Philharmonic Society of New York Rehearsal: 2nd for the 5th Concert

“At last the eccentric Abbe has found a subject worthy of his crazy aspirations, Dante’s sublime ‘Divina Comedia.’ We heard it for the first time yesterday, and although a first rehearsal cannot be expected to develop all the extraordinary features of such a work, yet a definite opinion can be given generally of it. It is in three movements—allegro frenetico, andante amoroso and maestoso. Beethoven’s choral symphony furnishes numerous points for the working up of some of the main features, especially when the voices are introduced. The opening recitative of trombones, followed by a tremolo of the strings and the terrible curse—Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’ entrate—given by trumpets and horns, with the wildest discords of strings, reeds and brasses that ever afflicted human ears, all show power and intimate acquaintance with all the resources of the orchestra, but it is power uncontrolled by judgment or taste. No matter how chaotic the subject may be there should be poetry in its musical interpretation. No man ever brought out richer treasures from the orchestra than Beethoven or Weber, and yet they never overstepped the bounds which divide true music from chaos. What can be more effective than the incantation scene of ‘Der Freischütz,’ in which Weber deals with diablerie, such as Cagliaostro himself would shrink from; yet it is music—true, melodious, soul-reaching music—throughout? What can attain the empyreal regions of sublimity into which Beethoven soars in the Choral Symphony? And yet he never divests himself of the garb of poetry and music. Simplicity is akin to sublimity in other things beside music; but never so much as in the divine art. High-sounding phrases do not constitute greatness in literature, neither do extraordinary musical phrases in the sister art. True greatness must be spontaneous; Liszt is never so. Therefore we take exception, despite its sensational character, to his musical description of inferno. There is neither harmony nor melody in it, and those are essential characteristics of music. The andante has some very pretty passages, or rather fragments of them, but the want of unity of idea in the movement neutralizes the pleasure that its component parts otherwise would give. We care not for any musical checkerboard or Mosaic groundwork in which no two ideas assimilate. In this work one can see that Liszt is more successful with the wind and percussion instruments than with the strings. The latter form the principal part of every musical structure erected by Beethoven and Weber. Liszt is a constant bungler with them. They seem in his hands to be tangled skeins, a Gordian knot, which he cuts by hurling on it all the power of the brasses. The themes in the andante are unmistakably Italian in origin, and some quaint dialogues between the clarionet, oboe and cor Anglais occur. After this episode a palpable reminiscence of the choral symphony comes in the working up and gathering together, so to speak, of the entire strength of the orchestra to a grand climax. It has not, however, the graduated power and sublime genius of Beethoven. In the one it is like a mighty billow, a wall of water, sweeping towards the shore to break thereon with resistless force; in the other it is but a succession of smaller breakers following in the wake of their larger predecessor. The close, in which everything from a fiddle to a dinner gong is introduced, is an instructive lesson to all Christians to lead good lives and not endure such torments as the damned must suffer if ever this symphony is played for them.

“The next part, ‘Purgatory,’ is more tolerable. It opens quietly and a feeling of sadness pervades it. A sort of fragmentary chorale, in which the oboe and cor Anglais are prominent, is followed by a beautiful theme given by the first violins. A fugue with an uninteresting subject introduces the voices (the vocal part at this point was omitted on yesterday), and works them up into a grand chorus. The resolution of the subject into a more joyous and triumphant strain, in which the ‘Magnificat’ is sung by a chorus of boys, is another reminiscence of Beethoven. We doubt if boys’ voices are alone sufficient to give adequate expression to the hymn of triumph, especially with such an orchestra to overweigh them. Again, it would be better to place the boys more in front and not immediately behind the percussion instruments. Looking at this work in general, we are of opinion that much valuable time and talent have been wasted upon it, and that it can only be interesting as a musical curiosity. Machine music is the most appropriate name that can be given to it. What a relief from it were Beethoven’s Coriolanus Overture, although it is by no means the most interesting of the Titan’s works, and the ever welcome, never tiresome overture to ‘Euryanthe,’ the brightest, freshest, most melodious and most varied ever written by Weber! It was indeed Paradise after Liszt’s ‘Inferno.’”

“Yesterday afternoon there was a large attendance at the Academy, on the occasion of the rehearsal of the Philharmonic Society. The feature of the programme was Liszt’s symphony ’L’inferno’—a strange, weird composition, colossal in design and original in treatment. The conductor yesterday found occasion to frequently interrupt his orchestra, and request them to repeat the prominent passages; so it would be quite unfair to judge of this disconnected performance. The symphony is certainly an interesting work, and will attract much attention and lively criticism.”