Thomas Central Park Garden Concert

“Grand Mozart night;” includes program.

Includes program. 

“The programme composed entirely of Mozart’s compositions drew a great throng last night at the Central Park Garden, the audience being one of the very best of the year, both in numbers and quality. The following were the selections [see above].

It was one of the most charming and inspiriting concerts we have heard this season. It showed us Mozart in his greatest and also in his most lovable and fascinating mood, and the orchestra, entering fully into the spirit of the occasion, gave a fitting interpretation to such grand conceptions as those of the Jupiter Symphony and the ‘Magic Flute’ overture, and touched with extreme taste and neatness the beautiful fancies of the Concerto and Concertone. Both these latter pieces, as well as the Masonic Funeral Music and the little Hunting Rondo, are entirely new to America. The Concertone has only recently been published, if we are not mistaken; yet Mozart appears to have set considerable value upon it, as well he might. It abounds in characteristic melody of a somewhat light and fluent character, but in the treatment of the orchestral accompaniment, as well as the management of the solo parts, it nearly reaches the dignity of a little symphony. The violin solos were admirably handled by Messrs. Jacobsohn and Arnold, the oboe by Mr. Eller, and the violoncello by Mr. Hemann. The flute and harp Concerto has never been published and is almost unknown. It was written at Paris (as the interesting annotated programme inform us) for the Duke de Guines and his daughter; the cadenzas introduced last night were by Mr. Charles Baetens, the first viola of the Thomas orchestra. We hardly know whether to express more delight at the beauty and brightness of this elegant work or at the pure tone of Mr. Wehner’s flute and the highly-finished performance of that incomparable harp player, Mr. Lockwood. Both the music and the execution of it made a deep impression. The most valuable, however, of the new pieces is unquestionably the Funeral Music, written for the burial of one of the Esterhazy family in 1785. This is in Mozart’s grandest style, and though the programme annotator does full justice to its technical excellence, he gives no idea of the profound effect of its majestic and imposing strains.”

“A very attractive ‘Mozart programme’ was last evening interpreted at the Central Park Garden, which was crowded in every part. Next to Beethoven, the composer of ‘Don Juan’ was to be depended upon to supply a long series of delightful selections, and we doubt if any spectator could have left the house yesterday under the influence of disappointment. A ‘concertone’ for two solo violins with oboe and violoncello obligato, and orchestral accompaniment, was a conspicuous element of the first part of the concert, and the well-known ‘Jupiter’ symphony occupied the second. The most fascinating of the new numbers executed was, however, a concerto for flute and harp, with orchestral accompaniment, which was simply delicious in its freshness and tunefulness. Messrs. Wehner and Lockwood did full justice to the three divisions of this lovely composition, and Messrs. Jacobsohn and Arnold, the violinists in the ‘concertone’ were quite as successful in their arduous, though far less grateful task, the piece being decidedly formal. The programme further included the overtures to ‘Die Zauberfloete’ and ‘Figaro’s Hochzeit’; the introduction and fugue in C minor, and a brief ‘Rondo de Chasse,’ and may be set down as a worthy companion-bill to the excerpts from the Beethoven répertoire of the orchestra, which gave such great pleasure a few weeks ago.”

“That the name of Mozart has lost none of its magic powers with the music-loving people of New York, even during the sultry nights of August, was amply shown last night at Thomas’ Garden. The audience was very large and correspondingly appreciative of the old composer, whose memory will be revered long after many of the would-be musical reformers of the present day are entirely forgotten. Mr. Thomas prepared an entire surprise even for those who were familiar with Mozart’s works. In a field generally supposed to have been thoroughly gleaned he has found new attractions that were rapturously received last evening. The ‘Concertone,’ for two solo violins, oboe and violoncello, with orchestral accompaniment—the solo quartet being magnificently rendered by Messrs. Jacobsohn, Arnold, Eller and Heman—proved to be an unexpected treat. It is four movements and represents Mozart in his happiest vein. Then there was a delicious concerto for flute and harp, played by Messrs. Wehner and Lockwood, that was to a certain degree the pièce de resistance of the evening. Nothing could be more artistically conceived and wrought out ingeniously than this concerto. The other works on the programme were [see above]. The performance was worthy of the high renown of Thomas’ orchestra.”