Nilsson Scandinavian Emigrant Protection Society Benefit

“Mme. Nilsson cherishes a love for her native country, and expresses it by benevolence toward her countrymen, who are in an evil state and distant from home. She will sing at a concert to be given at the Academy of Music on Tuesday, December 2, for the benefit of the Scandinavian Emigrant Protection Society. Mr. Strakosch also contributes other members of his company.

Program.

Program.

Brief. “[A] grand orchestra will supply the accompaniments and overtures. We observe that the delicious romance from ‘Otello’—‘assisa [sic] al piè d’un salice’—is among the numbers set down for Mme. Nilsson.”

“A concert in aid of a Swedish charity took place at the Academy of Music last night. [Lists performers] and an orchestra under the bâton of Mr. Behrens was in attendance. The only part of the performance calling for notice was Mme. Nilsson’s execution of ‘Assisa al piè d’un salice,’ better known, perhaps, as Rossini’s setting of the ‘Willow Song’ in ‘Otello,’ than by its Italian title. A good deal has been done since Rossini composed ‘Otello’ toward increasing a musician’s resources, and the delicate orchestral writing of ‘Il Barbiere’ can hardly be considered effective after the works of Meyerbeer and Wagner. But the gift of creating melodies which, by pure beauty, will outlive the happiest combinations, has seemingly been lost. Nothing has been heard since ‘Otello’ that will surpass ‘Assisa al piè d’un salice’ in pathetic sweetness and grace, and Mme. Nilsson, who proved herself an admirable Desdemona, in London, three years ago, yesterday sang the air with a variety of coloring and an expressiveness, offering, in our judgment, as convincing evidence of her art as she has yet afforded. We are sorry to say that the audience was very small.”