Arion Society Vocal and Instrumental Concert

“While New York is ringing with charming Italian music, it is pleasant and profitable to turn to another sort of music loved by its votaries with a royal passion.

 

The Germans claim for their compositions a spiritual meaning and beauty that differ from the seductive, honeyed melody of the Italian school. And they point to the great masters, and found their claims on Bach, Gluck, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and the rest.

 

Their singers try to interpret these harmonies, and explain them to the multitude. They subordinate all else, with a noble personal modesty, to the development of the true idea of the music.

 

The concert of the Arion Society last night illustrated this aim and endeavor. A choice programme of Cherubini, Handel, Schubert, &c., was performed in noble style and method. Liszt’s composition, ‘An die Künstler,’ was given for the first time in America, and was grand and delightful. The chorus and solo came up to its enormous difficulties with spirit and success.

 

Mr. Remmertz sung very finely an ‘Evening Song’ of Schumann, breathing repose, and an encore by Abt, full of fervor. His rich, mellow bass was the counterpart of Miss Sterling’s sympathetic contralto.

 

Dr. Leopold Damrosch played a lively concert piece of his own composition, and, as usual, proved himself a scholarly musician. His conductorship is that of an inspired tactician—fine, both mechanically and in enthusiasm. Miss Sterling is, in America, the chief priestess at this altar. She has consecrated her life to the noble expression of German music, and has a laborious but most honorable future before her. She is willing to sacrifice the applause of the moment, to subdue and hold back her magnificent voice if the music require, to embrace unpopularity, to be misunderstood in her best and rarest performance if she can faithfully illustrate and interpret the music, and not the [flesh?].

 

The singing last night commenced with a charming cansonette of Mozart, which she delivered as a tender dream of melody. She then sang a grave air of Handel’s with dignity and pathos, and afterward three short contrasting songs, following one another: ‘Der Tod und das Mädchen,’ from Schubert; ‘Von dem Rosenbusch, O Mutter,’ by Dr. Damrosch, and ‘Neue Liebe,’ by Mendelssohn, which were received and estimated as they deserved by the highly musical audience.” 

“This well disciplined body of singers gave a concert of more than ordinary excellence at Steinway Hall on Wednesday evening. Dr. Damrosch appeared not only as conductor but as solo violinist, composer for violin and orchestra, and lied writer, and in all these directions proved himself a master.

 

The chorus, under his direction, showed fine results. The selections were made with great discrimination, among them being the beautiful chorus of spirits from Schubert’s Rosamunde, which has been given here before by our American singing societies, but not, as in this instance, with the accompaniment of brass instruments, in which form it was composed.

 

The society was fortunate in having the assistance of that true artist, Miss Antoinette Sterling, who rendered some songs by Handel, Mozart, Schubert and others with right appreciation of the spirit, of both words and music.”