Rudersdorff Concert

New York debut of the Boston soprano.

“Madame Erminia Rudersdorff, who made last night at Irving Hall her first appearance in New-York, has long occupied in London the very foremost position as a dramatic vocalist, excelling especially in oratorio. She was brought over especially to sing at the triennial festival of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston in 1871, and she also sang at the Jubilee of 1872. In declamatory music she has few equals; and though her voice is no longer fresh, it is so large in quality, so abundant in power, and so well controlled, that she must rank as one of the noblest singers of the day. She gave last night a long and trying scena from Haydn’s ‘Ariadne in Naxos,’ which, we believe, is quite new to this city. That it should be fully appreciated by a miscellaneous concert audience was not to be expected; but it placed Madame Rudersdorff in her true place as a classical artist, and upon the whole was well received.

The assisting members of her company were announced as Mlle. Thérèse Liebé, a violinist of 17; Miss Alice Fairman, contralto; Mr. Nelson Varley, an English tenor, who is advertised as the rival of Sims Reeves; Mr. Sprague, basso; and Mr. Karl Walter, pianist. Neither of the three gentlemen appeared. Mlle. Liebé is a very prepossessing young lady who plays with masculine freedom and force, and without many feminine graces. She is not a phenomenal performer, by any means, but she is a very good one, and her career is full of promise. Miss Fairman has an agreeable voice, of sufficient strength and compass, and except for a habit of forcing the lower notes her style is satisfactory. Dr. William Berge played the accompaniments. We cannot dismiss this notice without a few words about the curious mismanagement which will cause this concert to be long remembered. It was after half past eight when the gas was turned on, and the first preparations were made to open the entertainment. By that time the audience was in a thoroughly bad humor, but an amusing apology offered on behalf of Madame Rudersdorff, who had disclaimed all responsibility for the ‘irregularities,’ and regretted the non-arrival of Mr. Varley and the sudden sickness of Mr. Sprague, restored good temper, until a second delay occurred, just before Madame Rudersdorff made her first appearance. This delay lasted nearly half an hour, and the interval was passed by the audience in alternate paroxysms of irritation and hilarity. It is certainly unfortunate that an artist of Madame Rudersdorff’s standing should have been forced to introduce herself to the chief city of America under such disheartening circumstances, and it seems a pity that the name of the unknown manager should not have been given up to public vengeance.”

“Mme. Erminia Rudersdorff sang at Irving Hall, last evening. Mme. Rudersdorff is a very finished artist, with a worn but still powerful soprano voice. The evidences she supplied of culture were sufficient to elicit much applause. Among the artists who appeared with Mme. Rudersdorff were [see above], but the absence of several expected performers, and consequent exhibitions of ill-temper on the part of the audience, were circumstances too unpleasant to have placed those surrounded at their best, and hence judgment upon their merits may be reserved.”

“Mr. Nelson Varley, the English tenor, who was to sing with the Rudersdorff troupe at Irving Hall, last evening, failed to appear in consequence of his non-arrival from England. Two other singers who had been announced were also missing, and the concert did not begin until half an hour after the advertised time. With these drawbacks the concert could hardly be called a success. But Madame Rudersdorff gave splendid evidence of the possession of a powerful mezzo-soprano voice, and sang a selection from Haydn’s cantata, ‘Ariadne in Naxos,’ with great éclat. The other performers were [see above], who acquitted themselves with credit.”

“A musical event of a novel nature took place last evening at Irving Hall. A concert was advertised in which Madame Rudersdorff, Miss Alice Fairman, Miss Therese Liebe, Mr. Nelson Varley, Mr. Sprague, and Dr. William Berge were to appear. Owing to mismanagement the concert proved a lamentable failure. An announcement was made that the tenor, Mr. Varley, had not yet arrived in this country, and the baritone, Mr. Sprague, was sick. More than half an hour elapsed after the time advertised for the opening of the concert before any of the artists put in an appearance. Then they passed down through the midst of the audience and entered one of the stage boxes. Miss Liebe first played a violin solo, which neither excited interest nor gave any favorable impression of the abilities of the fair artist. Miss Fairman, a contralto of considerable talent, sung an aria by Handel. Her voice is a clear, ringing, well-defined organ, and she sings with much expression and feeling. After another pause of preposterous length Mme. Rudersdorff appeared, being compelled to pass down through one of the aisles. She made an unfortunate selection, no less than ‘Ariadne’s Lament,’ by Haydn, almost an entire cantata, which, with only piano accompaniment, was tiresome and ineffective in the extreme. It would be unfair to criticise too strictly the singing of Mme. Rudersdorff last evening; for, owing to the series of disappointments that marred her first appearance in New York she was not in condition to do herself justice.”