Strakosch Chamber Concert: 1st

“It will be indeed a novelty to see a lady playing an instrument which has hitherto been considered specially intended for players of the stronger sex; but we are assured that she handles it with the utmost grace.”

Advertisement: New-York Times, 01 February 1865, 7.

Brief professional bios of Strakosch’s musicians, Helene De Katow, cellist, and James M. Wehli, pianist.

Announcement: New York Herald, 06 February 1865, 5.

Advertisement: New York Herald, 06 February 1865.

Advertisement: New-York Times, 06 February 1865, 7.

Advertisement: Courrier des États-Unis, 07 February 1865.

Announcement: New York Clipper, 11 February 1865, 342.

Katow and Wehli “purpose [sic] giving concerts . . . The big fiddle is not a very romantic instrument for a young lady to tackle, but the Russian performer is said to handle it with much delicacy and power.”

Advertisement: New York Post, 11 February 1865.

Announcement: New York Herald, 12 February 1865, 4.

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Advertisement: New York Herald, 13 February 1865.

Includes program.

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Announcement: New-York Times, 13 February 1865, 4.

A “series of unusually interesting concerts”—“the only musical events of the season”— Katow is “a Russian by birth, and comes of princely stock, being the granddaughter of Prince DE POTKIN, at one time minister to the Czar NICHOLAS, but since an exile and under the Imperial frown. She is, by right of birth, the Countess POLOWNA POTKIN; by right of inclination, a violoncellist. The name of DE KATOW is an abbreviation of an impracticable Polish one, and is derived from an estate, which, as misfortunes never come singly, was in the revolution confiscated by the Poles. At the age of 11 years, Mdlle. DE KATOW commenced her musical studies, and had attained to considerable executive skill on the instrument of her selection before she even thought of devoting herself exclusively to it. She was induced to make it a spécialité by the encouraging commendation of SERVAIS, the great violoncello player and composer. She became a pupil of this celebrated master, who is professor in the Conservatoire of Brussels, and after two years of unremitting attention succeeded in bearing off the grand prize. From that time to the present Mlle. DE KATOW’s career has been eminently successful. She has received all sorts of honors from distinguished persons and grave musical societies, and, more substantial still, a number of beautiful presents from Royal admirers. We hear that the lady is good looking, young, and surprisingly proficient. Mr. JAMES W. WEHLI, the pianist, has been seen before the public for many years. He has also played before the Queen at Buckingham Palace; the Czar at St. Petersburgh; the Kaiser at Vienna; the King at Berlin; the Sultan at Constantinople; the Governor at Calcutta; and next week will appear before the President at Washington. Mr. WEHLI plays his own music, which is not remarkable, and other people’s, which is.”

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Announcement: New York Herald, 13 February 1865, 5.

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Review: New York Herald, 14 February 1865, 5.

“The house was densely crowded and the interest manifested was considerate. The first appearance of Mlle. De Katow elicited much applause. She is most prepossessing in person, has a fine presence, and was attired superbly . . . No one who heard her last night in the exquisite compositions of Servais, can doubt that she is a pure musical genius. The difficult and not over graceful instrument upon which she performed seemed a part of herself, the passion of the artist spoke in every tone. There is no evidence of labor or exertion in her playing, nor display of physical effort in mastering the instrument. . . . Mr. Wehli made a most favorable impression as a pianist. In stature he much resembles Thalberg, and we have no hesitation in saying that in cleanness, delicacy of touch, and finess of execution he has not excelled in this country since Thalberg’s time. There is a quality about Mr. Wehli which is most agreeable, and that is the unpretending manner in which he undertakes his music. There is no flourish about him. He sits at the instrument with ease and grace, and as he proceeds you are surprised that one with so little pretension can accomplish so much. His execution with the left hand alone, in the fantasia from Lucia, was a marvel. The audience showed their appreciation of his merits by an encore to every piece.”

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Review: New-York Times, 14 February 1865, 4.

“Mlle. HELENE DE KATOW was a success, and Mr. JAMES W. WELHE [sic] was a success. [De Katow] plays upon the violoncello—an instrument which does not recommend itself to the milder sex by any facile possibility of quick results. To play the violoncello even moderately well means study; to play it as Mlle. DE KATOW does means more. Her efforts last evening were confined to the compositions of SERVAIS, a professor in the Belgian Conservatory. The pieces in themselves were rather trifling. A succession of ordinary tunes does not, in our estimation, constitute a solo: Still—suffering under the disadvantage of absolutely paltry material—the lady by her large, and still delicate feeling, achieved a decided success. Her tone is good; her execution clean; but in the altitudes of the instrument both these merits were impaired by a lack of strength which it is not ungallant to ascribe to the sex of the performer. SERVAIS’ pieces seem to us to be as poor as any pieces well can be. They are almost as poor as the pieces of M. FETIS, who, we believe, is the principal of the establishment in which Mlle. DE KATOW studied. Any consideration of them would be a waste of time. We are persuaded that the lady can do better, and we desire now only to record her very perfect success. In the soft and tremulous delivery of a melody, we have never heard any one who was better. The tone produced is human, vocal and impressive. Beyond this, we were unable to discover anything in Mlle. DE KATOW’S pieces to require remark.

Mr. Wehli, from last night, takes his place in America as one of the best artists who have ever visited it. We boast of our pianists, and justly. London does not know classical music in the way we have it here. There are three or four pianists in our city who can play better than the three or four leading men of that over-swollen capital. We listened at first to Mr. WEHLI with indifference, but we became quickly impressed with a different feeling. His technical knowledge of the instrument is simply immense. With one hand he can do more than ordinary players do with both. The pieces played were entirely of his own composition, and of his merits we shall take another opportunity to speak; but of his ability to render them—and they were of many styles—there can be but one opinion. He is a master of the instrument. From the light splashing of broken chords to the massive harmonics of a larger style, he was equally admirable. His wrist passages are tremendous. He plays octavos, sixths and thirds with a facility which has never been known here. His left hand (and he played two pieces for the left hand alone) is something that must astonish the most experienced concert-goers.”

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Review: New-York Daily Tribune, 14 February 1865, 4.

“[A] numerous and very critical audience. The brothers Strakosch have a fortunate facility of falling in with princes of the blood royal and countesses in close relation with the throne, and of persuading them to forsake their regal state, and adopt the stage of the concert room for a consideration. . . .

Mdlle. Helene de Katow is a fine looking lady—rounded form and handsome hands and arms, and an intelligent countenance. The instrument she has chosen, one would suppose would prove awkward for a lady to manage, but she uses it not only easily, but gracefully. She has a very sweet and tender tone on the instrument, and plays with chaste expression and warmth of feeling. Her intonation is excellent, and she ‘stops’ with perfect precision.

Of course, her tone is not large, for the pressure required to secure a solid, full, round tone cannot be expected from the delicate fingers of a woman; and for the same reason, although her execution is neat, distinct and brilliant, it lacks the power of pressure to produce a large effect. Her second piece, con sordini, was very simply and charmingly played, and well deserved the encore which it received. Her first piece was ruined by a wretched quartet accompaniment of stringed instruments, played in a manner worthy of an itinerant street band.

Mdlle. De Katow is a very pleasing artist, and will certainly become a favorite with the public wherever she appears, and her debut may be chronicled as successful.

Mr. James M. Wehli is certainly a first-class pianist—one who can hold his own, no matter how may before or after him.

We speak of him now as an executant, as one who has a very beautiful and perfect mechanique, as one whose fingers have been educated so faithfully and so admirably that he is said to have twqo right hands—although in his case, if we wish to compliment him, we should say he has two left hands, so perfect is his left hand mechanism. His style is essentially that of the Thalberg school, not only his playing but his composition.

He is cool and impassive at the instrument, and betrays but little movement in his most difficult passages. His scale passages, especially the chromatic, are smooth, silvery and finely articulated. His sixths and thirds are so good as almost to be a specialty, while his octaves are equal to those of any pianist we ever heard. He has a glorious technique, rare in its perfect equality and its perfect distinctiveness. . . .

. . . We have rarely seen a debut more decided than Mr. Wehli made last night; each performance was received with enthusiasm and we are satisfied that his visit to this country will prove to him both honorable and profitable. . . . Mdlle. Huntley, a debutante, was the vocalist of the evening. She sings in excellent style, and for a novice acquitted herself more than creditably. She sings in excellent style, and for a novice acquitted herself more than creditably. She has a voice of large compass and of very fine quality. The middle register, however, should be carefully attended to; there is a certain deadness, a want of spontaneity, which will deprive her of the power of passionate expression in the very part of her voice where it is most needed. She is, however, a decidedly promising young artist. Mr. Weinlich sang two songs in place of Mr. Remi, in a creditable manner. Signor Bendalari [sic] accompanied the vocal music very efficiently. ”

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Announcement: New York Clipper, 18 February 1865, 358.

De Katow’s American debut. She’s from Russia.

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Review: New York Clipper, 18 February 1865, 358.

De Katow’s execution was “pure and brilliant; her tone rich and powerful; her style grand and broad.” Wehli was “the favorite of the evening,” who “invested his works with a beauty scarcely to be expected at any other hands.”

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Review: New York Clipper, 25 February 1865, 366.

A “crowded and brilliant audience; fashion and beauty filled Niblo’s Saloon in every part.”

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Announcement: Dwight's Journal of Music, 18 March 1865.

“The merit of the newly arrived pianist, Wehli, consists in an uncommon mastery of the resources of mechanism with both hands. Scales, whether chromatic or diatonic, single, or in thirds, sixths, octaves, the various arpeggi, trills, etc., he accomplishes with much perfection and facility, in the most rapid time. He has the technical moans at his command, wherewith to overcome the material obstacles of the most difficult compositions. But he is one of those virtuosos, whose hands we desire to sec while he plays, because he does not touch the feelings in even the faintest degree. Where is the use of all the "execution" in the world, unless the poetic, soulful breath of life enlivens the tone form under the fingers of the performer? When we listen to Wehli, we say to ourselves: "He must have practised with wonderful patience and perseverance." But the only true virtuosity is that, in which we forget the player in his playing. He who cannot accomplish this, belongs to the category of vulgar rope dancers. M Wehli plays his own compositions in preference. These pieces, however, do not deserve the name of compositions; they are concocted out of the most ordinary material, with the view of displaying this or that pianistic difficulty. However, M. Levi—we beg his pardon, M. Wehli—desires to make money; his public is also mainly formed from the amusement-seeking mass. The following "puff" which was prefixed, by the management we presume, to the programme, is a curiosity, even among those curiosities of humbug, imposture and puffery, which so fearfully corrupt the public atmosphere of New York. Immortalise it by publication, Mr. Dwight; but when our grandchildren consult your musico-historical pages, heaven forbid they should conclude that, in our day, the New York musical public was entirely composed of ignorants, without the knowledge necessary to form an opinion of their own regarding the merit of an artist, though this must be decidedly the conclusion of the individual who framed the following:

Mr. Wehli will perform, this evening, his celebrated Fantasia on airs from Meyerbeer’s Grand Opera, Les Huguenots, pronounced by the Paris and London Musical Critics to be the chef d’oeuvre of Pianoforte compositions. The passages which consists of sixth and thirds, are such so have never been introduced in modern pieces; they have been considered an impossibility, but Mr. Wehli has overcome the difficulty, and performance them with perfect ease. There are certain passages taken alternately by each hand, but the subject is still preserved intact. The finale is a perfect hurricane of octaves, amongst which the Charade [Chorale?] of the Opera is distinctly heard.

The Manager draws the attention of the public to this piece, it being a composition, the playing of which seems incredible. When its performance took place in Paris before Erards, in the presence of Thalberg, Liszt, Rubenstein, Leopold De Meyer, Dreyschock and other most famous Pianists and Composers, it was considered the greatest feat ever performed on the Pianoforte.”