Concert

“A very interesting concert was given by this well known organization at Steinway Hall last night. Commencing its career under very unfavorable auspices—namely, the want of a good director—this band has now reached a point of perfection, under the experienced baton of Carl Bergmann, that bids fair to place it, in another season, on a level with the best military bands in Europe. There were 100 performers present last night, and they formed a very pretty sight in their scarlet uniforms. There were besides, as soloists, the celebrated cornet player Levy, Miss Cassie Renz, soprano, and Mlles. Castellan and De Try, violin and violoncello. The programme, as may be seen from the following, was of a rather light and popular order, although it possessed one or two strong works [see above for program]. The band exhibited a spirit, expression and precision in all the selections that spoke well for the materials of which it is composed and the care bestowed upon its rehearsals by Bergmann. The selection from ‘Mignon’ was not well chosen, as it brought out only the least interesting parts of the opera. Miss Cassie Renz possesses a voice of great beauty and limpidity of tone, and also of extraordinary compass, but it was not with the music at times. In the ‘Caro Nome’ she marred the effect of a certain passage by trilling on the wrong note and slurring over some of the most important parts of this beautiful aria. As for phrasing, she does not seem to be acquainted with that fundamental principle of singing. The performance of the ladies who essayed the violin and ‘cello was not interesting, perhaps on account of the worthless character of the selections they played. Both ladies appeared in costumes which the bill said were Neapolitan, but they seemed to us a compromise between a vivandiere and Zerlina. Levy’s rendering of the ‘Et Inflammatus’ was truly artistic, and he should apply himself to the study of such works rather than waste his talent on trashy polkas and waltzes. The audience was very slim, but enthusiastic.”