Central Park Garden Concert

“The concerts of Theodore Thomas this season have been more uniformly successful than ever before. The character of the audience is similar to what one observes at the Italian opera during the season at the Academy, and the beautiful hall and garden are crowded every evening. The steady rain yesterday thinned the attendance considerably, but the music was as enjoyable as ever. The programme was made up of selections from Beethoven, Wagner, Keler Bela, Bellini, Wuerst, Strauss, Rossini, Liszt, and Gung’l. Mr. Thomas, in every programme, has from two to five works which are complete novelties, and up to the present time, during thirty-five concerts, the number of works introduced for the first time to the public is remarkable.”

“The Central Park Garden and Terrace Garden are both prospering. The success of the two places is well deserved, and, as we have already said, will be fraught with good results for the cause of music in this country. Mr. Thomas has an admirable orchestra under his control, and every piece of an inexhaustible repertory is recited by his forces with an intelligence, spirit and precision not to be excelled in any part of the world. M. Jullien also has a strong and clever force of musicians, and the introduction of soloists as contributors to the entertainments—on Friday, Miss Hersee and Herr Habelmann sang, and instrumental performances were supplied by Herr Heine, an exceedingly accomplished violinist, and Mme. Heine, pianist—is a feature of his concerts. The single unpleasant incident noticeable at these very seasonable affairs grows out of the occasional unwillingness of a small fraction of the audience to observe the silence a proper appreciation of the music demands. We are sorry to record our experience as implicating ladies rather than their escorts. A very discreditable display of disregard for performers and audience was offered but a few nights ago at the Central Park Garden, and less noticeable breaches of decorum and exhibitions of ignorance constantly occur. The music rendered, its style of execution, and the character of the assemblages ought not to be thus set at nought.”

“At the Central Park Garden the attendance is as large as ever. Several interesting works have recently been added to the repertoire.”