Scan 4
Musical Courier 1904-05-25: Vol 48 Iss 1261, 1904
42 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1LUITPOLD ST. 24.
2BERLIN, W.,
3MAY 8, 1904.
5ROSSINI'S ever youthful opera, "The Barber of Seville," has been newly staged and mounted by the Berlin Royal Opera. It was eighty-eight years ago that the work first saw the footlights, on February 20, 1816; and it was given in Germany for the first time at Brunswick, on October 30, 1820. On December 16 of the same year the first Vienna performance took place. In Berlin "The Barber of Seville" was first done on June 18, 1822, only one year after the premiere of Weber's "Freischutz." The 220th performance Rossini's masterwork was given at the Berlin Royal Opera on the 100th anniversary of the composer's birthday, February 20, 1892. The first production of "The Barber of Seville" in America was at New York, November 20, 1825, by Manuel Garcia and his company, which consisted chiefly of his own family. He himself sang the role of Almaviva, his son Manuel that of Figaro, while his daughter, the divine Malibran, sang Rosina, and his wife the role of Dr. Bartolo's housekeeper. That performance was a memorable event in the history of opera in America. Manuel Garcia, the younger, is still living and teaching in London; Malibran died in 1836.
7Rossini was a great admirer of Mozart, of whom he once said: "The Germans have always been great in harmony, we Italians in melody; however, since they have produced a Mozart in the North, we Southerners are beaten on our own ground, for this man rises above both nations, combining the magic of the Italian cantilena with the depth of the German 'Gemüth.' If there ever comes a time when Mozart is no longer considered beautiful, then we old ones, who are still left, can shuffle off this mortal coil. In Paradise, however—of that I am sure—Mozart and his hearers will find each other again."
9After the great success of "The Barber of Seville" Rossini was reproached for having borrowed from Mozart. At this the genial maestro replied: "Mozart is rich; he can afford to lend without impoverishing himself." In speaking of the manner of the different composers in writing music, Rossini said one day: "I compose nearly everything standing before a high desk. I never use the piano in composing. Good heavens! The piano is a goad to composers, especially to those who write for the theatre. I have known a few of these unfortunate musicians who had to stick to the piano like a snail to its shell. There was that splendid fellow Bellini, and then my poor friend Meyerbeer, who spent three-fourths of his life at the piano, although he had spontaneity and ideas in abundance."
11The tenth and last symphony concert of the Royal Orchestra (under Weingartner) took place Friday evening. Three symphonies composed the program—the Beethoven A major, the Mozart G minor and the Schumann E flat major. The Beethoven work was given a magnificent performance. The most popular of the Mozart symphonies is a great favorite with Weingartner and he read it delightfully.
13Weingartner and the orchestra were stormily applauded. Strange to say, there were some empty seats—a rare occurrence at these concerts, to be explained, no doubt, by the lateness of the season.
15Miss Eva Lessmann, the daughter of Otto Lessmann (editor of the Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung), is a very successful concert singer. She sang recently in Geneva with the Henri Marteau String Quartet and in Paris with the Bohemian Quartet, scoring a pronounced success in both places. Raoul Pugno, who also took part in the concert of the Bohemians, accompanied Miss Lessmann in songs by Beethoven, Brahms and others.
17The pupils of Martha Remmert's "Franz Liszt Academy" (as her school is called) recently gave a recital at Bechstein Hall. The young pianists did very creditably, showing talent and good schooling. Fraulein Grunert, Fraulein Kaegler, Miss Duglass and Miss Heilgers especially distinguished themselves. Fraulein Grunert's playing of Beethoven's "Appassionata" was excellent. A large audience applauded with real enthusiasm.
19The venerable Singakademie is to be renovated. The building is over 100 years old. It is the least attractive of the Berlin concert halls, but it has the best acoustic properties of them all. New methods of heating and ventilation will be introduced, the balcony ceiling will be raised several feet and the two front pillars, which were always such a nuisance, will be removed.
21Geraldine Farrar has gone to Stockholm, where she will fill a six weeks' engagement as "guest" at the Opera. She will appear in her usual roles, Manon, Traviata, Marguerite, &c.
23Moritz Mayer-Mahr, the well known piano virtuoso and pedagogue, has had a busy season. Besides his duties as piano instructor at the Scharwenka Conservatory, he has found time for a large class of private pupils and for thirty concert engagements in as many different German cities.
25The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is having continued success on its Russian tour. Two concerts in Odessa were sold out and the enthusiasm of the public was boundless.
27Eugen d'Albert has published a new edition of all the thirty-two Beethoven piano sonatas, and added his own fingering, critical comments and other useful hints.
29A performance of Haydn's "Creation" was recently given at Coblenz "for the people." The demand for tickets was large beyond all expectations. The house was crowded and the performance was listened to with the greatest of interest. Thus the good work of "good music for the people" advances. It is a worthy movement.
31Teresa Carreño requests me to make a correction concerning a recent notice in my budget. I wrote that the American pianist, Louis Dimond, was a pupil of Carreño. Madame Carreño informs me that Mr. Dimond is not her pupil. Mr. Dimond himself also requests the same correction. It is herewith made, and the information is added that Mr. Dimond is a Joseffy pupil.
33Old Father Kronos has been aggressive of late. Three great ones in the art world gone within one week! Franz von Lehnbach, the German painter; Maurus Jokai, the Hungarian poet, and Antonin Dvorák, the Bohemian composer. And only three weeks ago, on April 14, Vasili Verestchagin, the great Russian painter!
35Of course, you have long since received by cable, reports of Dvorák's death. The sudden demise of the distinguished composer is bemoaned in the whole world of music, not only for the many art works that he gave us, but also because he died just at the time of his first success in opera, the field in which he had hitherto striven in vain for recognition. Whereas his former operatic works—"König und Köhler" (1878), "Wanda" (1876), "Der Bauer ein Schein" (1878), "Der Dickschädel" (1881), "Dimityr" (1882), "Jacobin" (1889), "Der Teufel und die Wilde Kathe" (1899), "Russalka (1901)—were not successful, his new opera, "Armida," which was but recently finished, and which was given for the first time at the great Czech music festival in Prague early in April, scored a decided triumph and one that has every appearance of being a lasting one.
37A Brahms Society has been founded in Vienna, with Max Kalbeck and E. Mandczewski at its head. The object of the society is to buy up all the effects of the late composer and preserve them in a museum.
39Matja von Niessen-Stone, the eminent contralto, now is located in Berlin. Henceforth this will be the centre from which her concert tours will radiate. She is also teaching here. Madame Niessen-Stone is a singer of great dramatic power and temperament. Her voice, especially in the middle and lower registers, is full and sympathetic, and her delivery is distinguished by intelligence, beautiful cantilena and great warmth.
41Much ado was recently made about the assistance of Burrian, of the Dresden Royal Opera, at a concert in Prague. An old Dresden music lover writes the Berlin Börsen Courier his recollections of a similar occasion when Hans von Bülow took part in a charity concert at Prague. As Bülow was a native of Dresden, certain chauvinistic circles in the Saxon capital took offense at his participation in a concert given by the hated Czechs. At Bülow's next public appearance in Dresden the anti-Czechs made a lively demonstration. This was at a Gewerbehaus Symphony
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