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Musical Courier 1903-07-01: Vol 47 Iss 1214, 1903
40 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 5. See the scan on archive.org.
A town on its own line is one of the directory's headings. That is where the town on a maker's page comes from.
1THE MUSICAL COURIER.
3Berlin
5GERMAN HEADQUARTERS OF THE MUSICAL COURIER,
6BERLIN, SCHOENEBERG, HAUPTSTRASSE, 20A.
7June 16, 1903.
9V
11ERY little, if anything, of musical importance transpired in Berlin the past fortnight. Even the proposed performances of Berlioz's "Damnation of Faust" in operatic form, and of Bizet's "Carmen" with French artists of note were rescinded. Probably this was due to the fact that the advance sale did not come up to the expectations of Gunsbourg, the impresario and stage manager of the undertaking. Alvarez's indisposition was given out as the reason for the postponement. The Paris music critics who had come on to watch the impression made on German audiences returned to their homes, and Berlin was not granted the favor of hearing and seeing the fiery and vivacious Emma Calvé as Carmen, or Alvarez in Berlioz's "Faust."
13There was musical activity here recently of an order that filled the columns of the newspapers. The result of the Frankfort male chorus competition for the Emperor's prize has been ere now transmitted to the United States by cable. It was the second choice (in the general opinion) which, in a field of over thirty starters, won the race. The favorite was the winner of the first prize competition, the Cologne Male Chorus Singing Society. Under Professor Schwartz's distinguished guidance this body would unquestionably have carried off the prize for the second time if, by a chain of untoward outward circumstances, they had not encountered serious obstacles. They were many points to the good over and above all of their competitors when they became flurried and were beaten in the home stretch by the Berlin Male Chorus of School Teachers, under Prof. Felix Schmidt's guidance. The praises of this chorus have been sung so often in these columns that it is not necessary to repeat them today. Unquestionably the verdict of the judges was a true and popular one. The Concordia, of Aix-la-Chapelle, came in a strong fifth, and would have been much nearer to the winning post if they had not come a cropper in trying to take too quickly the enharmonic fences and polyphonic ditches of the difficult eight part prize chorus.
15The remarks made by the Emperor in his notable speech on this occasion certainly were well founded, although in some other respects His Majesty's strong temperament and oratorical endowments (which lead him to pronounce upon all questions of public life and to bring to general cognizance his personal views thereon) overshot the mark. It could hardly have been otherwise, for in matters musical William II is after all only an amateur, and he came to grief because he was unmindful of Goethe's wise adage: "He who speaketh much cannot avoid mistakes." For me, however, it behooves not to write too much lest I should share the fate of the radical chief editor of Das Vaterland, the late Mr. Siegl, who, because of his comments upon one of His Majesty's Brandenburg speeches, had to "do" two months' imprisonment in a fortress. At the next annual Brandenburg speech the editor's report was much shorter and consisted of two lines only: "His Majesty has spoken again, but I don't care to be imprisoned again." Verbum sapienti sat.
17After having listened to the singing of twenty-eight male choruses during the day, the Emperor ran down to Wiesbaden and participated in the operatic festival performances in the evening. No wonder he is reported to have looked tired, for he certainly worked harder than one of the Berlin music critics during the season. The first night of the festival brought "Oberon," in the new version and gorgeous stage setting described heretofore. In the matter of mise-en-scène this representation of Weber's opera has never been equaled, let alone surpassed, anywhere in the whole world. After the performance William II bestowed upon the now definitely elected new intendant general of the royal theatres, Baron Georg von Huelsen, the predicate of "Excellency."
19The second night Boieldieu's chef d'oeuvre, "La Dame Blanche," was performed for the first time at Wiesbaden in the new arrangement. This graceful opera, with its mellow, tender and ingratiating melodies, is hardly well adapted for the purpose of a pompous festival performance. But with a first class cast and with Professor Mannstaedt, one of the most refined musicians, as conductor, "La Dame Blanche" proved after all a great artistic success.
21The musical innovations in this revised edition of "La Dame Blanche" were not many and consisted chiefly in the restitution of some arias and episodes which are often excised from the score in the habitual representations. In the decorative staging and costuming, however, the Wiesbaden performance and its new arrangements may be described as extraordinarily sumptuous and tasteful. The thunder storm at the close of the first act and the hall in the castle, which forms the stage setting of the third act, are of surprising effectiveness, and all of the costumes worn are held strictly in the character of the time of the action of "La Dame Blanche."
23The eightieth Netherrhinish music festival, which took place at Whitsuntide, at Aix-la-Chapelle, was one of the best attended for many years. About one-third of the large audiences who crowded the three concerts and two public rehearsals consisted of Belgian and Hollandish visitors. Felix Weingartner and Professor Schickerath divided the honors as conductors of the festival, the former conducting the orchestral works exclusively, the latter everything else on the programs. As Weingartner had made his own selections for the occasion, it may be imagined that only works with which he feels particular sympathy fell to his share. Hence it need not be wondered at that the performances of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, Berlioz's "Fantastic" symphony and Liszt's "Mazeppa" were perfect in their intensity of coloring, rhythmic precision and characterization of detail. Weingartner's composition, "The Realms of the Blessed," was also received with much applause. Professor Schickerath on the first day led the Aix-la-Chapelle festival chorus and orchestra to victory in an eminently worthy reproduction of Beethoven's D major Mass. The flawless intonation and refined shadings for which the chorus is renowned, and an uncommon technical adequacy became still more apparent in the "Fest- und Gedenkspruche" for double chorus à capella, by Brahms, which were sung on the third day. The program of the second day brought (in honor of the customary anniversary of Berlioz's birthday) the "Damnation of Faust," which, some little mishaps excepted, was also admirably sung. Messchaert and Mlle. Pregi were first class interpreters of the parts of Mephistopheles and Marguerite, to whom Forchhammer made a worthy and sympathetic partner as Faust. The small part of Brander was sung in praiseworthy style by Mr. Liepe, of Berlin. The female soloists in the Mass were Mrs. Katzmayr and Miss Henke, who, in the matter of voice as well as in style of delivery, did full justice to Beethoven's grand music. The third day opened with Bach's cantata, "O Eternal Fire." The program closed with Wagner's "Kaisermarsch," and between these two ensemble works the usual array of soloists dispersed themselves. The ever popular Busoni performed Weber's "Concertstueck" with his wonted elegance, and thundered out Liszt's "Dies irae" paraphrase ("Totentanz") with tremendous tone and technical display. A newcomer was the violinist Enesco, who, with his beautiful tone and stylish but somewhat effeminate delivery, won the favor of the audience. Messchaert and Pregi gave selections from their lieder repertory, the lady choosing some of the pearls from the song writings of the late Hugo Wolf. Forchhammer delivered the monologue from Alexander Ritter's opera "Der Faule Haus," which, despite its strong Wagnerian influence, or perhaps just on account of it, interested the audience to a considerable extent.
25Prof. Heinrich Zoellner created something of an unpleasant sensation by suddenly and silently disappearing from the jury which sat on the Frankfort prize competition. He was not replaced. Professor Zoellner is the conductor of the Leipsic University Male Chorus, and was before he took that position for several years conductor of the New York Liederkranz.
27A peculiar case of imposition was attempted at Kamenez-Podolsk, a picturesque little old town in Russia, last week, but was luckily prevented through the interference of the police. A Russian impresario had made the acquaintance of a young Austrian violinist name Franz Wister, who bears a strong resemblance to Jan Kubelik. Speculating upon this resemblance the smart Russian calculated when he engaged Franz Wister, who showed him some excellent criticisms for a Russian tournée. It was to have begun at Kamenez-Podolsk, and the violinist was in the happiest spirits when his impresario, Semango-Jassinski, told him that all the tickets for the first concert had been sold within the space of a few hours. Shortly before the beginning of the concert the guileless violinist asked a waiter at the hotel to bring him up a program of his concert, when lo, and behold, he found that he, Franz Wister, had been advertised to appear before the public as Jan Kubelik. With this fraud the artist was not at all pleased, although Semango-Jassinski assured him that nobody in the audience would know the difference. Wister sent for the police and acquainted the captain with the facts in the case, whereupon the return of the money for the tickets sold was ordered by the police. It was found that forty rubles were missing, and these the young artist replaced out of his own pocket, it being the last money he had in the world. Then, without knowledge of the language, he essayed to make a living in Russia, arriving in Odessa in a half starved condition. Here he met some kind people, who helped him to a return ticket for his home in Austria.
29August Bungert informs the writer on a picture postal card adorned with the composer's photograph that he has finished his incidental music to Goethe's "Faust." Max Grube, first stage manager of the Berlin Royal Comedy, has made a new stage arrangement of Goethe's master work, subdividing it in three parts. In this version it will be given in nine performances at Düsseldorf during the days from July 5 to 15. Bungert was commissioned by the Goethe Verein to write his incidental music to Grube's new "Faust," and the composer will probably conduct it on the occasion of the first representations at Düsseldorf.
31Of Richard Strauss it is reported that he will in the course of the coming season conduct a concert at the Warsaw Philharmonie, the program of which is made up exclusively of his own works. Among them will be a novelty entitled "Monsieur, Madame et Bébé, a Symphony of Home Life." Such at least is the report of the Polish papers, although Richard Strauss, when I saw him at London a little over a week ago, made no mention of this homely subject.
33Frankfort last year made a successful first attempt at having its six subscription symphony concerts conducted by six knights of the baton. The same course will be pursued during the coming season, and so far Arthur Nikisch, Gustav Mahler and Felix Mottl have been engaged to conduct one each of these "master concerts." Miss Elsie Playfair, the Australian violinist, and Paula Szalit, a very young pianist, are mentioned as soloists for these concerts.
35Willy Burmester's artistic success seems to be on the increase in London. Here are in corroboration of this assertion a few of the criticisms which appeared after his concert with orchestra:
37Beethoven's great masterpiece was the medium of the performer's most telling work. But with Bach's Concerto, E major, too, he was admirably at his ease, while the manner of Tschaikowsky's music contrasted well with that which had gone before. A contingent of the Queen's Hall orchestra, carefully conducted by Willem Mengelberg, gave Mr. Burmester excellent support.—Daily Telegraph, June 12, 1903.
39Herr Burmester played three concertos, the Concerto in E, by Bach, and those by Beethoven and Tschaikowsky. A program so
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