Clara Louise Kellogg Concert

”The return of the favorite prima donna of America to the theatre of her earliest and most signal triumphs last night was a success such as her most ardent admirers would hardly expect. The wealth and fashion of Manhattan graced the boxes, and here and there we recognized some well known artist. Christine Nilsson sat in one of the proscenium boxes and Clara Perl and Vieuxtemps listened to the American nightingale from a mezzoline loge. The programme was very interesting, as may be seen from the following selections: [lists program].

 

The clear, ringing, beautifully modulated voice of Miss Kellogg came out in the selection from Thomas and in the spirited finale from ‘Poliuto’ with more effect than ever we heard her before. Her long rustication during the summer months has not rusted her voice, but on the contrary gave it new spirit and dash. In the concert hall Kellogg stands without a superior on the American stage, and we have yet to hear one who can enchain an audience and give them such unmixed delight. Wehli played Mendelssohn’s charming work with rare delicacy and expression, and responded to an encore with his brilliant ‘March de Amazones.’ Beneath his skillful touch the noble Weber grand gave forth its round, full, brilliant tones, and in the Lurline fantasia he was deservedly applauded. Signor Filippi was in worse voice than usual and made sad havoc with the aria from ‘Faust.’”    

“The Academy of Music was thronged last night by a large and yet very select audience. So heavy have been the demands of late upon the concert-going public that it was rather surprising to find an assemblage on this occasion as fresh, as numerous, and apparently as eager to hear the numbers of the programme, as if such a thing as a concert had been unheard before this season. Miss Kellogg must have a strong hold indeed upon the New-York public, under the circumstances, to draw the audience seen last night at the Academy. The selections of the occasion were as follows [lists program].

 

The opening overture was nicely played, and Signor Randolfi was heard to much advantage in his new song. Miss Kellogg, on her appearance, was greeted with cordial applause. Her voice seemed at first a thought misty in the lower tones, but quickly came under command, and the florid difficulties of the ‘Mignon’ song were never surmounted to more delightful advantage. Miss Kellogg’s execution is as neat, as pure, and as faultless as ever. She has, however, gained in finish and in force. It is no exaggeration to say that her hearers were quite charmed with her singing of this morceau, and the rapturous encore that led the lady, with some reluctance, to sing a pretty little French song, was never more thoroughly deserved. Mr. Wehli played with all his accustomed mastery, and with the taste and self-control characteristic of his high grade as artist. The name of the maker of the grand piano on which he performed, was displayed in letters on its side that were not a foot long—but it looked so. Nevertheless, and whoever is responsible for the instrument, it is a truly magnificent one—sonorous, sweet, exquisitely graduated, of a delicacy when needed apparently unsurpassable, and a power capable of responding to all demands. ‘Salve Dimora’ is a little too much for Signor Filippi, who, however, sang with much effect and feeling. The overture to ‘William Tell’ was capitally played under Mr. Bergmann’s spirited baton, and Signor Randolfi was again listened to with pleasure in a song of poor Gottschalk’s. Miss Kellogg gave the ‘I’m alone’ of Benedict with infinite grace and pathos, and the satisfaction of the public with this performance was only excelled by their enthusiasm over the stirring duet from ‘Il Poliuto,’ which was the fair songstress’ last selection for the evening. The remaining pieces were creditably rendered, and the audience dispersed after listening attentively to the end of a thoroughly enjoyable concert. Miss Kellogg has begun her season in a manner to warrant hearty congratulations, and there, in common with all present last evening, we are most happy to tender her.”

“The public and the friends of the favorite American prima donna, Miss Clara Louise Kellogg, filled the Academy of Music last Saturday night and welcomed with most cordial applause the accomplished vocalist. Miss Nilsson occupied a stage box and attracted much attention. She was liberal in her applause.

 

Miss Kellogg sang an aria from ‘Mignon’ as her opening piece, and evinced exquisite finish and grace to her vocal execution of it. For an encore she gave a little French romance. In the second part of the programme she sang ‘I’m Alone,’ by Benedict, the popular ballad ‘Beware,’ ‘Home, Sweet Home,’ and her part in the great duet of the last act of ‘Poliuto.’ In all of these she showed that her summer respite had given greater power to her voice, while its flexibility is as noticeable as ever. Miss Kellogg goes on her concert tour in the plentitude of her powers, and will beyond doubt add widely to her reputation during the next few months.

 

Mr. Wehli was the pianist of the evening, and on one of Weber’s grand pianos—an instrument which told out with brilliancy and power—played with exquisite neatness and grace one of Mendelssohn’s capriccios with orchestral accompaniment. We have never before heard this admirable pianist play to better advantage. In the latter part of the concert Mr. Wehli played his Lurline ‘Fantasia’ and his left-hand arrangement of ‘Home,’ winning in all the warm applause of the audience.

 

Mr. Randolfi sang two songs to the acceptation of his listeners. Mr. Fillippi has talents, but they are not adapted to the concert-room.”

“The concert given by Miss Kellogg at the Academy of Music on Saturday evening was a sort of formal leave-taking of her New-York friends previous to her departure on a tour of the provinces. To-night she will perform a similar ceremony in Brooklyn, and we can wish nothing better than that the second concert may be as successful as the first. It is not easy to draw people to the Academy of Music on Saturday nights. An unwritten and unreasonable law of fashion ordains that no concerts shall be listened to on the last evening of the week, except those of the Philharmonic Society. Nevertheless, Miss Kellogg had a very large and brilliant audience, in which fashionable life was liberally represented. Miss Nilsson beamed upon the assemblage from a proscenium box, and applauded with emphasis. Hosts of professional musicians darkened the lobbies and passage-ways, and the friends and admirers of our young New-York prima donna made the house brilliant with fine array and noisy with peals of applause. Miss Kellogg’s reception was in the highest degree flattering, and was all the more impressive, perhaps, because the natural propensity of managers to abuse the bouquet business seemed on this occasion to be sensibly curbed. Miss Kellogg’s first selection was the familiar but difficult polonaise from ‘Mignon,’ in which she gave with all the brilliancy and freshness that usually characterize her singing of dance-music, and with an ease and grace which we cannot too highly praise. Still better, however, were the little songs which she rendered afterward—a melancholy one of Benedict’s, ‘I’m Alone’ (which, perhaps for fear some susceptible youth in the audience should misinterpret it, she immediately counterbalanced with ‘Beware’), and her favorite chanson, Si vous n’avez rien à me dire. It is, perhaps, superfluous to add that she also sang ‘Home, Sweet Home,’ with the usual result. Her last piece was the grand duo from ‘Poliuto’ with which she made such a marked success during her last opera season,--a season of surprises for her warmest friends who found in her Paolina and Leonora a degree of fervor, strength and dramatic power for which they had never given her credit. She was seconded (or perhaps we ought to say embarrassed) by Signor Filippi, of whose efforts it would be cruelty to speak in detail.

 

The most important member of the company after Miss Kellogg is Mr. James M. Wehli. This excellent pianist, since his return to America, has had scanty opportunities for the display of his powers, but he is well remembered from his former visit, and admitted to be one of the best players who have been here since Thalberg. His performance of the Mendelssohn ‘Capriccio Brillante’ on Saturday, with orchestral accompaniment, was admirable from every point of view. It was brilliant, spirited, intelligent, and correct. His dexterity is wonderful, and his accuracy almost unimpeachable. Such a clean, bright, certain, and at the same time delicious touch is extremely rare, and we are glad to see that it is so warmly appreciated. Mr. Wehli’s second piece was his well-known and very good ‘Lurline’ fantasia, and in reply to an encore, he played his arrangement of ‘Home, Sweet Home,’ for the left hand alone—an achievement, resonant even in the Academy of Music, which must be seen and heard to be properly understood. Signor Randolfi, who begins the season in excellent voice, sang Gottschalk’s ‘Oh Loving Heart’ and sang it with excellent taste and expression as he always does. A very good orchestra, under command of Mr. Bergmann, filled up the measure of an excellent evening’s entertainment.”