Slaviansky Russian Concert Troupe Concert: 1st

“The Slaviansky Russian vocalist troupe made their début last evening and achieved a most decided success. The music is extremely sweet and melodious, especially in the chorus. The tenor, Mr. Agreneff Slaviansky, has an excellent voice and gained much applause in the Russian sailor’s song. The great feature of the performance, however, was the Russian national song, accompanied by the clarionet and a dance, very similar in its features to our own clog dance. The entertainment, moreover, proved the power of music, for, although rendered in a foreign tongue, the desired impression was fully evident to the numerous audience.  Great credit is due to the selection both of the artists and the music, and Mr. Slaviansky’s success is certainly based upon the merits of his entertainment.”

“Steinway Hall was well attended last night on the occasion of the debut of the Russian singers. The party, seventeen in number, includes an admirable contralto, a wonderfully deep basso, and a good tenor. The selections of music last evening were striking and peculiar, and may be heard again at Steinway Hall on Wednesday night.”

“A very interesting concert was given at Steinway Hall, last evening, by a troupe of Russian singers, organized and directed by Mr. DIMITRI AGRENEFF SLAVIANSKY. The troupe consists of [list of performers]. Each of its members appears on the platform in Russian habit, the men wearing frontless velvet caps, red blouses over which are thrown sleeveless coats of black, black Turkish trowsers ]sic] and top boots faced with red; and the women borne down by damask robes made heavier than by goods itself with metal ornaments. Their costume, it will be admitted, as well as their vernacular, would suffice to make them objects of curiosity. Thus far the music they have sung has not been nearly as distinctive. Out of the twenty works given—for nearly every part of the programme was encored—none were specially characteristic. ‘The Olga Waltz,’ ‘The Slavonic Polka’ and one or two other pieces of dance music prepared for vocal interpretation, were pretty specimens of the kind, but without impress of originality, while two graceful songs, sung in deference to recalls, were too strong reminders of light Italian canzonettas to be accepted as evidence of the existence of a Russian school. The execution, however, was so excellent as to abundantly satisfy those to whom a singularity of language and of dress offered illiberal compensation for disappointment in respect of an anticipated discovery of a new musical world. Mr. SLAVIANSKY is gifted with a very sweet and well-disciplined tenor voice, trained in Italian ways, and herd to the greatest advantage not only in the little chansonettes alluded to above and rendered by him with Neapolitan brio, but also in a pleasing and suggestive composition of his own, called ‘The Russian Sailor’s Song.’ The chorus too, which had the largest share of the task last evening, is remarkably proficient. Without reviewing all its labors, some idea of its merit can be conveyed by the statement that the dance music, the melody and accompaniment of which were rendered without instrumental aid, was given in its several movements with a fluency, a nicety of shading and a perfection of tempo that could not be excelled by the most skilled orchestra. The whole troupe, we see, will be heard again in the same place on Wednesday evening. A fresh programme will then be interpreted by them, and we hope, with a success as genuine as that they obtained last night.”