Chamber Music Soirée: 2nd

“The second soirée of chamber music of Messrs. Mills & Damrosch was given in the piano warerooms of Messrs. Steinway last evening before a full house. The programme was interesting, consisting of [see above]. The sonata is in one movement for piano and violin, and is in the peculiar, labored style of Raff, clever, but not particularly interesting. Mr. Mills played the ‘intermezzi’ superbly, with the clearness of style and nervous vigor that has placed him in the foremost ranks of American pianists. Dr. Damrosch did full justice to Mozart’s beautiful melody, but spoiled the effect by a very unwarrantable treatment of one of Chopin’s waltzes. But the trio was splendidly delivered, Bergner taking the violoncello part. An amateur baritone, named Dennison, sang a couple of German airs without eliciting any mark of approval from those present or without giving any evidence that he deserved it.

“The second soirée of classical music given by Mr. Mills and Dr. Damrosch was attended by a numerous audience gathered in one of the Messrs. Steinway’s smaller halls, last evening. A sonata for violin and piano by Raff, and one of Beethoven’s trios, were the concerted pieces; the instrumental solos included Schumann’s ‘Intermezzi,’ recited by Mr. Mills, and an adagio for violin by Mozart, by Dr. Damrosch, who also contributed to the programme, in response to an encore, one of Chopin’s waltzes, transcribed for the strings, and executed with so much celerity that it seemed intended to show the dexterity of the performer’s left hand, rather than the beauty of the theme. Besides these selections, two songs, Schubert’s ‘Wanderer’ and Beethoven’s ‘Adelaide,’ were rendered by Mr. J. A. Dennison, whose control over his baritone voice is by no means complete.”

“His [Dennison’s] voice is a very fair baritone, but lacks cultivation, and his singing was somewhat labored…This [Damrosch’s transcription of Chopin’s waltz] was indeed gratifying, inasmuch as Chopin carefully avoided writing for any thing but the piano, and many of his pieces sound infinitely better on some other instrument. I have already heard one of his funeral marches ‘played on a flute’ (!), and have no doubt that some enterprising musician will give us the Adagio of the second Concerto on the cornet a piston…All three instruments were nicely handled and the performance was as good as could be desired. These soirees have already taken very high rank, to which they are entitled by the excellence of the programmes as well as by the distinction of the artists.”