Chamber Music Soir�e: 1st

Dates for a series of four soirées, of which this is the first; with Leopold Damrosch.

“A series of soirées of Chamber music were begun last night at Steinway Hall, by Leopold Damrosch (whose concerts last January in conjunction with Herr Pruchner met the approval of music lovers,) and the well-known pianist Mr. S. B. Mills.

A large number of persons were present, and the playing elicited much applause. The selections were as follows [see above].

Mme. Drasdil, who on this occasion made her first appearance in America, possesses a good contralto voice, and is likely to become popular at our winter concerts.”

“Mr. S. B. Mills and Dr. Leopold Damrosch began last night at Steinway’s the series of musical chamber music concerts of which we have already spoken. The smaller hall was densely crowded, and the performance was greeted with considerable enthusiasm, well merited and judiciously displayed. The following was the programme [see above].

It must always be a treat to hear such good players together, and last night we heard them under very favorable conditions, for they played music with which they were in close sympathy, and they played it as men whose whole heart was in it. The second movement of the sonata with its beautiful melody and its concluding scherzo, the third movement with its spirited finale, and the whole of Frank’s trio, which is broad and masculine in treatment and striking in its theme, were conspicuously well handled. Altogether it was a bright, hearty, vigorous, and, withal, thoroughly polished performance, worthy of the fine artists by whom it was given. Dr. Damrosch furnished a most sympathetic and beautiful interpretation of the Spohr adagio (in which Mr. Mills accompanied him on the piano), and did full justice also to the Bach prelude. Mr. Mills’s performance of the Chopin Scherzo we can hardly praise too highly. The best characteristics of this admirable pianist—his certain touch, his grace, his poetic taste, his delicate feeling, were here fully illustrated. He was recalled, and played something of Schumann’s with equally fine effect.

The concert afforded an opportunity for Mlle. Anna Drasdil, a contralto singer who has been long popular in London, to make her American debut. Her success was decided. She has a noble voice, clear, resonant, somewhat metallic yet not harsh in quality, flexible, though not specially sympathetic. Her taste is admirable; her style is good; and in certain directions her culture has been carried to great lengths. The ‘Prayer’ of Ferdinand Hiller’s, which she gave first, is a superb composition, and she sang it with great feeling, phrasing admirably, and closing with a sostenuto passage of rare beauty. In Mendelssohn’s ‘Autumn song,’ and a piece which she gave as an encore, she showed more clearly than in her first selection a certain faulty method of producing the voice—from the head instead of the chest—but this was not enough to efface the favorable impression she had already created.”

“The first of a series of four soirées of classical chamber music was given last evening, in Steinway’s smaller hall, by Mr. S. B. Mills and Dr. L. Damrosch. The place was filled, and every number of the programme whereof the length admitted an encore was redemanded. The fact that the performance afforded great pleasure, in spite of the liberal drafts which have been lately made upon classical music for the behoof of local audiences, could not be more clearly established, in our judgment, than by a mention of this fact. The concerted numbers were Beethoven’s sonata in G major, (op. 96), recited by Messrs. Mills and Damrosch, and a trio in F sharp minor, the work of M. C. Frank [sic], who enjoys a great reputation, as an organist, in France. So far as a single hearing enables one to judge of the merits of a composition, M. Frank’s trio is too poor in ideas to be commended to notice by the clever part-writing which, doubtless, caused it to be selected for performance. The instrumental solos were one of Bach’s thankless violin-preludes, and the fine classical andante of Spohr’s ninth symphony, both delivered by Dr. Damrosch, a scholarly performer with a sweet and rather thin tone; the scherzo by Chopin, known as opus 20, and played rather heavily, in our opinion, by Mr. Mills, and the familiar ‘Ende vom Lied,’ splendidly executed by the same gentleman. Mlle. Anna Drasdil, a contralto new to us in person, though not in name, contributed to the entertainment three songs, a beautiful prayer by Hiller; Mendelssohn’s ‘Herbstlied,’ and an unpretentious Russian piece. Mlle. Drasdil has a contralto voice—firm, fresh, sympathetic, and strong; a style stamping her as a thorough artist, and a delivery intelligent and expressive. The lady was compelled to sing four times, instead of twice.”

“The first of a series of concerts of chamber music took place at Steinway hall (the smaller hall) last evening. The instrumental executants were Mr. S. B. Mills, piano; Dr. Leopold Damrosch, violin; Mr. F. Bergner, violoncello. The principal selections on the programme were [see above]. The solos, duet and trio showed a degree of talent and true appreciation of the ideas of the composers that placed the performers in a most favorable light. Mlle. Anna Drasdil, a contralto, who has lately arrived in this country, sung a ‘Prière,’ by F. Hillier, and two of Mendelssohn’s songs. She made such an impression as few vocalists appearing for the first time in concert here would expect. A voice of great power and remarkable sweetness, trained in the very best school and sympathetic in the highest degree, gave an impression that in Mlle. Drasdil there are all the qualities of a first class artist. The opening concert of Mills and Damrosch was a gratifying success.”

“Dec. 7.—At the first concert, Nov. 21, they were assisted by Mlle. Anna Drasdil, contralto (from London), and by Mr. F. Bergner, whose presence is almost a necessary thing when chamber-music is to be played here. Beethoven’s Sonata in G, op. 96, for piano and violin, opened the programme, and received a masterly interpretation at the hands of Mr. Mills and Dr. Damrosch. The former displayed to perfection the beautiful legato style which Beethoven’s music requires, and though his playing was at times a little cold, no other fault could be found by the most critical. Dr. Damrosch is an admirable violinist, severely classical in style as well as graceful and poetic. He makes no claim to virtuosity, but his facility of execution, particularly in polyphonic passages, is remarkable. His soli were a Prelude (in E) by J. S. Bach, and an Adagio by Spohr, which brought an encore. Mr. Mills played Chopin’s Scherzo, op. 20, which was also encored.

Miss Anna Drasdil made decidedly a favorable impression. Her voice is a deep, clear contralto of great power, and somewhat metallic in timbre. Her phrasing is very fine, and she has evidently studied to great advantage. Her selections were F. Hiller’s beautiful ‘Prayer’ and Mendelssohn’s ‘Herbstlied.’ The first piece was so well sung that it had to be repeated, and, being recalled after the ‘Herbstlied,’ she sang another German Lied. 

The concert ended with a very noisy and uninteresting trio, by C. Frank, (F-sharp minor), which did something to obliterate the pleasant impression made by the other selections.”