printed page 10. See the scan on archive.org.
1in a few touching lines, expressing his great regret at not being able to be himself present on at least one of the occasions. A general vote of thanks is due to the Conte di San Martino, the president; Maestro Marchetti, the director of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, and the other members of the concert committee for the successful season which they have been able to carry through so well.
3At the Teatro Nazionale we have been having a series of "serious opera," including such works as "Cavalleria Rusticana," "I Pagliacci," Massenet's "Manon" and Paer's old "Maestro di Capella." The performances were quite creditable and fully equal to one or two of those at the Argentina earlier in the winter. Not presuming to be what is called "first-class" performances, at least in the way of those of the Costanzi have pretended to be, much praise is due to the management of the Nazionale in the way they put the above mentioned works on the stage, and as far as the cost was concerned, a comparison with the productions of the larger theatre was not entirely an unfavorable one by any means. At any rate they drew crowded houses regularly, a thing which the Argentina absolutely failed to do in the earlier part of the season.
5The Sgambati Court Quintet have just ended their usual series of chamber music concerts. At the first of these the beautiful trio of Tschakowsky, written as a tribute to the memory of his friend Nicholas Rubinstein, created a great impression, finely played as it was by the talented executants. The work was more or less of a novelty to Rome, not having been performed here, at least for some years.
7At the last concert Sgambati played the first movement of Sebastian Bach's ever fresh and interesting D minor concerto with string accompaniment in his usual masterly fashion, bringing to a close a set of chamber music recitals which are deservedly popular here on account of their high artistic standard.
9The Costanzi opened the usual spring season of grand opera toward the beginning of April with Wagner's "Lohengrin," a work that has steadily maintained its hold on the Italian public since its first performance in this country.
11The representation was, with the single exception of the chorus, as fine a one as we have had in Rome of any work this winter. The cast was more or less the same as that of last November, when the opera was given in the same theatre:
13Lohengrin ……………………………………… Francesco Vignas
14Elsa ………………………………………………… Lina di Benedetto
15Telramund ………………………………………….. Oreste Benedetti
16Ortruda …………………………………………….. Amanda degli Abbate
17Heinrich ……………………………………………. Francesco Shaupher
18Herald ………………………………………………. Ruffo Tita
20Vignas was in even better form than when he sang the part here last autumn, and was well supported by the others. Signorina di Benedetto, who is the possessor of a good voice, unfortunately suffers from that only too common disease of good singers, obesity, so that she did not altogether come up in a material sense to quite what one expects an Elsa to be from an ideal point of view. However, the lady's voice did much to make one excuse in part this rather painful bodily defect, and to make one feel that if she could only by some new means reduce her weight she would be an addition to the not too large a group of good voices which we possess here.
22Signorina degli Ablate sang and acted her part in her usual fine manner and added one more success to those of last year, a success in which perhaps her personal beauty plays some part. I do not mean this as any reflection on her powers as an actress and singer, for to my mind she is one of the best on the Italian opera stage at the present day.
24Benedetti, as Telramund, also scored a decided success on this evening, especially in the second act with Ortruda. Ruffo Tita, who sang the part of the Herald, came as a general surprise to the audience. New to Rome, he proved himself, in his short part, to be the possessor of an extraordinarily powerful and rounded voice, of which he made such use in his few bars as to bring down a great round of applause from the whole house. To end the list, Spraughn acquitted himself well in the unimportant part which was allotted him.
26As to the chorus, there seems small excuse for the evident lack of sufficient rehearsal, especially after the fault found last year in this same direction. Though it showed some advance for the better, it was still far from perfect. The material is good enough; what is wanting is a sufficient amount of practice.
28The orchestra, under Mingardi's direction, was exceptionally good and their playing marked with precision and care throughout the performance. The opera was put on in a lavish manner and evidently no expense or trouble had been spared in this direction.
30The promise held out by this unusually good performance was not maintained in the rather uneven and weak one of Gounod's "Faust" some nights later, and though Oreste Sabellico did much to draw fairly full houses by his fine representation of Mephistopheles, the general tone of the performance was not up to that of "Lohengrin." Gounod's work is, however, always popular in Italy and it is invariably well supported by the public, whether the performances be of the highest class or not.
32"Faust" was followed by a successful performance of an old school work in the shape of Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor," with Signorina Padovanini in the title role.
34This week we are to have "Gli Ugonitti," with Medea Borelli, who is quite well known in Italy as a dramatic singer. The season is to be brought to a close later on with a performance of "La Traviata." Gemma Bellincioni is to have the principal role, and this means much, for she is not only the first singer of Italy to-day, but also one of the finest actresses that the operatic stage possesses.
36The Societa Filharmonica, under Pinelli's direction, gave two extra concerts this last month, the first made up of works by Wagner and Liszt, the second devoted exclusively to compositions by Felix Mendelssohn. Liszt's "Dante Symphony" failed to create much enthusiasm, except at the end, where the work is crowned and in a great measure saved by the grand Magnificat. The beautiful Char-Freitag music from Wagner's "Parsifal" was better appreciated than was the Liszt symphony. At the last concert we were given the "Reformation" Symphony, by Mendelssohn, together with the same composer's G minor piano concerto and the aria "Jerusalem." The soloists were Adele Aus der Ohe and Bici Mellotti-Reyna.
38As to the symphony I have never heard Pinelli's men play as badly as they did on this occasion. The work was scraped through in a manner which I have not heard equaled at any previous concert for these last two years. Another rehearsal, or even two, would not have done any harm, and very likely considerable good.
40The rather disappointing performance of the symphony was fully compensated for by Miss Aus der Ohe's brilliant and quite Mendelssohian interpretation of the master's hackneyed but ever fresh concerto, and it was a pity that the well-known pianist was not down on the program for some solos as well. Signora Millotti-Reyna sang the beautiful aria in exceptionally fine style, it being especially suited to her voice, and it is safe to say that these two soloists saved the concert from a threatened failure.
42There has been a long list of piano, violin and song recitals of late, among the most important of which were those of the pianist Radwan, who gave two recitals devoted entirely to Chopin, and that of Signorina Ghirardenga, a young singer of considerable promise, who has only lately made her initial appearance in Rome. This lady has a very sweet and sympathetic voice of good range and quality, and with due study will become one of the most valuable members of Rome's musical society.
44Courtlandt Palmer gave a very successful concert at Nice some time ago, and is now in Paris.
46Adele Aus der Ohe has been making quite a stay in this city, and has charmed many by her playing. I heard her play a number of her own compositions the other evening, and among them were some which were very interesting. Those that pleased me most were a "Bauerntanz," a "Concert Etude" and two numbers of her suite.
48Though she has only appeared at one concert, that of the Philharmonic, she has given many the pleasure of hearing her play at private receptions, &c., and it is to be hoped that, should she return, she may extend these pleasures to the general public by giving a recital or two.
50Alexander von Fielitz, who is becoming better known each year as a writer of songs, and whose name first became known outside of Germany through his song-cycle "Eililand," has been publishing several interesting new works of late. At present he is hard at work completing an opera, the libretto being by a well-known Viennese playwright.
52It would not be out of place to mention a few of his less known songs, for the large class of singers who are constantly looking for new or little known works will be amply repaid by a perusal of some of Von Fielitz's charming songs.
54Among his best I can recommend the "Sechs Toscanische Lieder," op. 6; the cycles "Schön Gretlein," op. 15; the "Mädchen Lieder," words by P. Heyse; the exceedingly dramatic "Narrenlieder," op. 47, for male voice, words by Otto Julius Bierbaum, and six or seven of the very pleasing ones published by Heinrichshofen's Verlag in Magdeburg. The others are all published by Breitkopf & Härtel, and anyone having his interest aroused by those I have mentioned will find several other charming songs among the list of this rising composer's works.
56Von Fielitz has paid less attention to the other branches of his art, though in his lyric pieces for piano, and in one or two of his compositions for violin, we find much that is of interest.
58The Easter music and ceremonies in Rome attracted the usual crowds of foreign visitors and pilgrims, so that the churches were continually packed. The singing of the "Tenebrae" at S. Giovanni Laterano during Passion Week by the full Papal Choir without accompaniment is one of the most impressive of all the services here, as well as one of the most interesting from a musical point of view.
60St. Peter's, though one of the most frequented of the churches here during Easter, is less adapted, on account of its vast size and relative lack of adequately powerful organs, for satisfactory musical services on the whole. Much of the best music here during Holy Week is to be heard in the smaller churches.
62However, as a whole the standard of sacred music is, with one or two exceptions, to say the least, degenerate. With all the possibilities for wonderful effects in the churches here, it is a pity that the Catholic Church does not pay more attention to the right organization and development of its choirs, &c. As to the organs, the less said the better. And this in the city of St. Peter—the capital of the Church! I am glad to say that these things are better attended to in the other cities of Italy.
64F. M. P.
66Romeldi.
68Emma Romeldi has been visiting Signor Leoncavallo at his beautiful home at Pallanza, Italy, preparing herself to sing Musette in his "Bohème" in Germany.
70JOSEPHINE S. JACOBY, CONTRALTO. Address: 104 West 58th Street, NEW YORK.
72TIRINDELLI Renowned Italian Violinist. Solo—Chamber Music—Instruction. Address: Auditorium School of Music, Cincinnati, Ohio.
74Dr. ION A. JACKSON, TENOR. ORATORIO AND CONCERT. For Terms, Dates, &c., address THOMAS & FELLOWS, Carnegie Hall, NEW YORK.
76HANS KRONOLD, VIOLONCELLIST. Concerts, Musicales. Address: MUSICAL AGENTS, or HANS KRONOLD'S STUDIO, 132 East 47th Street, NEW YORK CITY
78HELENE MAIGILLE, LABORDE METHOD VOCAL INSTRUCTION. 6 East 17th Street, NEW YORK. RESIDENCE: 285 WASHINGTON AVENUE, BROOKLYN, N. Y.
80Broad Street Conservatory of Music, GILBERT RAYNOLDS COMBS, Director. 1331 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE FREE.
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