Bateman Concert: 7th

“Mlle. Parepa will sing ‘Ocean, Thou Mighty Waste,’ ‘Il Bacio,’ or ‘The Kiss,’ ‘Savourneen Delish,’ ‘Sing, Birdie, Sing,’ and other gems.”

Lists Weber piece as “Ocean, Thou Mighty Waste.”

“The lady’s voice is voluminous, flexible, cultivated & of large compass, so people crowd her concerts and applaud her most inartistic, meaningless tours de force.  She is entitled to credit for appreciating real music, for of her four pieces tonight, ‘Batti, Batti’ and ‘With Verdure Clad’ were two.  But she delivered both these noble exquisite melodies with a coarse vehemence that would have better suited a screaming hurdy-gurdy aria by Verdi—much as Edwin Forrest would, I suppose, read ‘To be or not to be.’ There was a satisfactory little orchestra, and its last performance was remarkable, a Quadrille by Strauss.  It was a concert of little bits or gems from Mendelssohn’s Wedding March, the Zauberflote, Robert le Diable, Lucrezia, Freyschutz, Oberon, Beethoven’s Sonatas, etc., very scrappy and absurd of course but not at all disagreeable. Each scrap was delicious per se, and the music was skillfully put together.”

“The Bateman Concerts.—The seventh concert of Mdlle. Parepa at Irving Hall was brilliantly attended; not only was every seat filled, but every available standing spot was occupied. New-York is somewhat slow to recognize superior excellence, especially if the reputation has not been forced upon its attention, but its conclusion is nearly always right, as in this instance. Mdlle. Parepa was allowed the probation of a week in which to develop the scope of her abilities.  She has gone through it brilliantly and has come forth as a bright star and as an established popular favorite.

            The new point of attraction in the programme last evening was Haydn’s celebrated song, ‘With verdure clad,’ which Mdlle. Parepa sang with a simple gracefulness, with an exquisitely melodious carrying of the voice which we have never heard excelled. She adhered, if anything, too strictly to the text. A little yielding here and there would probably have been more effective with the many, but we can hardly hope to hear a more deliciously vocal rendering of this beautiful aria. Mdlle. Parepa’s style is based upon the strict English oratorio school, which for purity in every element of true singing is unequaled in the world, to which she has added the warmth, breadth and color of the best Italian school. It would be hard to imagine a more admirable combination, and in this respect Mdlle. Parepa stands alone among all the singers who have visited us. She is equally at home in the ecclesiastical school, the ballad, the chanson, and the opera, Italian and English. We have had no artist whose abilities were so varied, and of so high a character, and to her must be awarded the palm of an even and admirable perfection in each school and style. In addition to ‘With verdure clad,’ she sang that song which is now demanded—‘The Nightingale’s Trill,’ which gained an unanimous encore. As we have said before, the rendering of this song is the perfection of vocalization. Her ‘Batti, Batti’ was finely interpreted, and the ‘Il Bacio’ carried the audience up to a point of high enthusiasm. It is needless to add that all her selections were encored. Messrs. Dannreuther and Rosa have gained confidence and now display their abilities with much more acceptance to the public.”