Philharmonic Society of New York Concert

Miss Krebs, will sing, rather than play the piano.

“The subscribers of the Philharmonic Society assembled en masse at the Academy on Saturday night to hear Dr. Leopold Damrosch play Beethoven’s violin concerto, opus 61, and Miss Marie Krebs sing a scena and an aria from ‘Der Freischutz’ and a scena from Goethe’s ‘Faust,’ composed by Louis Dachauer. The three orchestral pieces on the programme were of little interest, as they were hackneyed and have been played better on other occasions by Thomas’ orchestra. Dr. Damrosch proved himself an artist of the highest attainments, and his rendering of Beethoven’s work was admirable. Under his direction the Philharmonic orchestra would regain much of its lost prestige, and we trust that the society will not lose the services of a musician who in Breslau won the admiration of all Germany. Miss Krebs sang much better at the concert than she did at the rehearsal the day before (the rehearsal was a terrible fiasco), but we think it was very injudicious in her to risk the reputation she has earned as a pianist in an attempt to sing at a Philharmonic concert without possessing the slightest qualification for a public singer. Any ordinary church soprano in this city could have done as well, and in a society where we expect everything to be first class, such a choice of a vocal soloist is inexcusable. Dachauer’s work has many excellent points. It begins in D minor, the violins in tremolo imitating the noise of the spinning wheel, and the violas and celli giving in a plaintive melody an idea of the thoughts of Gretchen. She then sings a characteristic melody, accompanied only by four horns. In the succeeding verses there are many changes, both in the theme and accompaniment. The finale is particularly fine and well constructed. Mr. Dachauer deserves much better praise for such a work and better interpreters than either Miss Krebs or the orchestra proved themselves to be.”

“The Philharmonic concert was given at the Academy of Music on Saturday evening, and was remarkable for no special orchestral novelty. Mendelssohn’s Scotch symphony, Mozart’s overture to ‘Idomeneo,’ and Berlioz’s fantastic but admirably constructed Roman Carnival overture were performed.

“Dr. Damrosch played Mendelssohn’s violin concerto, and played it well, with admirable technique and just and sympathetic expression. His style is classical and he takes his place with violinists of the second rank, not with such artists as Vieuxtemps, but with those of the next lower grade. At the rehearsal he lost himself during the last movement (he was playing from memory), and for a few bars there was nothing but confusion; but in the concert all went smoothly. Vieuxtemps was to have played at this concert, but broke his engagement with the Society. Miss Marie Krebs was the vocalist of the evening. We cannot truthfully say that she has added to her artistic reputation by appearing before so large an audience in this character. It is given to but few people to do more than one thing thoroughly well, and Miss Krebs is a great pianist. Though she sings with the true feeling, spirit, and intelligence of a musician (and with so gifted a mother and father how could she do otherwise?), nature has not endowed her with the qualities of voice to make also a great singer as well as player. Besides, the composition by Dachauer—a scena from Goethe’s ‘Faust’—was a most unsatisfactory work, and one that no amount of good singing could have made pleasant to the public.”

“The sixth concert of the twenty-ninth season of the Philharmonic Society’s existence was given at the Academy of Music on Saturday evening. Though the fact was not mentioned on the bills of the night, the affair, we believe, was the last of the series credited to 1870-1871. It was of decided general interest, though the earliest rehearsals were very dispiriting. The parts of Raff’s new symphony, it was then announced, had not been received, and a familiar score had to be substituted. There was little likelihood that M. Vieuxtemps’ services could be had in time for the final entertainment, and a slight chance of an embarras du choix in the matter of solo instrumentalists to replace that artist. The lady engaged to sing had proved unacceptable, and the prospect of discovering a vocalist of genius, talent and freshness was not of great promise. In spite of all these gloomy foreshadowings, the Society had the good fortune, a few days ago, to happen upon Dr. Leopold Damrosch, whose violin-playing was the feature of the concert, and to bethink themselves of the vocal merits Miss Marie Krebs, while a new composition by M. Louis Dachauer added to the worth of the selections. The programme on Saturday was framed thus [see above].

“The orchestra of the Philharmonic has never done more finished work than was shown by the rendering of Mendelssohn’s symphony. Without taxing the powers of the band to the display of the grandeur attained to by a perfect interpretation of Beethoven’s colossal writing, the Scotch symphony, as that in A minor is often called, needs immense variety in expression and delicacy of recitation. The exquisite scherzo movement—the second—was delivered with especial esprit and finesse, while the whole performance was marked by an appreciation and by an intelligence of utterance which made an impression upon the audience, resulting in a demonstration of delight of exceptional warmth. Miss Krebs’ singing, which followed the execution of the symphony, was by no means fruitful of equal pleasure. In view of the cheerful anticipations of Miss Krebs’ success as a vocalist, her debut, indeed, may be set down as a positive disappointment. A severe cold, it is true, diminished naturally slender resources. But it was plain that Miss Krebs’ voice is hard and unsympathetic, and that the deficiency in sensibility and expression to which we have so often referred when writing of her piano playing, is more conspicuous still in her singing. It is not worthwhile, therefore, to dwell upon the correct but soulless reading of the scena ed aria from Weber’s master-piece. Its bad effect was happily dispelled by the contribution of Dr. Damrosch to the concert. No more satisfying acquirements than this gentleman possesses could be wished for any public performer. A thorough and most conscientious musician, with exquisite taste and a reverence for his art infinitely more admirable than are the poses of most artists, his welcome and recalls are subjects for general congratulation. As a violinist Dr. Damrosch excels in the even beauty of his recitals. His tone is of excessive purity and sweetness, extreme breadth never being gotten at the expense of either of these characteristics, and his command of the keyboard, as far as all the legitimate niceties of fingering are concerned, is complete. The storm of approval which trod upon the last notes of the concerto—the cadences to which indicated with sufficient clearness his skill as a composer to warrant our lines to the eminence of the musician—brought to a brilliant end the first portion of the entertainment. The second was exceedingly short. The overture to ‘Idomeneo,’ so strongly characteristic of what is known as the ‘Gluck period’ of Mozart’s career, and the noisy, but picturesque and really eloquent overture of Berlioz, were capitally rendered by the orchestra. Between the two Miss Krebs sang the scene by M. Dachauer, already spoken of and commencing, as to the words:

“My peace is gone,

My heart is sore;

I never shall find it,

Ah, nevermore!”

“M. Dachauer is not to be felicitated either on his vocal or his instrumental interpreters. It was evident, however, that this composition, in the style of Schumann, was finely illustrative of the words of Goethe, both in melodic sentiment and in orchestral coloring. But Miss Krebs did not do it justice, and Mr. Bergmann, because of lack of rehearsals, paid such infrequent respect to the tempi as to almost destroy the sense of the music. We hope for a speedy and faultless repetition of this very poetic and scholarly piece.”

“Ole Bull was an attentive listener to Dr. Damrosch’s performance of Beethoven’s violin concerto at the Philharmonic.”

“The Twenty-ninth season of the Philharmonic Society closed on Saturday evening with an excellent concert, presenting the following programme [see above].

“It was the intention of the directors to produce Raff’s new ‘Im Walde’ Symphony at this concert, but they were unable to obtain the parts in season—an accident which we can hardly regret, since it resulted in giving us Mendelssohn’s splendid Scotch Symphony, the best, probably, and the richest of all the orchestral works of that always delightful composer. There were left then only two pieces on the programme. Mozart’s ‘Idomeneo’ overture has never before been played by the Philharmonic Society, and indeed is not familiar to New-York audiences through any interpretation. The ‘Faust’ scena, by Mr. Louis Dachauer, organist of St. Ann’s R. C. Church in Twelfth-st., was not announced as a novelty, but we believe it is one. But after all the production of novelties is not the proper work of the Philharmonic Society. We look to it for an interpretation of whatever is greatest in music, be it old or new; and, while there is yet so little knowledge of Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schumann, Schubert and Mendelssohn, on the part of our people, we can do much better than perpetually casting about for something never heard before in order to gratify the vulgar appetite for change. The Directors recognize this principle, and while they have shown a reasonable amount of enterprise in trying the works of living composers, they have not forgotten that the great musicians of the past belong, by the perennial freshness of their art, as much to the present day as if they still moved among us. The programme, for instance, on Saturday, though we had heard most of it before, was by no means lacking in freshness or living interest. There was very little fault to be found with the execution of it, although the rough usage to which a large and important part of the orchestra had been subjected all the week under the baton of the opera leader had produced its natural effect. Portions of the scherzo and the allegro guerriero were handled rather coarsely; but as a whole the performance was distinguished for both sentiment and vigor; the plaintive and the romantic adagio was touched with due delicacy, and the finale maestoso closed the work with appropriate force and spirit. Where the orchestra was generally so good it may seem unfair to single out individual players for special praise, but we cannot forbear a word in appreciation of Mr. Bergner and Mr. Rietzel, whose violoncello and flute have been so conspicuously excellent all through the season; nor should we omit to speak of the precision of the first violins, whose exactness in keeping together was especially noticeable Saturday night in the third movement of the symphony. Mozart’s noble overture, and Berlioz’ curious ‘Carnival Romain’ with its barbaric magnificence and extravagant effects, was very well handled.

“A peculiar interest attached to both the solo performers on this occasion. Miss Krebs has secured so many admirers in another branch of art that her debut as a vocalist was watched with considerable curiosity. That she should prove herself a true artist was almost a matter of course. She has a broad, vigorous dramatic style, good intonation, and skill in vocalizing. She is such a singer, in short, as we suppose her mother must have been a few years ago. Of the quality of her voice we shall not judge by this experiment, for she was suffering, as we understand, from an affection of the throat which vailed her middle register, while it left the upper and lower tones clear. Even with all this sudden huskiness, which was more perceptible in the first selection than the second, she displayed a powerful, flexible, and brilliant soprano, somewhat lacking in pathos and fervor, and, like nearly all German voices, a little hard, but earnest in expression and generally agreeable in timbre. Weber’s impassioned scena could not suit a voice of this kind so well as the ‘Faust’ music by Mr. Dachauer, which, though romantic in form, is intellectual rather than emotional in character. It is an illustration of ‘Marguerite at the Spinning Wheel:’

My peace is gone,

My heart is sore;

I never shall find it—

Ah, never more!

“Though it betrays none of the tenderness which belongs to the poem, it is a good study in the dramatic style of ballad, whereof Liszt’s ‘Es war ein König in Thule’ is a much more satisfactory example. It is somewhat in Liszt’s style, somewhat also in the manner of Schumann, and much above anything Mr. Dachauer has done hitherto. The last part is very fine indeed.

“Dr. Damrosch, whose merits we discussed pretty fully after the concert given him by the Arion Society a week ago, was cordially welcomed when he came upon the stage, and enthusiastically recalled when he left it. His violin playing seems to us in some respects unequalled. His tone, to be sure, is rather thin—perhaps we should say too coldly clear—but it is brilliant and faultlessly true; his execution is extraordinary; and whatever defect of warmth there may be in the tone is amply compensated for by the fervid and sympathetic style. During the forty minutes occupied in the performance of the great Beethoven concerto, he kept the attention of the more critical portion of the audience unflagging. The cadenza which he introduced was an excellent and brilliant composition of his own.

“The season which closed this concert, though not exceptionally brilliant is one that we can look back upon with great satisfaction. The promises of the opening have been nearly all fulfilled. Of the works announced last Fall, two symphonies—Raff’s Im Walde and the G major of Haydn—and two overtures—Heinefetter’s ‘Macbeth’ and Mendelssohn’s ‘Fingal’s Cave’ (only the last of which has ever been played by the Society)—have been omitted; but the places of these four compositions have been well filled by other works. We have had three of Beethoven’s symphonies, No. 8, No. 7, and No. 4; one of Schumann—(the ‘Cologne’), besides the ‘Overture, Scherzo, and Finale,’ which is almost a symphony; one of Rubinstein’s (‘Ocean’); one of Mozart’s (No. 5); one of Liszt’s (‘Tasso’); one of Mendelssohn’s; and the unfinished symphony of Schubert’s. Only one of these—Rubinstein’s—was new. We have had the whole of Beethoven’s ‘Egmont’ music, which was also new. The two new overtures were Reinecke’s ‘Aladdin’ and Mozart’s ‘Idomeneo.’ The more or less familiar ones were Wagner’s ‘Tannhäuser,’ Cherubini’s ‘Anacreon,’ Mendelssohn’s ‘Ruy Blas,’ Goldmark’s ‘Sakuntala,’ Bargiel’s ‘Medea,’ Berlioz’ ‘Carnival Romain,’ and Gade’s ‘Im Hochland.’ The list of solo pianists includes Miss Mary Krebs (who had the unusual honor of playing three times in the course of the season), Mr. S. B. Mills, and Mr. Richard Hoffman. The vocalists were Mme. Lichtmay, Madame Czillag, Miss Kellogg, and Miss Krebs. Dr. Damrosch was the only solo violinist. The piano compositions produced during the year were Rubinstein’s concerto in D minor (first time), part of Beethoven’s in C minor, Beethoven’s in E flat, Liszt’s No. 1 and 2, the barcarole from Sterndale Bennett’s 4^th concerto, and the scherzo from the ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream. No one can reasonably find fault with a bill of fare like this. The performances as a rule have been good and in most cases excellent; and although Theodore Thomas has robbed the orchestra of some valuable material, especially among the brasses and reeds, Mr. Bergmann’s firm hand and refined taste have little by little almost repaired the loss. We shall have reason to congratulate ourselves if the Society does as much hereafter as it has done this year to retain the high place it has won in the estimation of musicians and the cultivated public.”

“The sixth and last Philharmonic Concert of the season, on Saturday evening, may be considered as the end of the musical season, though there are two weeks more of opera. The following was the programme [see above].

“Mendelssohn’s greatest orchestral work was well performed, with the exception that Mr. Bergmann took the time of the Scherzo a little too fast.

“It is not often that Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is heard entire. The first movement has been played many times, but the other two are very unfamiliar. Dr. Damrosch played his own cadenza. Mr. Viexutemps was engaged to play at this concert, and appeared at a private rehearsal, but was unable to appear at the concert.

“Miss Krebs has a pleasant mezzo-soprano voice, but not of much power. She was recalled after each of her songs” [A list of works performed and soloists who appeared this season follows.]