Scan 11
Musical Courier 1899-11-29: Vol 39 Iss 1028, 1899
60 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 12. See the scan on archive.org.
1would have carried to the listener just as little conviction of the idea it was intended to portray in tones. It is different, however, with regard to the final movement, for in it we have really a first and quite plastic, albeit rather crude attempt at writing "program music." The surging strings in 32d notes are indeed descriptive of the scorching ride of Phaëton, the single ff. stroke upon the drum rather naively, but convincingly portrays the thunderbolt so smashingly thrown by the Sun God, and little short of true nobility and genuine inspiration are the closing chords of the symphony, the portrayal of Phaëton's corpse being brought to its final rest by nymphs. Aside from this last episode I liked best the minuet of the symphony, which, although in no sense descriptive of the composer's program, is very pretty music, and the actual forerunner of the most popular of Mozart's symphony minuets, the one from the E flat Symphony.
3No greater contrast could have been invented by Weingartner than to follow up Dittersdorf's symphony with the two best and most brilliantly orchestrated overtures of Hector Berlioz, the "Benvenuto Cellini" and the "Carnaval Romain" from the same opera. Of course they are well-known orchestral virtuoso pieces and we have all of us heard them ever so many times and under various conductors.
5I must confess for my part, however, that so far I have never heard them with greater verve, with more concise accentuations, with finer finish and with more telling and effective results. The so often misquoted state of the audience being carried off its feet was in place here. Even Weingartner never before displayed greater Schmiss or élan (I have no English synonym for the German or the French word of the same meaning) than he did on this occasion, and he distinguished himself, as well as did the Royal Orchestra, from whom I never heard better reproductions than those of the said two battle horses.
7The second half of the program was given over to Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony, a rather rarely performed work nowadays, for Mendelssohn is almost as much underrated in our day and generation as he was overestimated by the last preceding one. The study of "the symphonies after Beethoven" seems to have influenced Weingartner to put on some other symphonies besides those of Beethoven, as was seen in his last programs. I enjoyed very much the careful and loving reading of the first two, which are also the best movements of the symphony. The con moto moderato has ceased to interest me, and the final Saltarello, which is far more Jewish than Italian in its restlessness and nervosity, had an irritating effect upon me.
9The program for the next concert promises Händel's D minor Concerto for string orchestra, Bizet's "Roma" Suite and the Beethoven A major Symphony.
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13Great as was Willy Burmester's success at his first concert, of which I gave particulars last week, he may fairly be said to have surpassed himself last Thursday night, when he played the Tschaikowsky Concerto, the E minor of Spohr, the Rondo Capriccioso of Saint-Saëns and Wieniawski's "Faust" Fantaisie, by the way one of the best works of that genre ever written.
15Perhaps the greatest feature of the evening was the first number of the program. The Tschaikowsky Concerto was played with such breadth of grasp, intensity of interpretation and mastery of tone and technic that it must have made, and apparently did make, a profound impression upon all musical listeners. When Burmester first dazzled the Berlin public with his phenomenal performances of Paganini's works it is probable that but few guessed the extent of the stern musicianly qualities lying beyond that prodigious technic. But time has shown that he is as much at home in Beethoven as in Paganini, in Bach as in Spohr, in the Mendelssohn Concerto as in the Tschaikowsky. Every note singing from his violin tells of the earnestly artistic purpose which prompted its production. Every detail is worked out with absolute clearness, and yet there always remains a broad view of the piece as a whole. Burmester's tone is as pure as it is virile, broad and warm.
17There is no sawing with the bow, no rasping on the G string, no force put on the instrument. And yet no indiscretion of the orchestra can drown the dominant power of his violin; everything is heard and felt, and even in the most rapid passage work each note is distinct. As Burmester's tone has been called in question in some New York papers (though with what justification I am baffled to think!), I record my opinion the more deliberately.
19After the gigantic Tschaikowsky Concerto, the sweetness of Spohr, exquisitely as the Concerto was played, cloyed on me somewhat, but a Bach Prelude, given as an encore, acted as a welcome tonic.
21The last two pieces, though they formed the conclusion of an unusually arduous program, showed no flagging energy. The audience would willingly have protracted its enjoyment during an indefinite number of encores, but was obliged to be content with two Hungarian Dances, performed with irresistible dash and brilliancy.
23Burmester's laurels are many, but he has added a new leaf to his crown. It is a real pleasure to be able to record of a successful artist that he shows a visible advance every year.
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27Among the concerts which did not claim a whole evening's attention, but are worthy of mention, was one by Maria Blanck-Peters, whose song recital at the Singakademie drew quite a large and fashionable audience. The lady is a highly intelligent and very musical singer, but her voice is not very voluminous nor of a yielding quality. Her delivery, however, is always interesting, and the expression with which the lady endows it is heightened through facial mimicry in accordance with the contents of the text and music. Mrs. Blanck-Peter's program contained, besides the usual Schumann, Schubert, Brahms selections, two arias by Scarlatti and one by Mozart; also some modern Lieder by Reisenauer, Richard Strauss, Hugo Wolf, Edward Behm, Henning von Koss and Eugen d'Albert.
29Although Mrs. Blanck-Peters was evidently not in the best of voice, she was able to interest and enthruse her listeners, who demanded of her several repetitions and quite a number of encores.
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33Mieczyslaw Natrowski is a handsome young chap, still in the early part of his teens and evidently a very gifted violinist. He is the favorite pupil of Prof. G. Hollaender, who also conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra in the accompaniments to Natrowski's solo performances, and in the reproduction of an overture of a Slavonic nature which was composed by the young concert-giver. It is not a very deep nor yet very original work, but shows nevertheless, some talent of a creative order and good sense of form as well as fancy for orchestration.
35As a reproductive artist Natrowski commands an already very noteworthy technic, as shown in the pretty finished performance of such works as the third Bruch and the Mendelssohn concertos. The conception seems full of good musical intentions, but, as could hardly be expected otherwise, lacks a certain breadth and virility, which will come with riper years. The tone is healthy and pure, but also not very strong yet. What there is of it, however, is of sweet and pleasing quality.
37Of two smaller selections which Natrowski played, I liked very well a piece entitled "Zephir," by Hubay, which is effectively written for the solo instrument and contains also some pretty orchestral moments in the accompaniment.
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41Remarkably telling, vigorous and dashy is the violin playing of the young violinist from Switzerland, Miss Laura Helbling, who, in conjunction with Miss Mary Münchhoff, gave a concert at the Singakademie last Saturday night.
43Of our countrywoman and her art of singing I spoke in terms of praise in a recent issue of THE MUSICAL COURIER. I need to add therefore to-day only that she repeated the success and strengthened the favorable impression created at the first appearance. Such lovely, musical and clean singing as Miss Münchhoff's is a delight to listen to. She does not dazzle you with her coloratura, as so many of that class of vocalists are apt to do, and, in fact, excepting her absolutely flawless trill, I have heard coloratura singers who were far more wonderful, but her Lieder were delivered with even greater charm and beauty of tone as well as musical expression than her coloratura arias, and this combination is rarely found.
45Equally sympathetic, equally musical, but endowed with far more temperament is Miss Helbling, who has made great progress since I heard her last as a wonder child. Her bowing is sweeping almost to a masculine degree, and she belongs to the energetic sort of performers who take their audiences by storm. A little more finish and certainty in the way of technic will make of this young lady one of the first class of female fiddlers.
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49After this concert I had time yet for two acts of "Rigoletto," in which opera Alma Fohstroem made her guesting début upon the royal boards. I had heard her last year at the Theater des Westens and did not take a particular fancy to her. Since then the voice has not become any stronger, nor her art any greater. She is quite clever in a small, mincing way, but for the tragic moments of the two last acts of Verdi's opera, the lady lacks dramatic instinct as well as vocal power. Even her coloratura is by no means above reproach, the trill is ragged and the voice sounds well and charming only in piano and in the middle register, while the upper one has become quite sharp and slightly passé.
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53I have no time or inclination to deal with such artists as Hilda Nagel, a vocalist, who appeared at Bechstein Saal. Such young ladies should be sent to conservatories for the learning of the art of cooking and similar more useful than musical occupations. But unfortunately the great founder of such valuable institutions has not yet arisen.
55Auguste Goetz-Lehmann, who played the piano in solo numbers as well as in accompaniments at this concert, deserves a word of praise for painstaking, clean work, though she, too, is far from being a genius.
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59A concert which I should have liked to attend, but for which time was not vouchsafed me, was that given last night by the concertmaster of the Munich Kaim Orches-
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