German Liederkranz Concert: 1st

“Deutscher Liederkranz. Yesterday evening, in its elegant hall on Fourth Street, the Liederkranz opened its 1874-75 season with a vocal and instrumental concert. It is understood that there will be three concerts this season, one each at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Sylvestertag [New Year’s Eve], as well as other dances, but the concerts of are a significantly higher order than the usual club entertainment. One does not attend these concerts simply to be entertained, but to learn something, even if only new artists and new works. This was the case last evening. Of course, Schubert’s C Major Symphony is not new, but rather a very old friend. Still, from time to time it is nice to see and hear the old. Mr. Pauer deserves credit for trying to circumvent the symphony’s length by appropriate cuts and fast tempos. Overall the performance of the symphony was satisfactory. The Allegro and Scherzo, in particular, sounded fresh. Fraulein Ida Rosburgh was as well known to many in the audience as was the symphony. She sang the Proch variations (which she has performed before) with rare skill [seltener Vollendung] and a voice as clear as a bell. Later she tried Mozart’s ‘Veilchen’ and Schubert’s ‘Heidenröslein’—two delicate and lovely flowers of song—which only lost a bit of fragrance from her imprecise pronunciation of the German texts; but vocally her performance of these two songs left nothing to be desired. A young pianist, Mr. Constantin Weickert, made his debut with Beethoven’s magnificent Concerto in E-flat Major. Mr. Weikert is a New Yorker. He studied for several years at the Leipzig Conservatory and graduated last spring as one of the best students there, having showcased his talents in the examination concerts at the Gewandhaus and in a grand concert at court. Mr. Weikert plays Beethoven’s Concerto with rare technical ability and profound intellectual understanding, which preserve the poetry that permeates the work. He has plenty of power but also an elegant, nuanced touch; a warmth of feeling and expression that show a performer is not only perfectly up to the task, but devoted to that task with love and artistic enthusiasm. He received thunderous applause from the audience but denied repeated requests to offer an encore. Of the three new choral pieces, the ‘Hymne an die Nacht’ for baritone solo, male choir, and orchestra, dedicated by Mohring to the Liederkranz, easily made the best impression and was also the best performed. Gernsheim’s ‘Noridsche Sommernacht’ will not become a favorite here, and Kammerlander’s ‘Die vier Zecher’ suffers from an unsuccessful—even sad—ending. The latter, moreover, was not particularly well sung. We will have an opportunity to discuss the new compositions in more detail on a future occasion.”

“Last night the first concert of the Liederkranz, season 1874-75, was given in the grand hall of the club house, in East Fourth street. The audience, like all those which the society calls together, was intelligent and fashionable. A remarkably large number of ladies were present, some in evening dress, and the scene in the hall was a brilliant one. The concert was given under the direction of Herr A. Pauer, whose efforts on behalf of the society have helped to make both it and himself famous. He has just returned from Europe where he has been on business of the society. To speak of the character of the music it is sufficient to state that it was rendered by the Liederkranz in conformity to the following programme [lists works]. The concerts will be continued throughout the season on each Sunday night.”