Philharmonic Society of New York Rehearsal

“The first concert of this old and honored society takes place next month. The first rehearsal came off on Friday at the Academy of Music, the only work performed being Liszt’s Mazeppa. It was a cheering indication of the efficiency of the new régime of the society to find so many members present at a private rehearsal. The orchestra has been increased to one hundred performers, and there were but few absent on this occasion. Little did the bearded Cossack chief, when he told the story of his wild ride to the Ukraine to the royal filibusier, before the battle of Pultowa, dream that his example would be emulated by adventurous females desirous of displaying their proportions, and that a crazy old abbé would endeavor to place himself, horse, wolves and Cossacks in a symphonic poem. Seldom has an orchestra ventured on anything so wild and extraordinary in the way of music as this emanation from Franz Liszt. It commences with a long series of triplets in a most rapid movement, representing the galloping of the ‘fiery untamed.’ Then comes a crash of syncopated measures, in which the strings try to convey the idea of mountain torrents, a necessary feature during the ride, accompanied by a march movement on the brass instruments. The wolves, which followed in the track of the rider with unfriendly views, are supposed to find voice in the reeds. In this part of the poem there are many striking examples of those climaxes of sound and fury or outbursts of the entire orchestra which are so characteristic of Liszt. Another peculiarity is his fondness for march movements. His works are generally a series of marches strung together by discordant eccentric passages which are perfectly unintelligible to the listener. This mode of treatment may be very profound and sublime, but we suspect that it shows lack of purpose and inability to develop a subject. The first march in Mazeppa has a grand bass accompaniment on the ‘celli and contra bassi, which may be termed chromatic thunder. The second march is handsomely framed in arpeggios, which, we think, will require a harp or two to give proper effect. So far there is a great deal of vigor and fire in the work, although, in some instances, of a strange and grotesque nature. Sandwiched between the first marches is a charming little dialogue, commencing with a prolonged trill on the violins, and followed by a plaintive measure from the contra bassi, ‘celli and oboi in succession. After the second march the orchestra bursts out again into an impetuous, syncopated movement, in which every instrument shrieks out discords without number. The unison passages that follow are very grand, and produce the same effect as those wondrous choruses of Meyerbeer. At length the worthy Abbé leaves his hero on the rocks beside his exhausted steed. The theme is committed to the care of the most plaintive of instruments—the ‘cello—and is very skillfully worked. The finale of the symphony is really grand, although wild in the extreme. A picturesque Cossack march is ushered in amid the tremolo of the string basses and call of trumpets. The treatment of this march is very striking and effective. However, we can readily console ourselves for the absence of Liszt, or his insane imitators, from any programme. It may be interesting to know the extent of the labors of the Philharmonic Society for twenty-five years. The following list will show what we can do in America: —Beethoven, 62 works; Berlioz, 13; Bristow, 2; Bennett, 5; Bargiel, 2; Gade, 12; Cherubini, 4; Gluck, 2; Hiller, 2; Haydn, 5; Kalliwoda, 4; Lindpainter, 4; Lachner, 1; Liszt, 9; Litolff, 3; Loder, 3; Löbe, 1; Marschner, 5; Meyerbeer, 1; Mozart, 14; Mendelssohn, 31; Nicolai, 1; Ries, 3; Reissiger, 2; Rossini, 4; Rietz, 2; Rubinstein, 1; Spontini, 2; Schindelmeister, 1; Weber, 29; Schubert, 6; Schumann, 20; Schneider, 1; Volkmann, 1. Let any European organization show such a record, if it can.”