Scan 55
Musical Courier 1906-12-19: Vol 53 Iss 1395, 1906
33 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 46. See the scan on archive.org.
1HOTEL CECIL.
2LONDON, December 5, 1906.
4At Covent Garden the autumn season of Italian opera came to a close on Saturday evening with a fine performance of "Bohème," with Melba and Zenatello in the cast. The house was crowded in every part and the audience was one of the most brilliant of the season. Since the debut of Maria Gay, the only new thing to chronicle is the appearance of the baritone, Giraldo, as Scarpia in "Tosca." His impersonation, if on somewhat obvious lines, was powerful and consistent; it lacked the subtlety and finish of Scotti and Sammarco in the part, but was more in keeping with Puccini's musical characterization of the role. Vocally Giraldo was efficient, but the timbre of his voice is not particularly sympathetic.
6On Thursday, Maria Gay sang in "Carmen" for the third and last time, and drew the biggest house of the season. Such an immediate popular success is unprecedented at Covent Garden. To quote the learned critic of the World, who is an authority on such matters, "Such a meteoric flight through the operatic firmament is quite unknown. Not even a Patti, a Calvé, a Jean de Reszké, a Melba, a Ternina, or a Caruso became a great 'draw' within a week of their first appearance in London. They had to wait months and even years."
8During the autumn season which has just terminated the repertory consisted of ten operas. Of these fifty-three performances were given and twenty-one of them were Puccini operas. "Madam Butterfly" was given ten times, "Carmen" nine, "La Bohème" seven and "Faust" six.
10That admirable artist, Plunket Greene, gave a recital of English songs at Bechstein Hall on Friday afternoon. The first portion of the program was entirely devoted to new songs by modern English composers, and the second portion to arrangements of traditional airs. Of the new songs, a group by Sir Hubert Parry was certainly the most interesting. The pessimism of George Meredith's "Dirge in Woods," the humor of Lady Nairne's "Laird o' Cockpen" and the bacchanalian joy of Julian Sturgis' Anacreontic ode "Grapes" was most happily expressed in the music. Mr. Greene sang throughout the recital with his usual sincerity and power.
12MASTER SCHOOL FOR VIOLIN
13SEVCIK METHOD
14HEINRICH DITTMAR and FLORIS EM. ODRICEK (Assistant of Prof. Sevcik) have opened a School for Higher Violin Playing at
15BECHSTEIN HALL,
1640 WIGMORE STREET. LONDON
18The most interesting concert of the past week—perhaps of the year—was the farewell concert of Madame Patti at the Albert Hall on Saturday afternoon. There were about 10,000 people present, and the enthusiasm at times reached fever heat. The exquisite purity of Patti's style and the perfection of her method are indeed a lesson to the present generation. Is there any singer of the present day who has such a noble simplicity of style, such exquisite refinement and truth of phrasing? Such perfect vocal art may possibly be equaled in the future, although it is permissible to doubt it; it can never be excelled. The numbers the diva was set down to sing were Mozart's "Voi Che Sapete," Tosti's "Serenata" and Ardit's "Il Bacio," and the encores, which were numerous, included "Home, Sweet Home," "Comin' Thro' the Rye" and "Pur Dicesti." The pianissimo trill in "Pur Dicesti" was a marvelous feat of technical skill, only to be believed when heard; and Patti has been singing in public for fifty years. Although this was the last occasion on which she gives a concert on her account, we shall fortunately have the pleasure of hearing her again in other concerts.
20Raoul Pugno was the soloist at the Queen's Hall Symphony Concert on Saturday afternoon. The great French pianist was heard in Mozart's best known concerto in E flat, and he also played the solo piano part of César Franck's "Les Djinns."
22Harold Bauer played Saint-Saëns' concerto in G minor with the Queen's Hall orchestra at the Albert Hall on Sunday afternoon. The impressive piano solo with which the work begins—"Bach on the Boulevards," as The Musical Courier once called it—was played with a breadth and power which seemed to grip at once the attention of the immense audience—there were about 8,000 people present. The spirit of the sparkling scherzo and its song-like trio was most happily caught, and the brilliant last movement was played with a fiery energy. The orchestra, under Henry J. Wood, played with the utmost precision and complete sympathy with the soloist. As encore, Bauer played Mendelssohn's scherzo in E minor.
24The third concert of the season of the London Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Richter conducting, took place at Queen's Hall on Monday evening. The concert opened with a very fine performance of Liszt's "Dante" symphony. The work sounded curiously old fashioned, and listening to it after hearing so much music of the Strauss school it seemed to be rather the work of an accomplished amateur than of a master. The themes are often beautiful and impressive, but Liszt could not develop them, and the result is very unsatisfactory. The music of the "Inferno" section is doubtless intended to be very impressive, but it is a very well regulated hell which is musically depicted. The "Purgatorio" suggests marble statues—of the Italian decadence—and sparkling fountains, and the dreary fugue which ends the movement is insufferably tedious. The concluding "Magnificat" is really beautiful and is the most satisfactory part of the work. The program also included superb performances of Elgar's "Enigma" variations and Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel." Charles W. Clark sang with orchestra "An jenem tag," from Marschner's "Hans Heiling," and an aria from Weber's "Euryanthe." He was in fine voice and sang with such dramatic power and splendid vocal skill that he was recalled again and again.
26An interesting event of the week is the revival of Sullivan's "The Yeoman of the Guard" at the Savoy Theater.
28A very interesting debut was made by Sandon Raab, a young Hungarian pianist, on Tuesday afternoon. He has a beautiful touch, great executive powers, and his playing is very musicianly. He is inclined at times to let his temperament run away with him, but he is still a very young man.
30Maria Gay has been specially engaged to sing "Carmen" and "Orfeo" at the Scala, Milan, this winter. Later she goes to South America, and will return to Covent Garden for the autumn of 1907 and the summer season of 1908.
32Victor Maurel gives his only recital of the season at the Bechstein Hall today. Erwin Goldwater, a pupil of
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