Central Park Garden Concert: Theodore Thomas Annual Benefit

Includes program. 

Brilliance of the programme.

Includes program. 

Passages of Schiller’s “The Bell” read by Kate Field.

“The audience at Theodore Thomas’s benefit concert last night was one of the largest ever seen at the Central Park Garden. The tables had all been removed from the floor of the hall, so that the capacity of the room was greatly increased, yet it was thronged in every part almost to suffocation. Many causes cooperated to produce this result. In a great measure the crowd was undoubtedly a personal compliment to Mr. Thomas. Many had also been attracted by curiosity to hear Miss Kate Field in the recital of Schiller’s ‘Song of the Bell,’ and many were drawn by an unusually interesting programme. The concert opened with the grand inauguration March, written by Meyerbeer for the London World’s Fair in 1862, but never before played in America. It is a characteristic production which might be recognized for Meyerbeer’s work anywhere, yet it is Meyerbeer in his weakest and most trifling vein. The showy and sometimes brilliant instrumentation is lavished upon thoughts that are commonplace or at best only pretty, and though an ingenious use is made of ‘Rule Britannia’ at the close, the March as a whole is hardly worthy of its author’s fame. It was well to produce it as a curiosity, however, even though its intrinsic value is so slight. What a contrast was the immortal ‘Leonora’ overture (No. 3), executed, as it seemed to us, with unusual delicacy and spirit, as if the musicians heartily relished it. The orchestral adaptation of the Fantaisie-Caprice of Vieuxtemps which has lately been added to the repertoire of the band was the next selection. As a violin solo it is well known and universally liked. Arranged for the orchestra it is in many passages better than the original, for it has been beautifully scored by some one who evidently understands the poetry of the orchestra as well as it science, and in the performance of it the virtuosity of Mr. Thomas’s band has a superb illustration. The first part of the evening closed with the ‘Lohengrin’ Vorspiel, to which the audience gave an especially friendly recognition, and the ‘Walküren-Ritt.’

The second part was taken up by the first performance in America of Carl Stör’s Tone-Pictures, illustrating Schiller’s ‘Song of the Bell.’ This work has only recently been published, but it has been played pretty often in various parts of Germany, and has everywhere been warmly praised. It consists of an Introduction, some six or seven orchestral Interludes or ‘Pictures,’ interspersed with the reading; a few shorter instrumental pieces; melodramatic music to accompany the recitation of certain impressive passages; and a Finale. Certainly it is delicious music, much of it worthy of Schumann, and all distinguished by a freshness and vigor of its own. It is strong, but it has an easy flow and an invariably graceful and elegant movement. It is so picturesque that with only a general knowledge of the poem it would be easy enough, we fancy, to interpret each of the six most important interludes. They are named Baptism, the Wedding Feast, Domestic Tranquility, the Fire, Harvest Home, Tumult,—the principal scenes through which Schiller conducts the representative character of his poem. The lively Hochzeitfeur and the charming waltz movement of the Harvest-Home (Erntefest) will doubtless captivate the public fancy at once, but there are other portions, especially the admirable Finale, and nearly all the melodramatic music which will be relished still more highly by the cultivated musician.”

“We are glad to say that the concert given for the benefit of Mr. Theodore Thomas, last evening, was attended by an overflowing audience. A less substantial tribute to Mr. Thomas would have been positively discreditable to the New-York public, for whose enlightenment and entertainment the bénéficiare has worked for years; and as all the dilettanti of the Metropolis seemed to view the question in this light, the Central Park Garden was crowded in every part. The familiar elements of the programme pleased us particularly. One cannot weary of the overture to ‘Lohengrin’ when played with the absolute sympathy with the mystic nature of the theme, and with the perfect precision distinguishing the readings of Mr. Thomas’ band, nor do a score of recitals dim the barbaric splendor of the music illustrative, in thorough justification of its title, of the ‘Ride of the Walkyries.’ Beethoven of course, is ever welcome, and the third overture to ‘Leonore’ sounded fresh as if written yesterday, while the overture to ‘William Tell,’ Gounod’s pretty ‘Meditation,’ and the dashing orchestral setting of the polonaise from ‘Mignon’ were effective as heretofore. The arrangement for band of Vieuxtemps' 'Fantaisie Caprice’ showed with more vividness than any other number of the répertoire, the unsurpassable unity and proficiency of Mr. Thomas’ forces. We cannot help admitting that the performance has little of the individuality communicable by a soloist, but nothing more unanimous or finished could be expected from a body of men each of whom is intrusted with what proves a hard task for a virtuoso. There was great applause after the ‘Fantaisie Caprice’—which, by the way, may be enjoyed again tonight and to-morrow—and a repetition would have been insisted upon but for the rule. The new features of the concert were an ‘Inauguration March,’ by Meyerbeer, composed for the World’s Fair in 1862, and ‘Tone Pictures,’ by Carl Stoer, to Schiller’s ‘Song of the Bell.’ The ‘Inauguration March’ is more of a potpourri or an overture than anything else, and is characterized by lucid, sonorous, and vigorous instrumentation rather than by felicity of ideas or symmetry of form. The broad themes denote more research than creativeness, and the interrupting scherzo passages are quite conventional. Nor did Stoer’s ‘Tone Pictures’ impress us profoundly, although we should not like to pronounce upon an effort of the same magnitude after a single sitting. By brief preludes, piano accompaniments, and short descriptive interludes, the composer seeks to illustrate Schiller’s text, of which Bulwer has supplied the best known translation. The pages following the verses on home-life, and those close upon the lines on harvesting were especially effective; but the whole score struck us only as respectable melodramatic music, written with the science and skill common to most composers of the day. We cannot avoid adding that the work, and its admirable rendering under Mr. Thomas’ baton, lost much of their eloquence by the wretched delivery of the poem. We can make allowances for the unsuitableness of the local for a reading, but this could not be taken into account by the spectators who were at Miss Field’s feet. Although the concert was a classical one, Miss Field’s recitation of the text summoned up reminiscences of Mr. William Birch’s interpretation of ‘Three Black Crows,’ with the difference that Mr. Birch had an eye to creating merriment and spoke with malice prepense.” 

“The concert given last evening at the Central Park Garden was for the benefit of Mr. Thomas, and the public testified to the popularity and esteem in which this admirable conductor is held by filling the hall and the adjoining garden to their utmost capacity.

The only unusual feature of the concert was what constituted the second part of the programme. This consisted of a long descriptive orchestral composition, entitled ‘Tone Pictures,’ being a series of musical illustrations of Schiller’s ‘Song of the Bell,’ and intended to be played as incidental music to the poem.

The composition is by a comparatively unknown composer—Carl Stoer, and is picturesque, graphic, and full of merit.

Miss Field’s reading was not a success. The circumstances under which it was given, it should be said, were greatly to her disadvantage, for the large hall, open on so many sides, is very poorly adapted to the purpose. Probably no worse one could be found in the city, The result was, that to those in the centre of the room, and, we believe, to three-fourths of the audience, the reading was nothing more than a melancholy and unintelligible wail. Here and there a word could be heard when the voice was raised at the beginning of a sentence, but not even by the most painful effort of listening could the thread of the poem be followed.

But apart from this Miss Field did not display any of the qualities of a good elocutionist. Her voice is poor in quality and lacks vitality and resonance. She has not overcome by means of art these natural defects. There was no variety of tone, but in its place a tame monotony. She read from a manuscript held in both her hands and consequently [illegible] aid of that most important element in public speaking, gesture.

That the poem was read intelligently cannot be doubted, but it is equally true that it was not read intelligibly, and that it was not received with any demonstrations of satisfaction on the part of the audience.

In all other respects the concert was entirely successful.” 

“More than three thousand persons, including a number of our most prominent musicians, were at the Central Park Garden last night, on the occasion of the complimentary benefit given to Theodore Thomas. The tables were taken away from the body of the hall, and the space filled by seats duly numbered, as at a theatre. These were all sold, and many more were asked for than could be provided. The lobbies were crowded, and the alcoves and balconies of the outer garden were all well-filled by music lovers. Indeed, in numbers and intelligence the audience was all that could be desired.

The programme opened with Meyerbeer’s resonant and tuneful Inauguration March written for the London World’s Fair of 1862. To this succeeded the well-known overture ‘Leonore No. 3’ of ‘Fidelio,’ a work which, as played by the Thomas orchestra, is always received with the greatest favor. The distant effect of the horns in this overture was most charming. The ‘Tell’ overture, performed later in the evening, is another of the masterpieces of this orchestra. Other feature of the programme were a fantasia of Vieuxtemps for violin, skillfully arranged for full orchestra; the introduction to ‘Lohengrin,’ the massive and Titanic ‘Fight of the Walkure,’ in which Wagner has revealed some of the most striking characteristics of his grand and nervous style; and Gounod’s meditation for solo violins and orchestra.

But a very prominent number on the programme, and one which aided largely in attracting the public, was the series of ‘Tone Pictures,’ by Carl Stoer, illustrative of Schiller’s poem, ‘The Song of the Bell.’ The composer is entirely unknown here, though we believe his compositions have been received with favor in Germany. The fact that Miss Kate Field was announced to read Schiller’s text, as translated by Bulwer, was an incident of interest.

The music in question is agreeable and musician-like, without being absolutely strong. It does not show the impress of a master hand, but is certainly capable of affording real pleasure. There are two or three descriptive passages of picturesque beauty. The flow of the molten metal is aptly illustrated by a feverish upward rush on the violins; and the toll of the funeral bell is most effectively imitated by the iteration of a diminuendo note on the horn. The music is divided into sections, following the different ideas expressed in the poem, and at times it accompanies the readings in a soft undertone of delicate and carefully subdued sounds. The finale is especially brilliant and melodious.

Miss Field chose an unfortunate subject and an unfortunate place for her début as a reader. ‘The Song of the Bell’ offers little opportunity for elocutionary skill; and the Central Park Garden Hall, with its immense open windows and its outlying corridors, is the worst of all places for reading purposes. Miss Field’s voice reached but a small proportion of the audience; but those who did hear her were favorably impressed with the purity of her enunciation and the grace of her style. Of course no opinion of the lady as an elocutionist could be fairly gained at this exceptional experiment.” 

“Such a dense surging crown as filled Central Park Garden, hall and lobbies last night has been seldom seen at a place of amusement in this city. It is calculated that no less than 3,000 people were present, a large proportion of them representing the opera goers of the fall season at the Academy. Such a tribute of homage to the faithful guardian and apostle of orchestral music in this country, shows incontestably the high esteem in which he is held by our music loving public. The programme was of exceptional attractiveness, commencing with a grand march by Meyerbeer, written for the occasion of the inauguration of the World’s Fair in London in 1851, the third ‘Leonora’ overture of Beethoven, the longest, most difficult and grandest probably of the immortal quartet of overtures written by the composer for his only opera, followed next, and led to one of the most remarkable tests of orchestral playing we have heard this season, a full scored arrangement of Vieuxtemps’ celebrated Fantaisie-Caprice. Mr. Kaiser in a clarinet solo and Mr. Jacobsohn in the opening cadenza for the violin in this work of Vieuxtemps, distinguished themselves, and showed the individual excellence of the orchestral members. The feature of the evening, of which many sanguine expectations were formed, was the musical illustration of Schiller’s grand poem, ‘The Song of the Bell,’ written in a series of tone pictures by Carl Stoer, a musician of Weimar. We cannot approve of such fragmentary works as either the present one, or even ‘Egmont’ or ‘Manfred,’ in which, after every few bars of music, the reader breaks in with half a dozen stanzas of the poem, producing an effect anything but satisfactory in a concert hall. The public are apt to tire of such a distribution of music and dramatic reading, and are inclined to wish that the music could be given in its entirety at once and the dramatic reading in the same manner. Miss Kate Field read Bulwer’s well-known translation of Schiller’s poem under such serious disadvantages that criticism under the circumstances would be unfair owing to the murmur of voices in the Garden and the want of acoustic qualities in a place where every window and door is open, and the voice of a reader must necessarily be lost to nine-tenths of those present. The last part of the programme consisted of the ever welcome and ever fresh overture to ‘William Tell’ [An unidentified Strauss waltz was substituted for Rossini’s overture], Gounod’s new meditation for violins and orchestra, an idyl of beauty and the Polonaise from ‘Mignon.’ The orchestra was simply perfect. The violins were particularly rich in tone, color and expression. By-the-by, Mr. Stoer seems to have studied Wagner to advantage, for at times we could hardly find a trace of originality in the tone pictures. Perhaps two great men can conceive the same thought, and both be original. Sceptics, however, will not credit it.

Mr. Thomas was the recipient of abundant applause and numerous floral tributes, and an unusually long concert was brought to a successful end.” 

“New York. The annual benefit of Mr. Theodore Thomas, which took place at the Central Park Garden, on Thursday evening last, afforded the public a good opportunity for the expression of the regard and esteem in which our enterprising conductor is held, and, you may be sure, they were ready to improve the occasion. Preparation for the concert was made on an extensive scale. The tables were removed from the auditorium, and, in their stead, numbered chairs were placed row after row, as near together as possible. The price of admission was fixed at $1.00 and there was an additional charge of 50cts for a reserved chair. A placard, conspicuously posted, announced that for this occasion, smoking would not be permitted in the main hall. The day was bright and pleasant, but the thermometer had aspirations and mounted higher and higher until nightfall, so that the evening was the most sultry and oppressive which we have experienced this season.

A bad time for a concert you will say. And so it was, but everyone came here. The reserved seats were all taken, and hundreds who were unable to find place in the concert room took refuge in the garden proper, where they were comparatively cool and comfortable.

I fear that some of our newspaper critics sought this sylvan retreat, where lager abounds, and where the music is imperfectly heard, rather than brave the heat and glare of the auditorium.

One of them at least published on the following day a glowing account of the performance of Rossini’s Tell overture, regardless of the fact that a Strauss waltz was played in place of the overture. The concert began with Meyerbeer’s grand Inauguration March, which was written in 1862 for the London World’s Fair. The work is chiefly interesting from its novelty, it being played on this occasion for the first time in America. It seems to be, like most compositions which are written to order or for special occasions, rather dull and commonplace, and it must be considered unworthy even of a composer who at his best is not remarkable for serious earnest purpose.

Beethoven’s Leonora overture, No. 3, came next on the list, and it was played as befits a work of undying beauty.

The Fantasie Caprice, written by Vieuxtemps for the violin and arranged for the orchestra, which followed, has met with great favor at the Garden Concerts.

This, with the two Wagner pieces which followed (Vorspiel from ‘Lohengrin’ and ‘Der Ritt der Walkueren’) gained much applause.

Part second of the programme was entirely taken up by the music to Schiller’s ‘Song of the Bell,’ composed by Carl Stoer and here performed for the first time in America.

This somewhat overrated poem was read by Miss Kate Field, and my respect for that lady’s well known talent leads me to believe that she acquitted herself creditably, although sitting near the centre of the hall I could distinguish scarcely a word of the text. The size of the room is such that extraordinary exertion is required on the part of the reader to make herself audible, and the large opening back of the stage and at the side of the hall added to the difficulty.

The music, which is introduced from time to time during the reading, consists of a Prelude or Introduction; a number of tone pictures to illustrate episodes of the poem; a sort of recitative to accompany certain parts of the reading; and a Finale. Parts of the music are very interesting, but the effect of the work as a whole was very wearisome. It is to be hoped that we may be given an opportunity of hearing the music without the attendant verbiage; its merits can be better perceived then.

The selections in part third of the programme were as follows [see above].”