Philharmonic Society of New York Concert: 4th

“Although the programme interpreted on the occasion of last evening’s concert at the Academy of Music does not call for a very extended notice by reason of the familiarity of the public with the larger part of the programme, it impressed us as the most satisfactory the Philharmonic Society has rendered this season. The selections were appreciable, the orchestral performance was remarkably good, and the solo-recitals rendered unusual pleasure. Spohr’s well-known symphony in C minor was first played. It is not a marvelous intellectual effort, but the suavity of its themes and treatment delights the ear, and its perfect proportions place it on a much higher plane than many more ambitious, and in parts, more brilliant, works which, in spite of a lack of balance, are ranked with the standard symphonies. The four movements of Schumann’s piece, among which the scherzo is most prominent, were exquisitely executed by Mr. Bergmann’s band, whose discipline is quite equal to the demands of all classical music, and whose wealth of tone is unsurpassable. The second number of the entertainment was Schumann’s A minor concerto, and Mr. S. B. Mills was the pianist. The reappearance of Mr. Mills, after many months’ absence from the concert-room, was marked by a very cordial greeting, and his reading of Schumann’s composition—one of the most pleasing, and at the same time, one of the most difficult in the whole range of concertos—elicited numerous tokens of approbation. The gentleman may have played at times with a trifle more vigor than was perceptible last night, but he has very rarely played with as much delicacy and expression. We were not at all dissatisfied with a tendency to the tempo rubato which now and then showed itself, and for which Mr. Mills has never evinced a liking, and the melodious passages and the delicate arabesques in which the concerto is particularly rich, took on a sweetness of sound and a fluent grace seldom imparted by his clear and powerful but not too sentimental touch. It was an eloquent and admirable performance, and the soloist’s effectiveness was marvelously aided by the orchestra, whose accompaniment was faultless in its tempo, shading, and general sympathy. The first half of the programme ended with Weber’s overture, ‘The Ruler of the Spirits,’ of which it is sufficient to say that it presents no novelty to the student of Weber, and that it was capitally performed. The second half of the concert commenced with Liszt’s symphonic poem, called ‘Tasso,’ which has often been written of in these columns. ‘Tasso,’ to our thinking, is one of the clearest of the rather involved stories set to notes by Liszt and is mainly conspicuous for the splendor of its peroration. Mr. Bergmann’s men have executed it again and again, and yesterday’s interpretation left nothing to be wished. A violoncello solo by Bargiel, reminding one somewhat in theme of Vieuxtemps’ violin compositions, followed, Mr. Bergner being the soloist, and doing his share of the work with infinite feeling, as well as faultless technique. A ‘Fest overture,’ by Lasseu, in which a well-worn popular tune is handled with the skill of a master of the art of instrumentation, brought the entertainment to what we may term, owing to the exhilarating character of the achievement, a spirited close.”

“The Philharmonic Society have not been fortunate of late years, either in the selections of works and soloists for their concerts or in the performance of the pieces chosen by them. It is a subject of extreme pleasure for us to be able to record a complete departure from this rule last night. The concert was a thoroughly enjoyable one, and the orchestra played charmingly, under the able guidance of Mr. Carl Bergmann. There was a symphony by Spohr, a ready genial, whole-souled writer, who has been too long excluded from our concert bills and who deserves a more frequent hearing. It was his third symphony, in C minor, and was presented without a flaw. Mr. Mills had a rather ungrateful task in the piano concerto in A minor of Schumann—the only one, we believe, ever written by the distinguished author of ‘Manfred.’ Rubinstein played it here with Thomas’ orchestra, but there is little in it for a pianist to make a notable success of. It is more of an orchestral work, with piano obligato, than a distinctively piano composition. Mr. Mills’ clear, crisp touch, perfection of technique and solidity of style, shone forth in his interpretation of this work. The stormy overture of Weber, ‘Ruler of Spirits’—a perfect avalanche of orchestration—was given with a brio, heartiness and finish by the orchestra that calls for unqualified praise. Then came Liszt’s long, queerly constructed and eccentric ‘lament and triumph’ of Tasso, a work which the Italian poet would have considered, had he heard it, one of the most grievous woes of his life; Mr. Bergner then played a violoncello solo, an adagio by Bargiel, and his performance was that of a true artist. Edward Lassen, a Danish musician, now about forty-five years of age, contributed a fest overture of much labored thought and little spontaneity of artistic feeling. He seems to have fallen into the pernicious school of Liszt, with whom he has been, at Weimar, on the most intimate terms, and there is little to be drawn from such a source that a true musician may approve of. The orchestra seemed to be in unusually good spirits, and the works were stamped with the virtuoso seal.”

“The fourth concert of the season by the New-York Philharmonic Society, last Saturday evening, presented the following programme [see above].

The Symphony of Spohr’s affords an excellent example of the high attainments of this admirable musician, and also marks in a very decided way the limits of his power. It is full of the most graceful forms, the gentlest melodies, the suave [illegible] of soft and luscious harmonies. As we listen we think of ‘[illegible] and dainties’ and soft lights tinged with warm and delicious hues. But one tires of so much sensual beauty, and when the composer attempts a more vigorous measure—for example in the first half of the Scherzo—it is easy to see that ‘the luxurious nature which would have tossed uneasily on a crumpled rose-leaf’ lacks the fire of true genius. There is a much more enduring charm in Weber’s energetic and romantic overture, ‘The Ruler of the Spirits,’ which Theodore Thomas revived last Summer after it had been long neglected. It was originally designed as the introduction to an opera on the German popular legend of Rubezahl, the sprite of the Riesengebirge, a boyish undertaking of Weber’s which was never completed. Many years afterward the overture was entirely remodeled, and published under the new title, ‘Beherrscher der Geister.’ It has less of Weber’s peculiarly beautiful melody than the overture to ‘Der Freischütz’ and ‘Oberon’ but other characteristics of his style are very distinct in it. The composer himself placed a high value upon it, and the world has approved his judgment. Both the overture and the symphony were well played, the symphony (as we should have predicted) being much the better of the two.

Liszt’s ‘Tasso’ was not altogether satisfactory. Mr. Bergmann himself has all the acute perception of the delicate shades of meaning which the composer attempts to convey, and undoubtedly comprehends the strong contrasts and peculiarities of tone and accent which Liszt declares essential to the proper interpretation of his symphonic poems. He has some remarkably good performers in his orchestra—notably among reed and flute players—and he ought to produce a much more picturesque effect with this class of music than he seems to be able to attain. There were no passages on Saturday which we could complain of as coarse or incorrect, but the general result was certainly a little disappointing. One thing we can rightly complain of as unworthy this eminent Society, and that is the omission of the bass clarinet. The most characteristic portion of the ‘Tasso’ is the Lament, which Liszt borrowed from the Venetian gondoliers. At its first introduction (Allegro mesto) it is given to the bass clarinet, accompanied principally by the harp. Melodic passages follow for the violins and then for the violoncello, and a delightful effect is produced by the succession of these instruments, so agreeably contrasted and yet in some respects so much alike. The composer does indeed allow three violoncellos muted to be substituted for the bass clarinet in case the latter instrument cannot be obtained, and this is the expedient to which the Philharmonic Society resorted on Saturday, to the serious injury, as we think, of the music. A great orchestra should scorn make-shifts, which are only fit for small provincial bands. The bass clarinet in the hands of a good player, like Mr. Boehm, who held it when ‘Tasso’ was performed by this Society four years ago, has a grand effect which no other instrument can imitate.

The Festival Overture by Lassen, a living Danish composer, is founded upon a well-known German popular song. It is an admirable piece of work, the particulars being ingenious and elaborate and the instrumentation very effective, but the [illegible] is too familiar. The solo performances were worthy of all praise. Schumann’s delicious piano-forte concerto received a superb interpretation from Mr. S. B. Mills, who played with all his usual grace and quick poetical perception, and with the [illegible] fire and majesty likewise; and Mr. Bergner delivered the tender and emotional Adagio by Bargiel with the beautiful tone and sympathetic touch of which he has long been preeminent among our violoncellists.”

“There was a highly satisfactory performance of Spohr’s C minor symphony at the Philharmonic concert on Saturday night. A remarkably good effect was produced in the Larghetto, where a beautiful theme is given in unison by the first and second violins and ‘cellos, the soft wind instruments the meanwhile playing short melodic phrases. The quality of tone thus obtained was most fascinating, and the expression imparted to the theme by all the performers being uniform, the best results were attained. Schumann’s concerto in A minor was the second piece on the programme.

Mr. S. B. Mills was warmly greeted by the audience. After the short introduction, the principal theme is given out by the clarinets and bassoons and is immediately repeated on the piano-forte. This phrase Mr. Mills played very slowly and with a display of considerable feeling. The speed was then gradually increased till the entry of the second subject. Similar liberties were taken with the time elsewhere, which were neither indicated by the composer nor initiated by Madame Schumann, who plays this concerto throughout in strict time, and who devotes herself to the special task of interpreting her deceased husband’s works. But notwithstanding these unexpected variations in the speed the performance of Mr. Mills gave great pleasure, and his ‘reading,’ though novel, was not so strange as to detract from the gratification derived from the contemplation of this poetical work. On the contrary, it seemed to throw new light upon it, and to intensify the meaning of some of the passages to such a degree that new beauties were revealed. One soon becomes willing to give a cordial hearing to new readings, when they are the evidences of artistic perception and strong feeling, and do not in any sense appear like presumptuous misrepresentations of a composer’s intention, a putting forward of self or meretricious displays of virtuosity.

The performance was listened to throughout with the most earnest attention and it gave evident delight to the audience, whose plaudits were both loud and long. Weber’s overture ‘Ruler of the Spirits’ terminated the first part. The Academy being so large, and the absence of a solid wall behind the orchestra to reflect the tones and other advantages found in concert-rooms, operate disadvantageously in many ways—one noticeable feature in the performance of this overture being the comparative weakness of the Tympani. The tones of the smaller drum were found comparatively poor and ineffective. Much would be gained by the employment of drums with deeper cups. These seem much too shallow for the production of full tones.

The Poéme Symphonique ‘Tasso’ of Liszt was perhaps the greatest treat of the whole evening. It was admirably played, and Mr. A. Toulmin appearing in the orchestra with his harp made us look for the bass clarinet in the expectation that Liszt’s wonderful instrumentation would be fully displayed on this occasion. From the first gloomy unisonal passages for the strings, with which the work begins, the final triumphal theme, no technical errors or want of unity in the expression of each phrase operated to mar its enjoyment.

The great demands that Liszt makes on the powers of each individual performer were fully met by this orchestra, and the society and subscribers may well congratulate themselves on the result. Mr. F. Bergner played with great taste and feeling Bargiel’s Adagio for violoncello (Opus 38). He was welcomed on advancing, and on retiring was recalled in the most gratifying manner.

Lassen’s brilliant ‘Fest-Overture’ in E-flat (Opus 51) brought this highly successful performance to a close.

The viola part of the second subject of the Allegro is a most uncouth melody, and appears doubly so in a score so full of evidences of refinement. The performers humored this passage so successfully that little harshness was perceived.”

“New York, March 15. The programme of the fourth Philharmonic concert at the Academy of Music, Feb. 20, contained a symphony by Spohr,--No. 3, in C minor, op. 78, performed for the first time by this society. It is divided as follows: 1. Andante et allegro; 2. Larghetto; 3. Scherzo; 4. Finale, Allegro.

The work was interpreted with tolerable clearness, the best playing being done in the Larghetto, which is the most pleasing part of the composition. The music is scholarly and is the work of a skillful and painstaking musician, but not a man of great genius. The other orchestral numbers were [see above]. A Fest Overture by Lassen was placed at the end of the programme. The audience seemed pleased with this selection, which was nothing more than a popular tune arranged for full orchestra. A piece taken at random from the repertory of Paul Falk’s garden, or the negro minstrels, would be quite as appropriate for the occasion. The overture is numbered op. 51; from which we are reluctantly led to conclude that the world is afflicted with more trash from the same source.

The society departed from its usual course in the selection of soloists, and actually engaged performers of acknowledged merit. Mr. S. B. Mills, the pianist, made on this occasion his third public appearance since the severe accident which he met with last year. It is gratifying to state that he plays as well as ever, notwithstanding his long period of enforced idleness. He was received with enthusiasm, and gave a splendid rendering of Schumann’s noble pianoforte Concerto in A minor, op. 54. The other soloist was Mr. F. Bergner, who is always welcome in our concert-rooms. He played, with exquisite tenderness and purity of tone, the familiar adagio, op. 38, for violoncello, by Bargiel.”