Louise Kapp Young Farewell Concert

“Steinway Hall—Madame Young’s Concert.—This deserving prima donna had a genuine benefit at Steinway Hall last night. The audience was large, at least for a concert, and the artistes who assisted Madame Young exerted themselves to do justice to the fine programme. The selections were by Verdi, Weber, Ernst, Mozart, Donizetti, Arditi, Sainton, Mendelssohn, Bellini, and Pfeiffer. Madame Parepa Rosa and Madame Young sang two of Mendelssohn’s beautiful duets, ‘I would that my love’ and ‘The maybells and the flowers,’ with perfect accord both with the composer and each other. Madame Young sang Agatha’s song,’Wie nahte Mir der Schlummer,’ from ‘Der Freischutz,’ and ‘L’Estasi Waltz.’ Her voice has a more sympathetic quality of tone than any artiste we have heard this season and is cultivated to the highest extent. The waltz song, on that account, is hardly suitable for her, as Arditi’s glittering nonsense has very little sympathy or expression in it. Oscar Pfeiffer played his grand fantasia on ‘Lucrezia Borgia’ in superb style. The tones sprang from beneath his fine, vigorous touch, like those of an organ, and the most dramatic selections from the opera were given with mingled delicacy and power. Carl Rosa has gained wonderfully in finish of tone and power of expression this season; and his playing of the ‘Recollections of Scotland’ displayed the consummate artiste. Signori Bellini, Baragli, Ronconi and Antonucci sang operatic selections in their accustomed style.”

“Mme. Kapp-Young’s concert on Saturday evening was a complete success. The best artists were her associates. The lady herself has a fine voice, and had she come at other times would undoubtedly have established a reputation as one of the best artistes we have in this country.”