Piano-forte Recital: 1st

Announces matinee series of pianist Sophie Flora Heilbron.

First of a series of four recitals.

Program.

“The first pianoforte recital matinee of the young pianist Fräulein Heilbron took place yesterday afternoon at Steinway Hall. With these matinee concerts, Fräulein Heilbron follows in the footsteps of Fräuleins Mehlig and Tapp, as well as Rubinstein, who introduced and made popular here this type of instructive afternoon concert. As yet Fräulein Heilbron has not reached the level of those aforementioned, but her afternoon concerts are interesting and instructive enough. Yesterday’s concert, which only a modest number of listeners attended—mostly women—featured a sonata by Beethoven and Weber’s Concertstück, as well as a number of salon pieces by various modern composers. The latter category works best for the pianist, who made a favorable impression yesterday with her perfect technique and agile playing.”

“Miss Sophia Flora Heilbron began yesterday at Steinway Hall the series of matinée recitals of piano-forte music to which we recently called attention. She opened the entertainment with the familiar Beethoven Sonata in C sharp minor—the second of the two included in the opus number 27—to which, for some unknown reason, the name of ‘Moonlight’ is popularly applied; and this was followed by a miscellaneous selection of pieces, not arranged upon any particular plan. Piano-forte recitals to be of real value should either exhibit some phenomenal executant, or illustrate the progress of art or the peculiarities of different schools. Miss Heilbron, though a performer of unquestionable ability and taste, is not yet a prodigy, and she has not attempted to illustrate anything except her own powers, which are somewhat immature. She gives, nevertheless, a series of pleasant concerts, in which her audiences will find an abundant variety.”

“Miss Sophie Flora Heilbron yesterday gave the first of a series of matinées, to occur on alternate Thursdays, at Steinway Hall. Miss Heilbron is not yet a virtuoso, but she is already a performer of exceptional intelligence, force, and finish, and a great deal may be expected of her in a few years. Her programme embraced, on the occasion we write of, compositions by [lists works]. A severer test of her technique than it offered could not be wished, and when we note that it was successfully withstood, we feel sure that none but a favorable inference as to Miss Heilbron’s merit and prospects will be drawn from the acknowledgment.” 

“Miss Sophia Flora Heilbron gave her first recital yesterday afternoon at Steinway Hall before a small but highly interested audience. It began with Beethoven’s sonata in C sharp minor (opus 27), which being styled by the publisher, ‘The Moonlight Sonata,’ has led to some absurd criticisms being made, and notably at a recent lecture, which are not only ricidulous in themselves, but lead to misconceptions of the composer’s meaning, and therefore to its unsatisfactory interpretation.

The lovely opening movement appears as the plaint of one who feels acutely and deeply the resignation of love; and the last, that rushes forward impetuously as with a ceaseless torrent of expressions of bitter, hopeless, inextinguishable passion, reveals a mental condition which will be at once perceived by a susceptible, intelligent person.

The sad, lamenting strain passes away—it dies into silence; but reflection follows, and the intermediary movement seems to utter the words ‘I think of thee, my love, farewell.’ These thoughts rise continuously, simultaneously with the thought of departed hopes and joys, and this while contemplating the past the blighted future is temporarily hidden; but presently the proud, haughty spirit of man rises, and with vehemence and extreme violence storms forth wildly. The fierceness, impetuosity, convulsive rage, and furious ungovernable passion portrayed in the finale are only temporarily stayed, while the interrogations ‘wherefore?’ of the cantabile are persistently and most pertinaciously made. The movement closes not as though the emotions by being expressed had subsided, but that silence ensues from physical exhaustion or despair, which like death, is ever mute. This sonata may be a portion of Beethoven’s own auto-biography. The programme included [lists works], which demand the highest powers for their due comprehension and satisfactory display.”

“The clever young pianist, Miss Sophie Flora Heilbron, whose debut in this city this fall proved a gratifying success, commenced yesterday a series of piano recitals at Steinway Hall. She played [lists works]. This programme was a formidable undertaking for the young lady, yet she went through it unfalteringly and gave evidence of a versatility of talent that is remarkable. There were weak points here and there, especially in Weber’s great work; but the general rendering was a triumph for the fair pianist. It would be well, however, if Miss Heilbron would, for the future, select the smaller hall of Steinway for her recitals; for much of her clever and artistic performance was lost in the immense space of the larger hall. Only a Rubinstein or Lizst could fill the latter.”