Books › Musical Courier 1911-03-22: Vol 62 Iss 12, 1911 › scan 29
Scan 29
Musical Courier 1911-03-22: Vol 62 Iss 12, 1911
74 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 30. See the scan on archive.org.
1GRAND OPERA IN BOSTON.
3BOSTON OPERA HOUSE.
4"The Sacrifice," March 13.
5Miss Nielsen and Mr. Constantino were the principals once again in the fourth subscription performance of Converse's opera.
7"La Tosca," March 15.
8The announcement that Amato was coming to take the role of Scarpia for the first time in Boston raised lively anticipation. Unfortunately, though, he was prevented from appearing because of the sudden illness of his wife, so read the slip in the program, and so Mr. Polese took his place. Other than that the cast remained as before. Mr. Constantino's services have been in great demand during the past week, but despite that fact, his voice was never better, and his performance as a whole never more compelling than on this occasion.
10"Don Pasquale," March 17.
11Norina ………………………………………………… Miss Nielsen one of two readings
12Norina ………………………………………….. Miss Nielsen one of two readings
13Ernesto …………………………………………………. Mr. Sciaretti one of two readings
14Ernesto ………………………………………….. Mr. Sciaretti one of two readings
15Don Pasquale ……………………………………… Mr. Tavechia one of two readings
16Don Pasquale …………………………………. Mr. Tavechia one of two readings
17Dotter Malatesta …………………………………. Mr. Fornari one of two readings
18Dotter Malatesta ………………………………. Mr. Fornari one of two readings
19Un Notario ……………………………………………. Mr. Stroesco one of two readings
20Un Notario ……………………………………… Mr. Stroesco one of two readings
22A delightful first performance this season of Donizetti's lighsome opera brought an evening of rare pleasure in its wake. Joyous music, joyously sung with the lovely voice and great art of Alice Nielsen, who acted the role of Norina with the arch conquishtess of the born comedienne that she is, all conspired to make this one of the memorably perfect operatic evenings of this season. To aid her came Mr. Tavechia with his broad buffo manner, and behold, a Don Pasquale could not have been more ingeniously or more successfully portrayed in real life. Mr. Sciaretti's Ernesto was not a happy vocal achievement, but the wonderful ensemble of the two principals carried all to a most artistic conclusion. With this, however, praise is also due Mr. Conti for his excellent conducting and the chorus, which did admirable work throughout the evening.
24"The Sacrifice," March 18 (Matinee).
25This season's closing performance of this opera brought the brilliant work of the principals in still greater artistic evidence. Miss Nielsen has seldom been heard to better advantage, and Mr. Constantino aroused his wonted enthusiasm among lovers of the best in vocal art.
27"L'Enfant Prodigue," March 18 (Evening).
28A change of cast brought Ruby Savage as Lia to this performance.
30Boston Opera Notes.
31Portland, Me., papers were loud in praise of the operatic treat given them by Manager Russell, who sent Miss Nielsen, Mr. Constantino and Miss Dereyne, together with the lesser members of the company, for a performance of "La Boheme," in Keith's Theater, March 10.
33The closing operatic concert of the season on Sunday evening came in the nature of a gala event, since in addition to Madame Melis and Messrs. Constantino and Mardones, of the operatic forces, George Proctor, pianist, and Irma Seydel, violinist, took a noteworthy share in the program. Mr. Constantino tried the interesting experiment of singing Wagner's "Narrative of the Grail" from "Lohengrin," in addition to an aria from Donizetti's "La Favorita," and succeeded admirably in giving that number due declamatory emphasis without detracting in the least from his wonted beauty of tone. A lesson indeed to would-be Wagner singers, who deem vocal art of small importance in the tone ensemble of the best exposition of the master's music dramas. Mr. Proctor gave a highly rendering of the Liszt E flat concerto, placing greater artistic emphasis on his quest of the lyric loveliness of the work, and less on the merely brilliant technical exposition. Irma Seydel, a quaint looking, serious faced, little artist of thirteen, gave eloquent point in the playing of the two opening movements of Vieuxtemps' D minor concerto, revealing her own unusual violinistic talent, and Mr. Loeffler's painstaking fostering of that precious gift. Mr. Mardones, always a favorite, placed the audience at this concert also, and the orchestra played sundry numbers under the guidance of Mr. Goodrich, André Caplet, and Mr. Conti, besides giving excellent support to the soloists. A large audience granted unstinted applause.
35GRAND OPERA IN PHILADELPHIA.
37METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE.
38"La Boheme," March 13.
39Bassi and Alda in "La Boheme" again charmed a large audience in the Puccini opera. Zeppilli as Musette gave the same delightful interpretation of the role as in previous performances. Crabbe as Schaunard, Daddi as Benvit, Nazarro de Angelis as Colline and Costa as Marcel were thoroughly pleasing in their parts. To Frances Alda, the most enthusiastic applause was accorded for her sympathetic and beautiful interpretation of the role of Mimi, her voice being at all times beautifully clear and sweet. Bassi was in fine voice, acting the part of the poet with good effect. Perosio conducted.
41"Natoma," March 15.
42"Natoma" was given with a cast including Garden, Grenville, McCormack, Sammarco, Crabbe and Huberdeau. Campanini conducted.
44"The Secret of Suzanne" and "The Juggler of Notre Dame," March 17.
45The double bill, "The Juggler of Notre Dame," preceded by "The Secret of Suzanne" given before an audience which crowded the Metropolitan Opera House, was one of the best of the many treats afforded by the management this season. Wolf-Ferrari's work proved an entertaining curtain-raiser.
46Mary Garden gave her usual admirable interpretation of the Juggler, with the cast the same as at the former production. Campanini conducted the operas in his usual spirited style.
48WEEKDAY PHILHARMONIC CONCERT.
49Under the baton of Theodore Spiering, who continued to wield that insignia of orchestral leadership with tact and decisiveness, the Philharmonic Society gave its two regular weekday concerts in Carnegie Hall on Tuesday evening, March 14 and Friday afternoon, March 17, with a program consisting of Svendsen's "Paris Carneval" overture, Dvorák's "New World" symphony, Sibelius' violin concerto, and Tschaikowsky's "Francesca da Rimini."
50Spiering repeated his picturesque and practical reading of the Dvorák work, and in it made the same strong impression which he had created at the previous performance of the symphony on a recent Sunday afternoon. The more one hears of the "New World" symphony, the more he becomes convinced that there is nothing American in it, and that those commentators who claimed to know that Dvorák intended his opus to represent our musical characteristics wilfully misrepresented the facts in order to gain fictitious advertising for themselves.
51Tschaikowsky's "Francesca" is not one of that composer's best works, for it reveals a dearth of direct melodic expression, and is hampered also through diffuseness of form and prolixity in expression and development. The conductor invested the symphonic poem with all the passion possible and brought out clearly its dramatic character and its isolated movements of real appeal. In the Svendsen orchestral pleasantry, Spiering and his men accomplished a fine bit of virtuosity, brilliant, humorous, and technically flawless.
52Maud Powell was the soloist in the Sibelius concerto and the applause which she received upon her entrance testified eloquently to the esteem in which she is held by the New York concert going public. Miss Powell's manifestations on the violin always have represented elevated ideals and serious purposes in music. The maturing process in this player was unique, for instead of inclining her to pedantry and austerity of expression (the lines into which many artists of scholarly tendencies fall as they throw off the dross of earlier empty virtuosity) she has mellowed and softened in her ways of tonal utterance, and while retaining all the dignity of her learning now makes a heart appeal which formerly was absent from her performances even of the romantic music in violin literature.
53The Sibelius concerto is a work of the utmost difficulty, for it was not written merely to please the ear and to fit readily into the bow and fingers of the player. Miss Powell has done wonders in conquering Sibelius' crabbed and crossgrained rhythms and intervals and polishing his rugged passages into euphonious and easily understandable sound! Her technic shows the same admirable completeness as of old, and her tone has all the power and nobility of yore, together with the added sympathy and unctuousness spoken of above. The player received an ovation and celebrated one of the most deserved triumphs she ever has achieved in New York.
55Carlo Buonamici Plays in Mendelssohn Hall.
56Carlo Buonamici, the pianist of Boston, came to New York last week to assist a string quartet in a concert given in Mendelssohn Hall Tuesday evening, March 14. Mr. Buonamici's beautiful tone and exquisitely balanced art was marked in the performance of Schubert's lovely "Forellen" (Trout) quintet in A major. Much depends upon the skill and musical taste of the pianist in the performance of this work and Mr. Buonamici met the test by disclosing powers that made a decided impression. His share in the presentation of the quintet won for him the unanimous approval of the critics and the responsive public assembled to hear the concert.
58Boris Hambourg in Cincinnati.
59Unusual interest was manifested in Boris Hambourg's appearance as soloist with the Cincinnati Orchestra, and the young cello virtuoso created a sensation according to the press, the opinions of which follow:
60Boris Hambourg, soloist of the afternoon, chose the Dvorák concerto for violoncello and orchestra as the medium through which to become known here. The choice was in artistic accord with the character of the program, and its announcement spoke volumes for the sincerity and poise of the artist. For the Dvorák concerto is not in all respects a show piece; it does not display the soloist in flashing colors; it is of profound musical construction. Except in the second movement, an adagio ma non troppo, the solo instrument is given short shrift in the direction of playing to the gallery.
61An artist who selects the Dvorák concerto for a first appearance may expect to hear from a majority of listeners that he possesses but a small tone for his sonorous instrument, the cello. The restrictions on the instrument, as imposed by the composer, are not at once apprehended by the general public. Musicians will recognize the caliber of an artist who subdues personality into a perfect ensemble and who annihilates the prospect of uproarious applause in favor of approbation from the musicians. This is what Mr. Hambourg did yesterday afternoon. He is a complete and finished artist, equipped with a beautiful technic, commanding a particularly suave and even tone, and a virile left hand, which is not in any sense inferior to the right. The stopping with Mr. Hambourg is quite as interesting as the bowing. He plays without mannerism, quietly absorbed in his work. He played so beautifully and with such finish that Stokowski paused at the conclusion of the second movement, an exquisite adagio, to applaud and to press the hand of the young artist, who in appearance is nothing more than a mere boy.
62Boris Hambourg is an unqualified delight to musicians, and he will shortly be so to a public which perhaps may hear him under less restricted circumstances than in the Dvorák concerto. The concerto is written in exact form, chiefly characterized by combinations of the solo instrument with various orchestral choirs, in duet form, where such a feature may be introduced. The instrument either states the theme and then plays it in variation against a repetition from the wind instruments, or joins the orchestra in a development form, of the whole. Occasionally, the flute plays a spirited obligato or the cello introduces a theme which is sung in a second part by the woodwinds or by the horns. The integral part of the work is firmly held by the orchestra, and, save in the adagio, the cellist has no opportunity for solo work, as it is understood. In this adagio Hambourg displayed a quality, not only of tone and technic, but of interpretation, which affirms the reputation he brought hither. His work is elegant and graceful and his personality interesting. For an encore he gave the well-known Bach selection, which is supposed now to be sacred to the violin, but which found much to inspire of admiration when intoned on the violoncello.—N. P. S., Cincinnati Times-Star, March 18, 1911.
64The soloist was Boris Hambourg, a talented young cellist. He played the Dvorák concerto, one of the finest written for the instrument. Hambourg has a very beautiful tone, never scratchy or offensive. His musical nature also stands out in definite lines.—Cincinnati Inquirer, March 18, 1911.
66A program, including compositions of Wagner, Brahms and a cello concerto of Dvorák, played by Boris Hambourg, the young brother of Mark Hambourg, the pianist, constituted the offering of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra yesterday afternoon at Music Hall under the direction of Leopold Stokowski.
67Hambourg proved himself a musician of scholarly attainments and made a favorable impression upon his audience, although the Dvorák concerto apparently is not a composition which arouses any great amount of enthusiasm. Hambourg was recalled and played a Bach air.—Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, March 18, 1911.
69Opera House—Baltimore.
70Bernhard Ulrich has a new proposition for Baltimoreans. It is that they shall raise a subscription of $150,000 for the purpose of rebuilding the interior of the Lyric Theater. "This sum is sufficient," said he, "to cover the alterations suggested by Wyatt & Nolting, the Baltimore architects. It will provide the largest auditorium in the city thoroughly equipped for the most elaborate attractions that have been or may be offered in Baltimore. The auditorium will be entirely remodeled. New boxes and new balconies will be put in and a new main floor will be built, making the total seating capacity 2,500, instead of 1,900 as at present.
71"The subscription improvement stock is to bear 4 per cent. interest. The New York interests now owning the Lyric are to let their investment stand as a first mortgage at 5 1/2 per cent. interest.
72"I propose to organize a new company to operate the house, paying general expenses, fixed interest charges, taxes and insurance. As an alternative, if this company is not satisfactory to the holders of the mortgage, or to Baltimore stockholders, I am prepared to pay the sum of $50,000 in advance, the same to apply to the joint payment of interest on mortgage and stock.
73"This proposition has been carefully worked out by me, and I think it is the best opportunity Baltimore has ever been offered for obtaining a fine opera house."—Baltimore Exchange.
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