Strakosch Italian Opera Concert: 1st

General announcement regarding Wieniawski. “Wieniawski, the violinist, is still in town, and will probably pass the season here. He considers the star system in vogue in musical entertainments in America to be prejudicial to the true interests of music.”

“Weber’s Pianofortes will be used at this concert.”

Provides program. “It is not often that so much delightful music, rendered by performers of equal merit, can be enjoyed at the popular prices determined upon, with a view to making these concerts accessible to everybody.”

Brief. “We congratulate Mr. Strakosch on his candor. He does not call his Sunday concert a sacred concert. Sunday concerts and sanctity, like law and justice, are seldom identical.”

Program and prices. Lists the overture to Guillaume Tell as the first piece after intermission.

Brief. The program’s “promise is great, and the reasonable tariff of prices ought to insure [sic] the presence of a large audience to enjoy its interpretation.”

“…We do not vouch for the sanctity of the affair, and neither, we are glad to perceive, does Mr. Strakosch.” Lists Guillaume Tell overture rather than that of Fra diavolo.

Lists the overture to Fra Diavolo as the first piece after intermission.

“The second [sic] of Mr. Strakosch’s Sunday concerts, given last night at Wallack’s Theater, was about as successful as the first, attractive a good audience, and presenting a reasonably good programme. Mlle. Torriani, Miss Cary, and Messrs. Capoul, Maurel, and Del Puente took part in it, and Mr. Wieniawski added a great deal to the pleasures of the evening by playing his ‘Faust’ fantaisie and Vieuxtemps’ ‘Reverie.’ An orchestra of about twenty five pieces, under Mr. Behrens, played two overtures indifferently, beside furnishing most of the accompaniments. We see no reason why Mr. Strakosch should not continue his Sunday experiment. It seems to find favor, and though it does not exhibit his artists to the best advantage, the singers who are most successful in dramatic representations not being, as a rule, especially effective on the concert stage, the entertainment fills a vacant space in the week and satisfies a great many people who are rarely seen at the opera. If he should continue the venture, we trust he will endeavor to supply all his audience with programmes. At both of the Sunday concerts there has been an unaccountable deficiency of those useful articles.”

“The concert given at Wallack’s Theatre last evening was throughout uncommonly good. The instrumental music was performed by the orchestra of the Strakosch Italian Opera, and M. Wieniawski, the famous violinist. M. Rembelinski played two or three accompaniments on the piano with excellent taste. [Lists performers.] The music for the occasion was judiciously selected, in quantity sufficient for a reasonably long concert only; but as the audience inconsiderately insisted on the repetition of almost every piece on the programme, and as the artists for the most part very obligingly acceded to these demands, the performance was thus unduly prolonged. When all was so well done it may seem ungracious to suggest comparisons. But we cannot refrain from mentioning as worthy of especial commendation, ‘Il Lamento del Vate,’ sung by Signor del Puente with a very proper show of feeling; ‘Aria from Le Nozze di Figaro,’ sung with charming suavity and grace by Mlle. Torriani; ‘He was despised,’ from the ‘Messiah,’ sung with great tenderness and reverential expression by Miss Cary; romanza, from ‘Un Ballo in Maschera,’ sung by M. Maurel with the entire competency and finish for which this artist is noted; and the violin solos of M. Wieniawski. After his second solo this gentleman was three times recalled, and very good naturedly played two different selections in addition to the one, a ‘Reverie,’ by Vieuxtemps, which was the occasion of such enthusiasm and such artistic greediness on the part of the audience. Indeed, so much applause is rarely heard in one evening. It was sincere, unanimous, and, for the most part, judiciously given. The theatre was filled from bottom to top, standing room and all. This notice should not end without mention of the unusual excellence of the orchestral accompaniments under the direction of Mr. S. Behrens. Indeed all the orchestral work was well done.”

“Wallack’s Theatre was crowded to excess last night on the occasion of a concert given by all the principal members of the Strakosch company save Nilsson, Campanini and Nannetti. The selections were varied and well performed. Miss Cary sang ‘He was despised’ with tenderness and pathos, and took her part with Torriani in the ‘Quis est homo’ duet, and in the quartet from ‘Rigoletto.’ Certainly this lady is singing better this season than ever before. Torriani last night was also eminently successful, particularly in the aria ‘Sul all’ from ‘Trovatore.’ Maurel sang the ‘Eri tu’ in his usual finished style, and Del Puente made a great sensation in a superb patriotic composition about Italy and liberty, by Maestro Marotta (a pupil of Donizetti’s), who is now in this city. Capoul sang an ‘Ave Maria’ by Proch. Wieniawski’s violin playing was a marked feature of the evening, and he was honored with double encores. Altogether, a more brilliant concert, as far as regards artists and programme, has rarely been given in New York.”

“The concert given at Wallack’s Theatre, last evening, by Mr. Strakosch, was attended by as large an audience as could find room within the limits of the house. Almost all of the artists of the Academy of Music appeared, and nearly every number of the liberal programme was redemanded. The band, under the direction of Mr. Behrens, contributed the overtures to ‘Oberon’ and ‘Fra Diavolo,’ and the march from ‘Tannhauser.’ Signor Del Puente sang ‘Il lamento del Vate,’ by Signor Marotta, and the pretty romance from ‘Don Pasquale,’ ‘Bella siccome un angelo.’ The first-named piece, anglice, ‘The Bard’s Lament,’ was performed yesterday for the first time. Its merits as a composition, in spite of the evident unfamiliarity of the orchestra with the parts, were apparent at once, and their effectiveness, heightened by the fine voice and impassioned delivery of Signor Del Puente, caused this piece to be encored and done anew. Mlle. Ostava Torriani recited neatly ‘Deh vieni,’ from ‘Le Nozze,’ and ‘Amor, sull’ali rosee,’ from ‘Il Trovatore.’ Miss Annie Louise Cary delivered ‘He was Despised’ with her wonted breadth of style, and was prominent in the trio from Rossini’s ‘Messe Solennelle,’ and the duo, ‘Qui est homo,’ (with Mlle. Torriani,) from ‘Stabat Mater,’ which compositions, with an ‘Ave Maria Stella,’ constituted the claim of the concert to be called sacred. The ‘Ave Maria,’ by Proch, is more graceful than profound; as sung by M. Capoul, who seems always bent upon wooing somebody or something, it pleased so much that its repetition was insisted upon. M. Wieniawski supplied the violin accompaniment to the air, and the distinguished virtuoso also interpreted, as announced, his own beautiful composition on themes from ‘Faust,’ and Vieuxtemps’ ‘Rêverie.’ There was a great deal of applause throughout the evening, but M. Wieniawski’s performances elicited the loudest and longest, and the ‘Rêverie’ had to be supplemented by the same composer’s ‘St. Patrick’s Day’—doubtless selected in a spirit of mischief, which every one present appeared to share-and Paganini’s ‘Carnaval.’ When we add that M. Maurel sang again ‘Eri tu,’ from ‘Un ballo,’ and was encored, and that the quartet from ‘Rigoletto’ was the final element of the entertainment, we need say no more of Mr. Strakosch’s second concert.”

“Many of the principal artists of the Strakosch Opera Troupe appeared in concert at Wallack’s last evening, and, if an immense audience be an indication of success, this first experiment of the impresario will be followed by a series of regular Sunday concerts. The programme was an attractive one, having a sufficient flavoring of sacred music to suit the religious portion of the audience. Miss Cary gave to the air ‘He was despised’ that nobility and simple beauty naturally belonging to it, but of which it is often deprived in the rendering by artists not imbued with the spirit of Handel. With Mlle. Torriani she sung the duet ‘Quis est Homo,’ from Rossini’s ‘Stabat Mater,’ and with MM. Capoul and Maurel the trio ‘Gratias Agimus,’ from the ‘Messe Solenelle’ of the same composer. M. Capoul was heard to advantage in a beautiful ‘Ave Maria Stella’ by Proch, the violin obligato being rendered with exquisite finish and taste by M. Wieniawski. The rest of the programme was secular in character, but no less attractive. Mlle. Torriani undertook an aria from ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ and won a hearty encore. M. Del Puente sang, with much feeling and intensity of dramatic expression, ‘Il lamento del Vale,’ by Alessandro Marotta, a patriotic ode of a very high order of merit. The most noteworthy feature, however, was M. Maurel’s grand rendition of the aria ‘Eri tu,’ of which we spoke fully on a previous occasion. M. Wieniawski proved his artistic ability in his own fantasia on ‘Faust’ and the ‘Reverie’ of Vieuxtemps. The concert closed with the immortal quartet from ‘Rigoletto,’ sung by Mlles. Torriani and Cary and Messrs. Capoul and Del Puente.”