Thomas Sunday Sacred Concert

“The third Sunday concert of the season was given here on the 13th. The attendance was good, and the beautiful hall, with its chaste and elegant decorations, never looked better. The programme embraced eleven numbers, mostly ponderous in character. It is, we presume, a proper thing to be grave on a Sunday, but this luxury can be sufficiently indulged in at home. Last year Mr. THOMAS had greater variety in his programme—the Old One was not utterly ignored. Mr. THOMAS must be careful that he does not drop into the awful platitudes of intense respectability. The pieces were skillfully performed by the orchestra, particularly the two movements from SCHUBERT’S unfinished symphony in e minor. Mme. GAZZANIGA was the vocalist. Her admirable school and style were heard deliciously in the romanza, “L’ Amor Funesta,” by DONIZETTI—a fine composition, abounding in sentiment and correct feeling. The violoncello obligato was played by Mr. F. BERGNER, the most proficient performer on the instrument in America. Mme. GAZZANIGA sang in the second part—a Spanish song. The two children, JOHANNA and WILLIE HESS, played two pieces. They are quite remarkable, especially the little fellow, who plays the violin, but two duets in one evening is rather too much, even when undertaken by prodigies.”

“On Sunday evening Mr. Thomas gave his 3d Sunday concert, with the following orchestral selections; [see above]

“The soloists were the same as at the last concert, and were greeted with the usual favor.  The two movements from the Schubert Symphony are very charming and were very popular here last winter, for they were given at one of the Brooklyn Philharmonics, at one of Mr. Thomas’s Symphony Soirées, and also at several of the Sunday Evening Concerts. This season they are to be played at one of the N. Y. Philharmonics.”