Wieiawski-Maurel Classical and Popular Concert: 1st

Includes program.

Includes program.

“The concert given at Steinway Hall last night by Messrs. Wieniawski and Maurel was fairly attended, and the performance in many respects was remarkably good. The first piece on the programme was Mendelssohn’s Octet, for four violins, two violas, and two ‘celli, played by Messrs. Wieniawski, Brandt, Schüssel, Hemmann, Matzka, Schwartz, Bergner, and Hoch. It is one of the earliest of Mendelssohn’s important compositions, having been written when he was only sixteen years old, but it displays in a remarkable degree both vigor, and polish, and fertility of ideas. It was well played, and the stirring last movement in particular called forth something like enthusiasm. Later in the evening the same eight performers gave the andante and variations from Spohr’s double quartet in E minor, and made with it a still better effort than with the octet. As a rule we care very little for chamber music given in this fortuitous way by an occasional combination of players; but in this case the performers did so well as almost to make us forget that they had practiced very little together. The most remarkable exhibition of the evening, however, was Mr. Wieniawski’s rendering of an andante and fugue of Bach’s as a violin solo. In the fugue he preserved the independent movement of the parts so closely, and filled in the theme with such complete harmonies that one could hardly understand how so much should be done with a single violin. Being recalled he chose for his encore piece the Air from Bach’s Suite in D, playing it, with piano accompaniment, in the most exquisite taste. Mr. Maurel sang the ‘Ah non avea piu lagrime’ from Donizetti’s ‘Maria di Rudenz,’ a melody of Gounod’s (‘Le Soir’), and the serenade from ‘Don Giovanni,’ with the fine culture and genuine artistic manner which we have so often admired before; and afterward he gave, what is doubtless his showpiece, the elaborate aria di bravoura of Mahomet, from Rossini’s ‘Siege of Corinth.’ If there had been any doubt before as to Mr. Maurel’s ranks as a vocalist, the brilliant result of this trying ordeal ought to have dispelled it. There are very few male voice nowadays which are capable of executing the real Rossinian roulades in their perfection. The style of music, and the culture which it demanded, seem to have gone out together. Mr. Maurel is one of the few for whom these tremendous flourishes present no difficulties; and although his method of enunciation does not allow him to give them the perfect clearness which they ought to have, he delivers them with capital emphasis and with a comfortable appearance of ease. Miss Jenny Bull, who reappeared as a vocalist after a long absence from New-York concert rooms, has a fine voice which since we last heard her she has evidently been cultivating under good teachers. The ‘Non piu mesta’ which she selected for her aria d’entrata was perhaps too severe a trial for a young lady who, though she sings with care, has not yet learned to sing with ease; but she displayed such rich natural gifts, combined with so much intelligence, that she immediately conciliated the favor of her audience. We expect much from Miss Bull hereafter.”

“The brilliant and appreciative audience which last evening defied the elements and attended the first of the Wieniawski-Maurel concerts was handsomely rewarded. Yesterday’s entertainment was, without doubt, not merely one of the most delightful, but also one of the most interesting imaginable. The difficult problem of arranging a programme at once classical and popular was happily solved, and as its solution was effected by artists of exceptional merit, a performance of unusual worth was the result. Some capital concerted music was enjoyed, and several vocal and instrumental solos of the highest order of merit were listened to. Mendelssohn’s octet opened the concert, with M. Wieniawski as first violin, Herr Matzka as first viola, Herr Bergner as first violoncellist, and Messrs. Brandt, Schussel, Hemmann, Schwartz, and Hoch to assist the principal performers. The four movements of the octet—thoroughly Mendelssohnian work—was cleverly recited, though it might have been played with a little more crispness. For what it may have lacked, however, in point of ensemble, the exertions of M. Wieniawski made ample atonement. The first violin’s part is almost a solo, and the richness of the artist’s tone and the variety and finish of his delivery stood forth with no undue prominence on a rich harmonic background. The delicious scherzo of the octet was heard to particular advantage, and was much applauded. The second part of the programme included the andante and variations from Spohr’s quartet in E minor, which the same players interpreted with increased precision, and which was particularly effective. But while the concerted pieces were of unquestionable importance as characteristic of the intention of the givers of the concert, it cannot be doubted that the solos afforded the largest measure of satisfaction. M. Wieniawski has been before the public for many months, and the fact that no violinist in our recollection has possessed in an equal degree the power of contenting the connoisseur and awaking the enthusiasm of his audiences is not a new one, but last night he quite outdid his earlier achievements. How skilled is the gentleman as an executant of classical music was never before so clearly proven as by his yesterday’s rendering of Bach’s ‘Adagio and Fugue,’ nor was his marvelous command of the technique of the most difficult instruments ever made plainer than by a wonderfully spirited, correct, and ‘telling’ performance of the Paganinian arrangements of ‘Di tanti palpiti’ and ‘Le Carnaval.’ His reading of Bach’s was a remarkable effort, the quality and volume of tone not suffering in the least from the polyphonic writing of the old master, and the well-nigh impossible illusion being produced of compelling a single violin to do duty for four. An unanimous recall followed this incident of the evening, and the ‘Adagio and Fugue’ had to be supplemented by an aria, also selected, and most judiciously, from Bach’s compositions. M. Wieniawski’s playing of ‘Di tanti palpiti’ and ‘Le Carnaval’ has been noticed in these columns many times. All the resources of the violinist are drawn upon by these two numbers—for there is a very pretty cantabile introduction to the first named piece,--and the player who would do them justice must have the creation of harmonic notes, and of staccato, and the striking of chords of every description literally at his fingers’ ends. Last night, M. Wieniawski’s work throughout was simply perfection, and after ‘Le Carnaval’ had been sounded in deference to loud applause, a third demand upon the gentleman constrained him to further supplement the programme with Vieuxtemps’ setting of ‘St. Patrick’s Day.’ M. Maurel, the distinguished baritone of the Strakosch Italian Opera Troupe, and the associate of M. Wieniawski in the present brief series of concerts shared with the violinist the honors of the affair, and had really double duty to perform. The noble voice of M. Maurel, his faultless style as a singer, wrought a deep impression at the outset of the season of opera at the Academy, and in at least one part of last night’s entertainment, he revealed himself as worthy of ranking with the first artists of the age. It was expected that M. Maurel would interpret with unexceptional feeling and art Gounod’s ‘Le Soir,’ and the dainty serenade ‘Deh, vieni,’ from ‘Don Giovanni,’ to which, by the way, he had to add, in response to an encore, Gounod’s ‘Le Printemps.’ The third vocal selection allotted to M. Maurel was a familiar one, for the gentleman had already sung, in a concert at the Academy, the romance ‘Ah! non avea piu lacrime,’ from ‘Maria di Rudenz.’ The more classical number of the bill threw, however, a new light upon the baritone’s talent. M. Maurel sang in the second portion of the concert an aria di bravura from Rossini’s ‘Siege of Corinth,’ and by the eloquence of his declamation, the surety and facility he displayed in the execution, with the full force of mighty voice, of passages which would be exacting upon a soprano, aroused his hearers to actual enthusiasm. Baritones do not often excite an assemblage to a tumultuous expression of astonishment and delight, but the custom was departed from last night and a wonderful trait caused the positive interruption of the air by an outburst of plaudits. Besides the artists whose names have appeared, Miss Jennie Bull, a young contralto with a fine voice and considerable fluency, interpreted ‘Non piu m esta’ from ‘La Cenerentola,’ and the contralto part of a duet from ‘La Favorita’ with M. Maurel. We must, for want of space, reserve comment upon Miss Bull’s exertions, which had abundant encouragement.”

“An appreciative audience gathered at Steinway Hall last evening to hear the first concert given by these two celebrated artists. The opening octett, for four violins, two violas, two violoncellos, by Mendelssohn, was rendered in a style to defy competition. The broad magnetic notes of Wieniawski, well seconded by the newly arrived violinist Brandt, and the others, did full justice to the composer’s best endeavor. The octett by Spohr was also exquisitely rendered, the eight performers playing these two difficult compositions with a precision and shading that was charming. As usual, Wieniawski made a great hit, the encores being decided and numerous. Maurel achieved a success which has hardly ever been excelled, even at the Academy. To every piece which he sang he did full justice. The war song of Mahomet, from Rossini’s ‘Siege of Corinth,’ was given in a way long to be remembered by those who heard it. Maurel’s fine baritone voice and careful training were seen to the best advantage, the difficult recitative and music being sung in a way that could scarcely be excelled by Santley. The contralto singing of Jennie Bull was another feature of the entertainment, her aria from Rossini’s ‘Cenerentola,’ with its difficult passages and runs, being executed in a way that placed her high in the esteem of the audience and secured for the vocalist a prompt encore.”

“These two distinguished artists—the one as a baritone operatic singer and the other as a violinist—having entered into an offensive and defensive alliance for a concert campaign, commenced their attack last night on the New York public, the same being rather sparsely represented on account of the rain and mud. The programme had many features of interest, vocal and instrumental. M. Maurel sung the grand aria from ‘Maria di Rudenz,’ and, as an encore, one of Gounod’s songs, ‘Chanson de Printemps.’ In the second part he gave the fine war song of Mahomet, from Rossini’s ‘Siege of Corinth.’ In this magnificent aria M. Maurel’s voice and thorough school, such as the Paris Conservatoire alone can give, roused the audience to a pitch of enthusiasm. Of course the voice of such an eminent operatic artist cannot be heard to the same advantage in a half empty concert hall as in an abundantly toiletted opera house, especially as the vibrato of his voice was at times last night not conducive to success. But the school, the best in the world, finished and perfectly intelligible and capable of rendering every nuance of expression, carried M. Maurel through with satisfactory results. The two songs of Gounod, ‘Chanson de Printemps’ and ‘Le Soir,’ were not worthy of such a singer, as they produced no effect, even with his best efforts. The serenade from ‘Don Giovanni’ was the only failure that can be placed to the account of M. Maurel. The accompaniment on the piano could not give the pizzicato of the violins with sufficient effect, and in consequence the voice was not so good as in the Academy during the opera.

Mr. Wieniawski, one of the best violinists who have ever visited this country, was in his happiest mood. Beethoven’s romance in F major, and Wieniawski’s second polonaise, Ernst’s celebrated élégie and the now popular ‘Airs Russes,’ were rendered by the great violinist with that wealth of tone, clearness and interpretation and effect that might be expected from the first of living violinists. Miss Jennie Bull did not do the ‘Non piu mesta’ of Rossini’s ‘Cenerentola’ that justice which should be demanded from a prima donna on such an occasion. Still she was encored, and essayed an Abt song. The lady must avoid the inexcusable defect of singing below the pitch, as she was not in accord with the piano last night. The two works of chamber music which occupied a principal part of the programme—the octet of Mendelssohn and the double quartet of Spohr—were not rendered in a style which could be at all spoken of as successful. We regarded both as a violin solo by M. Wieniawski, with seven string instruments as accompaniment.”

Blunder committed by the New York Herald reviewer in his review of this concert.