Christine Nilsson Concert: 10th

Arrival of pianist Marie Krebs from Germany.

Arrival of pianist Maria Krebs, with her mother, from Germany.

Valuable addition of Maria Krebs to the company.

“The return of the Swedish nightingale to the metropolis after her triumphs in Philadelphia and Baltimore showed no diminution in the eagerness of the public to hear her. Steinway Hall was fairly crowded last night, and the fair cantatrice was greeted with as much heartfelt enthusiasm as at her debut. The beautiful melody with which Franz Schubert invested the hymn to the Blessed Virgin, ‘Ave Maria,’ came from her lips in all its pristine purity and sweetness, and she responded to the inevitable encore with a coquettish Swedish air of a most peculiar kind. The prayer of the Druidical priestess, ‘Casta Diva,’ was sung by her with exquisite tenderness and expression. The rare purity of intonation, which at times has almost the effect of an echo, and which places Nilsson’s voice entirely apart from all others, made Norma’s prayer a tone poem, warm with religious fervor and thrilling in its tenderness and deep feeling. The novelty of the concert was the first appearance in America of a young German pianist, Mlle. Marie Krebs, who arrived in this country a few days ago. She is very young, very handsome and brings from Europe a high artistic reputation. She made a bold venture last night for a début, playing at first in immediate succession a melody by Rubinstein and Liszt’s arrangement of the well known tarantella ‘Le Muette di Portici.’ The melody is simple and extremely beautiful, and served principally to show the fair pianist’s poetic soul as interpreted by her fingers. We do not like Liszt’s arrangement of the morceau from Auber’s opera, as it is far inferior to that of Thalberg. But it is immensely difficult and a regular Chinese puzzle, and very few pianists can make it even intelligible. Mlle. Krebs conquered it, however, and lighted it up with those touches of color that the true and great artist alone is capable of imparting to a work. For an encore she again made a daring venture. Every pianist knows what a terrible thing the ‘Perpetual Movement’ of Weber is to play in public, and how extremely difficult it is to avoid a faux pas in its rapid and eccentric passages. Mlle. Krebs played it to perfection, and such a test, triumphantly overcome, places her among our leading artists. Her touch is wonderfully sympathetic and emotional, and there is a spontaneity about her style of playing that mere executive ability alone cannot command. Chromatic passages, melodic duets and strange chords flow from her fingers in their entirety with a spirit and expression peculiarly her own. Her touch also, though generally light, gives more idea of power than the pounding of a half dozen demented disciples of the Liszt school. She never strains after effect, but it comes as a natural consequence from her intimate acquaintance with the ideas of the composer. No city in the world is more prolific of pianists than New York, and foreign artists often meet with disappointment here on account of the formidable rivalry they encounter. It is, therefore, a great and signal victory which Marie Krebs has won in at once gaining one of the proudest positions among the crowd of American pianists and making the noble grand on which she played a talisman to the hearts of her auditors. Miss Cary, Brignoli and Verger sang some attractive selections, and a fine orchestra served as an excellent background to these artists. We would recommend, however, Messrs. Brignoli and Verger to leave the comic music of the ‘Barbiere’ to the opera stage, as in concert it is a bore. The next concert takes place on Wednesday. The conductor, Signor Bosoni, proved himself an accomplished artist in his line.”

“Mlle. Nilsson was welcomed with hearty cordiality, last night, on the occasion of her return to New-York. Steinway Hall was crowded by a fashionable audience, and the concert was, in every respect, as satisfactory as the previous ones given by Mlle. Nilsson for her opening series. Mlle. Nilsson looks the picture of health and high spirits, and received the plaudits of the audience with obvious gratification. Her beauty is certainly unimpaired by her provincial tour, and, more important still, the same can be said of her lovely voice. Indeed, practice and travel seem to agree with the songstress, who, happily, has plenty of stamina, so that neither the mellowness of her notes nor the fluency of their delivery appeared to less advantage than when our public first heard them. The programme of last night was ushered in by the overture to ‘Fra Diavolo,’ and this was succeeded by the familiar duet from ‘Il Barbiere,’ sung by Signor Brignoli and M. Verger. The favorite tenor was in fine voice, and the selection was received with pleasure. Mlle. Marie Krebs, a new pianiste, was then heard for the first time in America. Mlle. Krebs played a melody of Rubinstein’s by way of prelude, and followed it with an astonishing piece of execution on a theme from ‘Masaniello.’ We may say at once that the success of the young lady was decided. She has great power, great delicacy and reserve of style, and certainly surprising facility. Of her possession of those higher qualities that go to make up the great pianist, we prefer to speak further after hearing. The performance of this occasion was calculated to exhibit to advantage the merits of brilliancy, execution, and thorough training. The feeling and sentiment that belong to a higher range of art may also be within the grasp of Mlle. Krebs; but of this we have yet to take opportunity to judge. Mlle. Nilsson now sang Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ with sweetness and pious grace, and, on the inevitable encore, gave a piquant Swedish song, ending with an osculatory that reminded us of a certain aspiration of Lady Gay Spanker’s, and was accepted with delight by the audience. We may take occasion to observe that, however pleasing at times, the results, the habit of New-York audiences in perpetually insisting on repetitions is neither tasteful nor fair. The artist agrees to give so much and no more. The public imposes on good nature when it demands what it has not paid for. Our concert-goers seem to think they cannot have too much of a good thing—or, sometimes, of a bad one. The habit is under-bred and provincial, and should be reformed altogether. Signor Brignoli sang the romanza from ‘Louisa Miller’ beautifully. His smoothness and finish in this number were almost beyond praise. It was, perhaps, as a consequence of the fact that his effort was not repeated. ‘Ah, mon fils’ was now strongly and pathetically rendered by Miss Annie Louise Cary, who, to our hearing, has also improved since her previous appearance here. The first part was concluded by a noble performance of the ‘Casta Diva,’ in which Mlle. Nilsson fairly aroused enthusiasm. The second part of the programme was, as it should be, more spirited than the first, but it could not well be more finely rendered. Mlle. Nilsson was listened to in two selections, ‘Les Bluets,’ by Cohen, and the soprano allotment in the stirring trio from Verdi’s ‘Attila.’ In the trio Signor Brignoli M. Verger again gave efficient aid. Previous to this M. Vieuxtemps, who was warmly received, played a composition of his own with fine effect. The whole was ended in imposing style by Wagner’s ‘Tannhäuser’ march. Hardly a concert in our memory has passed off, on the whole, with greater smoothness or with greater satisfaction to its hearers.”