Central Park Garden Concert

Long article discussing the forthcoming program. 

Includes program. 

“The stormy weather yesterday prevented many from attending the concert at the Central Park Garden. But those who braved the elements to hear the last Thursday night concert were well repaid. The grand triumphal overture by Rubinstein was received with such enthusiasm that Mr. Thomas acceded to the general demand for an encore. The lovely adagio from Beethoven’s ‘Prometheus’ was most charmingly rendered, and the humorous, highly original scherzo by Felix Draeske, with its sudden tantalizing cessations, received a warm welcome.

But the lovely Isolde music was the greatest treat, and many present were ready to admit that Wagner, herein following most directly the dictates of his own artistic conscience, rather than dead restrictive rules, produced music which far surpassed all his previous efforts. Having already referred to these works in detail, we must now pass to the consideration of Schubert’s symphony in C major, which formed the second part of the concert. The first movement of this great work begins at once with the first subject, the leading motive of which is played softly by the violins and subsequently repeated very loudly by the stringed basses; meanwhile the violins execute brilliant running passages which travel onward to a grand climax. Then the second subject is delivered by the violoncellos in the key of A flat major, in the tenor region…[Approximately ten lines of text missing here] subjects, but here it merely exhibits them in new keys and then leads into the third division, which is a résumé of the whole. After an extended coda the movement concludes. The first subject is formed of short phrases, each two bars in length, which are therefore readily comprehended and remembered, and the second subject is a long, flowing, graceful melody extending over nine bars, yet these two subjects do not offer so great a contrast as is usually found in an allegro movement, for both are played softly the first time and commence with the same rhythmic form. The first may here be recognized chiefly from the fact that it begins with a descending passage which occupies more than an octave, and the second has an undulatory motion. The lovely Andante opens with a slow graceful melody in the key of four flats, which is succeeded by another in that of four sharps, and subsequently by a third in the key of A flat. This latter melody is played first by the cellos, and commences with a turn. It occupies eight bars, and is immediately answered by the violins, flutes &c. These three melodies are repeated, with the second in the key of C major, and the whole concludes with a beautiful coda. The Scherzo is a dashing, restless, brilliant movement in the ordinary form. The finale commences in a style that may be called Haydnesque. It is led off with a piquant theme by the first violins, which is accompanied in sixteenths by the violas. This theme is fully elaborated in common with all the others which are introduced, and this highly animated movement ends with a vivacious coda, which worthily crowns and concludes the whole work. Its adaptation for orchestra must have been a labor of love to Herr Joachim. To those who hear this symphony for the first time, and are unable to trace the ‘working out’ of the principal subjects and recognize them in their many varied forms or metamorphoses as they re-occur, it is possible that the full enjoyment of it will not be realized. Schubert’s exuberant fancy led him to write classic instrumental compositions of very considerable length, and were it not for his great genius this prolixity would become tiresome. There is no doubt that if he had shortened some of these works they would have received a more general and warmer welcome from the world at large, and especially from concert givers, who cannot always be sure of finding audiences that will patiently endure complete symphonies, even when the forms are as concise and compact as those of Mozart.

One peculiarity of the new school of symphonic writers, including Raff, is the great quantity of episodal matter which the luxuriance of their imagination supplies. In Schubert, however, the subjects themselves are long and diffusive. This is not a little singular, for his songs are perfectly unique in form; the words finding their truest and most complete expression at once. Of course, from the nature of the case, the subjects of a symphonic work should be capable of expansion that each instrument of the orchestra may find employment in them, and display its own individuality. This is the very idea of the symphony or ideal drama. For this reason, although it is felt that Schubert’s classic compositions are sometimes of inordinate length, no one ventures to undertake to point out how they could be condensed or satisfactorily curtailed.

Schubert wrote with marvelous rapidity, and great productiveness was a characteristic of his talent. Yet his works even for piano-forte are not ill-considered sketches, wanting in real subject-matter. For here, as an instance, we see an unpretentious duet for that instrument, providing full occupation for a complete orchestra.”

“The rain last evening was calculated to dampen even the most devoted lovers of music. Consequently the followers of Thomas were thinned out at Central Park Garden to such an extent that the hall alone was sufficient to accommodate them—something singular on a classical night. Thursday is looked upon in the light of the classical night of the week, although what special claims it has to the name we are unable to determine. Every night with Theodore Thomas is classical, and on Saturday evening he promises a bill more attractive than that of last night. The bill had two complete novelties in it. One was a triumphal overture, ‘Russian Hymn,’ by Rubinstein, immensely effective and strongly scored, and the other was a symphony by Schubert, opus 140. Now, a symphony by Schubert is always a subject of interest to the musical public, and when, as in this case, it is heard for the first time, it becomes doubly attractive. We regret to say that we were entirely disappointed in it. The bill said that it was adapted for orchestra by the violinist Joachim, although it is unaccountable how a symphony should not be orchestral, especially from such a source. The facts are that Schubert sketched the work out and left it in a very fragmentary style for the piano, and Joachim was swamped in the endeavor to carry out the original plan. [see above listing] made up the rest of the programme. The bill for Saturday night will consist entirely of Gounod, with a slight sprinkling of Strauss. The concerts increase in interest as the season draws to a close.”