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Musical Courier 1902-01-29: Vol 44 Iss 1140, 1902
42 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026. Printed page 11. See the scan on archive.org.
1valuable old works that are neglected by our neglectful Royal Opera. Thus the latest of these "restudied" pieces, as they are called here, was Boieldieu's pretty "La Dame Blanche" (The White Lady). And extremely pleasing and delightful was this restudy of Director Sänger. He was most careful to remember that this opera belongs to a period when vocal and orchestral requirements were different than they are to-day. He permitted no bawling and mouthing on the part of the singers, and the orchestra made music, not noise. These are faults only too frequent in many representations at our venerable and respected Royal Opera Museum. No matter what the name of the composer, there they sing only Wagner. To them a piano represents merely a musical instrument much abused by women.
3Sänger is a musical stylist of no mean order, and to this fact is due the instant success which "La Dame Blanche" won with the large audience. Of the individual performances, special praise is due Aranyi, for his admirable George, and Louise von Bonomi, for her charming vocalization of the title part. Her coloratura is fluent and brilliant, her shading varied, and her trill rapid and sustained. The chorus was accurate and discreet.
5Günther Freudenberg is a persevering pianist, who annually gives a recital of notes before a large audience of paying friends and pupils. I could find no music in his playing. I admired his courage in attempting Moriz Rosenthal's arrangement of Chopin's Valse, op. 64, No. 1, and the same talented pianist's "Papillons."
7Emile Sauret, the dashing, finished violinist, gave an orchestral concert, and attracted an unusually large and enthusiastic audience. There are many persons here for whom Sauret stands as the most eminent representative of the French school of violin playing, not even excepting Sarasate and Ysaye. Certain it is that he possesses a phenomenal technic, both of fingers and bow, that he has a tone of infinite purity and sweetness, and that he is a musician of solid attainments. Incidentally, too, he has the most extensive repertory of any living violinist. (Objections are in order.) He played Dvorák's interesting A minor Concerto, with breadth and passion, and then gave us the best reading of Saint-Saëns' B minor Concerto that has been heard here this winter. The harmonics in the second movement were marvels of clearness and accuracy. A "Phantasiestück" (without phantasy), by Friedrich Gernsheim, and Ballade, op. 16, by Moszkowski, completed a program that was too long. The audience shouted their delight, and Sauret played two encores, replete with hair-raising technical flights. It may not be generally known that Sauret is the successful director of the violin department at the London Royal College of Music.
9The name Maria Avani sounds well. That is more than I can say for the lady's piano playing.
11Edouard Risler played three Beethoven concertos (C minor, G major and E flat major) at Beethoven Hall. He is a pianist who has been lifted into prominence through the efforts of one or two critics and their camp of hero worshippers. Hero worship in itself is a pleasant and useful pastime, but the first rule of the game requires the finding of a real hero. Heroes of the piano are scarce, and are growing scarcer every year. Risler is not one of them, and is not even a good imitation. He lacks personality, magnetism and charm. He has Bülow's hardness of touch and monotony of color, but not Bülow's intellect. He has Busoni's faulty technic, but not Busoni's poetry. He has Reisenauer's bad trill, but not Reisenauer's beautiful pianissimo. In the main, Risler played correctly, pedalled mathematically and phrased rigidly. But is that the highest art attainable on the piano? Have Liszt, Rubinstein, Tausig, Paderewski and Rosenthal taught us no different?
13When Risler came here from Paris some five years ago he was a fascinating player. He is in the wrong camp; he has been led along wrong musical paths.
15At the concert of the Berlin Ladies' String Orchestra (Singakademie) the only interesting happening was a graceful suite, daintily orchestrated, by Hermine Schwarz. This young lady is decidedly one of the most gifted among the female composers of to-day. She possesses a wealth of melody and resource of harmony that should help her to produce something noteworthy ere long. The suite has an abundance of effective material, and shows skillful workmanship.
17The excellent Hollaender Quartet played four comparatively unknown works at its second concert. A capable substitute reports: "A quartet in one movement, op. posth., by Schubert, proved to be of musical, as well as of historical interest. It deserves frequent hearings. A Sonata for violin and piano, by Felix Zellner, is well made, but contains no pregnant ideas. A suite for piano, violin and violoncello, by Friedrich Koch, is a highly poetical work, of exquisite workmanship and most beautiful melodic content. The organization earned warm applause, a not inconsiderable share of which was a token to the able leading of that sterling musician Professor Hollaender."
19Arthur Speed, piano, and Percy Such, violoncello, played at the Singakademie. Such won.
21Berlin Gossip.
23A young man writes from Youngstown, Ohio, asking information on three points: (1) "What are the addresses of the conservatories of music at Berlin?" (2) "What does good board and room cost?" (3) "Who are the flute instructors at the conservatories?" To these questions I should make answer: (1) "Address almost any number on any street." (2) "As much as your landlady can squeeze out of you." (3) "They are men who have taught the flutists of Cincinnati, Chicago, Boston and New York. You will find these places on any reliable map of the musical world. They are all within a day's interesting journey from Youngstown."
25In its London letter a Berlin paper reprints the following surprising news item: "A bottle, securely sealed, was recently washed ashore near Prolheli, Wales. When opened it was found to contain a musical composition. This has been christened 'The Tune in the Bottle,' and, together with the story of its discovery, has been printed. Thousands of copies of the composition have been sold. Nearly all the Welsh chapels have added the tune to their hymnology, and it is sung by large congregations every Sunday." This should prove a fruitful hint to some of our struggling composers. Magnum champagne bottles would do for unsalable string quartets, symphonies or operas.
27This week's repertory at the Royal Opera includes "Carmen," "Lohengrin," "Haschisch," "Pagliacci," "Cavalleria Rusticana," "Fidelio" and "Sybille of Tivoli" (new). The Theater des Westens will produce the following works: "Barber of Seville," "The Armorer," "Fledermaus," "Czar und Zimmermann," "Martha" and "Vilma Blood."
29An echo of the recent Rosenthal successes in Russia has reached here in the shape of an article from the leading St. Petersburg newspaper. We quote a few paragraphs: "Society mad! Women in exquisite evening toilettes, men in priceless 'Siberiakis' (furs), crowded about a stage, shouting, pushing, waving handkerchiefs, wild-eyed, palpitating, breathless. That was the spectacle at the Rosenthal concert. Such a demonstration could not be called mere enthusiasm; it was a frenetic hallelujah of appreciation. The ecstasy caught even the cooler critics, and with the audience they stood about the estrade, frantically demanding encores. From the standpoint of technic no other pianist since Liszt's time has so amazed our public as this Rosenthal. But even as an interpreter he was a revelation. Schumann's 'Carneval,' Cliny's 'Berceuse,' Chopin's Preludes and works by Koptjaow, were the mediums of absolutely new effects and aspects in piano playing. Many of our musicians are convinced that now Rosenthal has spoken the last word in piano playing. He is compared by everybody to Paganini, and some of us believe that he will lead pianism into new, hitherto undreamed of roads."
31The rumor of Sofie Menter's intention to settle in Berlin as a teacher of piano has been confirmed by the artist herself. In fact, she is already here. Addresses of welcome are now in order from her delighted colleagues.
33Russian composers are prolific, if nothing else. News reaches me in a private letter of a number of interesting novelties recently produced with success in the Czar's realm. First of all there is a new concerto (No. 2) by Rachmaninoff, the young man who made a boarding school success with his Prelude, in C sharp minor. Then a Suite for two pianos, by the same composer, which he and Siloti played in Moscow. A violoncello sonata is another of Rachmaninoff's newest works. "Pskowitanka" and "Mozart and Salieri" are recent operas by Rimsky-Korsakoff. "The Festival" and "The Mandarin's Son" are operas by Cui. I learn, also, that the Moscow National Opera Company, started in opposition to the Imperial Opera, has met with a quick and inglorious end. Fifty thousand roubles were needed to save the enterprise, but the money not being forthcoming the doors were closed after only ten very good performances.
35Melba sang at a Gewandhaus concert in Leipsic. The critics praised her coloratura, but found fault with her phrasing and enunciation. With the audience Melba's success was but moderate.
37Accuse us again of unfairness, oh Germans, when we contend that you have no ear for vocalism, that you lack all sense of song. Read this from the Bremen Weser-Zeitung and ponder deep: "Herr Gunz gave us the impression that, even should he lose his voice entirely, he would nevertheless be able to sing beautifully."
39Two matrimonial engagements are announced of great interest to musical persons. Director Mahler, of the Vienna Royal Opera, is to marry Fräulein Schindler, the beautiful daughter of the famous painter, and Ilona Eibenschütz, the Viennese pianist, has bestowed her hand on Carl Derenburg, a London merchant.
41Charpentier is writing a new opera, "Marie," to serve as a sequel to "Louise." The gifted composer is in Berlin at present, leading rehearsals of "Louise," to be produced at the Royal Opera end of this month. To my request for an interview Charpentier made answer: "What I have to tell the readers of THE MUSICAL COURIER I say in my music." This Frenchman is actually modest. The other night at the Leipsic production of "Louise" the entire audience joined in a cry for the composer. After dili-
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