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Musical Courier 1902-03-26: Vol 44 Iss 1148, 1902
63 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1GOLTZ STR. 26, BERLIN, W.
2March 1, 1902.
4NOTHING of special interest in the way of violin playing has occurred here of late.
6Teresa Carreño gave a recital at the Singakademie on February 24. She played the Chopin B minor Sonata, the Schumann Fantaisie, the Beethoven E major Sonata, op. 109, and several Schubert numbers, closing with her old war horse, the "Marche Militaire," which she plays as no one else can. She worked up a climax in it that was simply tremendous. Her fire, dash and brilliancy were irresistible. At the close a cyclone of applause shook the house, and it did not abate until the artist had played five consecutive encores.
8Teresa Carreño as a woman has a big, warm heart, a sunny Southern disposition and a charming personality, and into her playing she throws all of these qualities—her whole nature. Is it a wonder that she captivates?
10Most of the readers of THE MUSICAL COURIER will not be surprised to learn that Teresa Carreño's daughter, Teresita, has inherited her mother's great talent for the piano. Teresita is a charming girl of about eighteen years, quite a Spanish type of beauty, with short dark hair and large fascinating black eyes.
12She is rapidly making a name for herself, having already made tours in Norway and Sweden, Finland and Russia. Her Southern nature seems to like Northern climes. She recently played in Leipzig with orchestra, scoring a rousing success. I append a criticism from the Leipzic Tagesblatt:
14The chief interest of the evening was centred in the appearance of Teresita Carreño-Tagliapetra, the daughter of Teresa Carreño. The young artist played Rubinstein's D minor Concerto, the same work that her genial mother played here at a Philharmonic concert a few months ago.
16She was awaited with impatience, and when she entered, a slight figure, with her short black hair and decided Southern type of face, all eyes were focused upon her.
18Teresita has inherited a large share of her mother's artistic nature. Her playing has the same characteristics, the same concentrated mental and physical strength, the same demonical power. She plays, so to speak, with all her heart's fibres, and she throws her entire personality into her playing. For that reason it produces a great and instantaneous effect upon the listener, who is at once fascinated, and feels that for such playing the term "reproduction" is much too weak.
20Teresita has not only inherited from her mother, she has also learned much from her. Her playing is so plastic, and then she can produce from the instrument, which has just been roaring and storming like an enraged sea, tones of the greatest tenderness, glittering, pearly, fairy-like passages in such a delicious pianissimo that the orchestra could scarcely accompany softly enough. Of course, Teresita Carreño can do all this only with the help of an immense technic, a technic that embraces the entire range of modern virtuosity. The young artist achieved a great success; with such playing it could not be otherwise. Scarcely anything is more refreshing than to meet with a young, great and genuine talent. One felt this while Teresita Carreño was playing.
22Hubermann gave his third concert on February 27 at Beethoven Hall, assisted by the young Hungarian pianist Gisella Grosz. There is nothing new to be said about the violinist. His technic is good, but his playing in other respects is very uninteresting. It is lifeless; his tone lacks color, his interpretation lacks all interest, and worst of all, there is no temperament in anything he does. Nimble and accurate fingers cannot compensate for the lack of all these things, yet the public applauds Hubermann.
24Of far more interest than Hubermann's violin playing was the piano playing of Gisella Grosz. This young artist has temperament in abundance. She is, moreover, musical; she has a very clean, crisp, sure technic, and a marked and interesting personality. In bravura passages she plays with a brilliancy and élan quite electrifying. Her pianistic talent is unquestionably great, and with her musical intelligence and her native Hungarian temperament she bids fair to become one of the greatest pianists of her sex.
26Mary Münchhoff gave a song recital at the Singakademie on February 23 before a large and enthusiastic audience.
28This artist has a voice as pure as gold and soft as velvet, and she sings with the natural ease and freedom of a bird gleefully warbling its morning carol. In the aria, "L'Allegro ed il Pensieroso," with flute obligato by Handel, she quite put the flute in the shade.
30Her greatest success, however, was in the aria from Bellini's "Sonnambula," in which she displayed to the best advantage her beautiful cantilena and her brilliant trill. It is in cantilena such as this aria contains that Mary Münchhoff is at her best. The purity and sweetness of her voice are wonderful.
32Of late she has given considerable attention to the interpretation of German lieder, and with the best success. Her singing of Schubert's "Du bist die Ruh" and Schumann's "Mondnacht" was simply perfection.
34Sarasate lately gave two concerts in Odessa, Russia, where he had not played for some fifteen years. Expectations were very high, and both concerts were sold out before the first one took place, the receipts being $3,500. There was great disappointment in his playing, however, and he wisely did not announce a third concert. Many even preferred the piano playing of Bertha Marx, and that is saying a great deal.
36Sarasate, like Joachim, ought to retire and rest on his laurels.
38Willy Burmester was the soloist at a recent Colonne concert in Paris. He chose as his first number Spohr's Seventh Concerto in E minor. He finished the first movement and had begun the Adagio (a noble movement, the best of the work), when the occupants of the gallery began to protest and make a row, which soon increased to such proportions that the violinist and orchestra were compelled to stop. In a rage Burmester left the stage in the middle of the adagio and no entreaties on the part of Colonne could induce him to finish the concerto. Colonne then made a speech to the audience, which was promptly answered by the occupants of the gallery, who yelled: "We have nothing against Burmester; he is a magnificent artist, but we don't want to hear that tedious old 'Prussien,' Spohr." Then Burmester came onto the stage again and played the Bach Chaconne, scoring a tremendous success with it. The French did not seem to mind that Bach was quite as much of a "Prussien" as Spohr. However, the Spohr Concerto was not a happy choice for Paris. It is out of date, and then the French are not used to Spohr as are the Germans.
40ARTHUR M. ABELL.
42KITTY BERGER.—Mme. Kitty Berger, the harp-zither virtuosa, gave a musicale at the Waldorf-Astoria on Tuesday evening, March 18. Madame Berger had the assistance of Miss Grace G. Gardner, soprano; Miss Grace Parker Lyon, and Edwin Lockhart, baritone. Dudley Buck, Jr., tenor, was to have sung, but was prevented by illness.
44Miss Gardner sang Massenet's "Sevillana," Tosti's "La Serenata" and the charming "Raft Song," by Ethelbert Nevin, in her usual refined and artistic manner. Her voice is a beautiful soprano, pure and limpid in tone quality and of excellent range.
46Mr. Lockhart, who has not only a fine voice but a fine stage presence as well, sang the familiar "Two Grenadiers," by Schumann, and Buck's "Sunset Song." A large and fashionable audience applauded the efforts of the artists.
48VON KLENNER PUPILS SING FOR P. S. C.—The musical numbers at the last meeting of the Political Study Club were given by three pupils of Mme. Evans von Klenner, the Misses Carnahan, Walbridge and Byers. Mrs. May Isabel Fisk recited. The meeting was held Tuesday afternoon, March 18, at the Hall St. Denis.
50HENRIETTE WEBER'S CONCERT.
52MISS HENRIETTE WEBER, the pianist, accompanist and teacher, gave a concert at the Baldwin studios in Carnegie Hall last Thursday evening, under fashionable auspices. In less than two years Miss Weber has made a name for herself in musical circles of the country, and has attracted to her studio in West Thirty-ninth street an interesting class of pupils. During a season crowded with recitals and concerts, an artist, particularly a pianist, must possess uncommon gifts if she can hold the attention of an audience as Miss Weber did last Thursday night. When Miss Weber made her début at the Waldorf-Astoria last season THE MUSICAL COURIER published a criticism in which the playing of the artist was analyzed. What was stated then can but be repeated here, only that Miss Weber has advanced as an intelligent young artist would advance in the course of a year. Miss Weber's playing is notable for poetic warmth, imagination and a beautiful touch, and, after all, are not these essentials for the artist who would make piano solos enjoyable? The artist, besides playing in the ensemble, and all the accompaniments, performed six solos, seven with the encore, and not one of them in the hackneyed repertory of the day. She played first a good introductory number from the modern Russian school, the Prelude by Rachmaninoff, in which octaves are intoned like a summons to worship. This was followed by two little gems of the preclassical period, a Gigue, by Graun, and "The Cuckoo," by Daquin. Then followed three charming works by moderns, the Brahms Rhapsody in G minor, a Nocturne by Paderewski, and Rubinstein Valse Caprice, of recent years neglected by our pianists.
54Miss Weber played these interesting pieces interestingly, showing above all the warmth of temperament strangely rare in the woman artist, especially the American woman artist. How is it that a young American girl plays the works of Slavonic composers so convincingly? Recalled thence, Miss Weber added for an encore Schumann's "Nachstücke." The artists who assisted at the concert were Miss Jenny Coréa, soprano; Miss Katherine Pelton, contralto; Frank van R. Bunn, tenor; Oley Speaks, basso, and Charles Russell, 'cellist. Mr. Russell and Miss Weber played the fiery Allegro Con Fuoco, from Boellmann's Sonata, for piano and 'cello. As a solo Mr. Russell played the Andante from Hans Sitt's 'Cello Concerto, Miss Weber at the piano performing the orchestral part. For an andante the movement was rather dry and altogether too long, but Mr. Russell's noble tone and musicianship saved the number from being tedious. Miss Pelton delighted the audience by the judicious use of her rich, sympathetic voice in the aria, "He Is Good," from Massenet's "Heroïade." She was compelled to add an encore, a Scotch ballad. Miss Coréa and Mr. Bunn sang two duets, "Oh, Lay Thy Cheek on Mine," by Jensen, and a setting by Walthew of "It Was a Lover and His Lass." The voices of these two singers harmonized finely.
56The singing of Oley Speaks was decidedly one of the successes of the concert. Voice, intelligence and method all combine to make this clever young man's appearance a feature on all occasions. Mr. Speaks sang a group of three songs, "Mirage," by Liza Lehmann; Korby's old Hungarian song, "Had a Horse," and one of the basso's own charming composition, "When Mabel Sings." All were well received by the audience, and as a matter of course the singer-composer's own song won an extra round of applause. Liza Lehmann's song cycle, "The Daisy Chain," was sung by the quartet as the second part of the concert. Miss Coréa was particularly happy in the solos allotted to the soprano. Indeed, her voice and style, as that of the contralto and basso, are far too good for the London woman's puerile music. But as the concert was a semi-social function, the singers and audience rather enjoyed themselves while "The Daisy Chain" was being sung. Miss Weber, as accompanist of the evening, added fresh laurels to her record.
58MRS. ROLLIE BORDEN LOW SINGS AT THE WALDORF-ASTORIA.
60MRS. ROLLIE BORDEN LOW, soprano, sang at the concert given at the Waldorf-Astoria last Saturday afternoon, for the benefit of the Hospital Guild of the New York Medical College and Hospital for Women.
62HARRIETTE CADY.—Miss Harriette Cady's recital at Music Hall, Baltimore, Md., has been postponed from March 22 to Easter Monday, March 31, at 4 p. m. As this is Miss Cady's first appearance publicly in that city (she was engaged for a drawing room recital by Mrs. John S. Wilson last spring) much interest and enthusiasm is being shown. The audience will represent the best, musically and socially, of Baltimore society.
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