Strauss Concert: 3rd

“The celebrated Austrian composer took an affectionate adieu of America last night at the Academy of Music. The house was even more crowded than on Wednesday night, and the audience who went merely to see the man whose compositions have become a necessity in every ball room, became frantic after each work that he conducted. The novelty of the occasion was the ‘Manhattan Waltz,’ which Strauss has dedicated to this city. It is partly a rehash of a few old themes of the composer, with a commonplace arrangement of ‘The Old Folks at Home.’ It is entirely unworthy of the mind that conceived ‘An der Schoenen, Blauen Donau.’ Mr. Strauss has evidently been pushed to write something out of compliment to America, and smarting under the humiliation he underwent in Boston, the first experience he had of our country, he took revenge in composing ‘The Manhattan Waltz,’ a work inferior to many of the waltzes by our own local writers. Bonawitz played Weber’s ‘Concertstück’ on the piano with a fire, precision and expression such as astonished even those who had heard him frequently before, and Carl Bergmann conducted four orchestral works with his accustomed care and talent. Strauss and his lady leave for Europe to-day by the steamship Donau (not the schoenen blauen).”

“It does seems as if the Austrian waltz king were able to draw crowds to see his eccentric manner of conducting an orchestra, despite the utmost violence of temperature, and to so bewitch and electrify them that they would sit until broad daylight to hear the languishing melody of the Blue Danube Waltz, or one would have thought the few thousand most ardent admirers of his music had already availed themselves of the two previous occasions on which the Academy has been jammed from pit to dome, but last evening capped the climax in point of both numbers and enthusiasm. The receipts are reported by Mr. Rullman at over $5,000, which is the best evidence of the popularity that Mr. Strauss has achieved during his brief visit to America. It is beyond comprehension that men, not actually music-mad should have been willing to stand for hours, as they did last evening, jammed in a lobby into a compact, sweltering mass, for the pleasure of seeing any noted man indulge in any imaginable eccentricities. That sort of thing is pleasure-seeking under difficulties.

“Poor Strauss himself was a sight to behold as he came behind the scenes after a siege on the platform. The perspiration stood in great beads on his brow, his hands were damp, his collar limp, his hair disheveled, and his whole appearance that of a man just emerging from a dip in the river. But neither heat nor moisture could suppress his enthusiasm nor dampen his ardor. Again and again he returned to the business in hand, giving the ‘Pizzicato Polka,’ the ‘Circassian March,’ the new ‘Manhattan,’ and the old ‘Blue Danube’ waltzes, until his patrons were satisfied.

“The ‘Manhattan’ waltz was received with great enthusiasm, and twice encored. In some particulars it slightly resembles the ‘Blue Danube,’ and like all of Strauss’s music is full of the rhythm of the dance. It comprises a long introduction, and at the finale the familiar melody of ‘The Old Swanee River’ is introduced, without regard to waltz time. In fact, to speak under favor, it seemed like a bit of patchwork, gotten up under the spur of immediate necessity to give eclat to his final concert.”

“The third and last concert, under the direction of Herr Johann Strauss, was given at the Academy of Music last evening. The house was filled to overflowing. The enthusiasm, of course, was intense. When the earliest performances of Herr Strauss elicited the noisy demonstrations of delight we have so often adverted to, it was only to be expected that the farewell efforts of the composer and conductor would produce an almost unparalleled excitement. The anticipation was fulfilled. All the numbers of the programme were repeated, and after ‘L’Eufantillage’ polka, the last selection but one on the programme, had been played, it became necessary to supplement the entertainment by a recital of ‘On the Blue Danube,’ and by two recitals of the ‘Pizzicato’ polka. The remaining incidents of the concert do not exact protracted attention. Herr Strauss’ new ‘Manhattan’ waltz was proven an excellent specimen of dance music, but its rehearsal did not show that it contained any but well-worn ideas, whereof the treatment, if satisfying, was almost too familiar. The introduction, as the final movement, of ‘Way Down the Suwanee River’ commended the composition, however, to the audience, and the whole work was listened to once more amid unmistakable evidences of gratification. The waltz, ‘Wine, Woman and Song’—very poorly done by the orchestra—and the ‘Circassian March,’ which was superbly executed, were also heard. Mr. Bonawitz was the pianist and Herr Bergmann conducted the rendering of the miscellaneous selections. Herr Strauss sails for Europe this morning. The warmth of yesterday’s leave-taking made the popular liking for the conductor and his writings so clear that we cannot but trust, as well as hope, that his first visit to the United States will not be his last.”

“Herr Johann Strauss and an orchestra of picked musicians gave concerts at the Academy of Music on the evenings of July 8^th, 10^th and 12^th. Of course, the chief features of the programmes were Herr Strauss’ own compositions, during the performance of which he conducted the orchestra. He was received with the most enthusiastic expressions of delight, tumultuous applause mingled with cheers and the waving of handkerchiefs greeting him at the conclusion of each composition. He good naturedly responded to many encores and to numerous personal recalls. On the evening of Friday an original composition by Herr Strauss, entitled the ‘New Manhattan Waltz,’ was performed for the first time. The attendance, notwithstanding the high temperature, was very large, every seat being occupied and many persons standing in the lobbies.”