Symphony  Concert

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Event Type: Concert
Conductor: Anton Seidl
Performers: Seidl Orchestra; Madame Zelia Trebelli, Contralto; Monsieur Ovide Musin, Violin
Date and time: January 29, 1887, 8:15 p.m.
Venue: Steinway Hall
Price: $2. First balcony seats $1.50

Program

Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67                     Ludwig van Beethoven
"O rest in the Lord," from Elijah, op. 70               Felix Mendelssohn
"Vieni, che poi sereno," from Semiramis             Christoph Willibald Gluck
A Faust Overture, WWV 59                                Richard Wagner
Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61                      Ludwig van Beethoven
Leonore Overture no. 3, op. 72b                        Ludwig van Beethoven

Notes

This was the second of Mr. Seidl's symphony soirees for the season.

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The New York Times advertised the concert on January 26, 1887.(4)

The American Art Journal advertised the concert on January 29, 1887.(2)

Reviews

The Sun reviewer noted that the hall held an "overflowing audience." The reviewer commented on "rumors" that Seidl was giving the Beethoven symphony "an entirely new reading," and that "the members of his band were enthusiastic in their appreciation." He called that the highest tribute that could be paid to a conductor. He went on to call the performance "really splendid," saying that "energy, vitality, brilliancy and nobility were marked characteristics of Herr Seidl's rendition." The reviewer also praised the Faust overture as being "full of fire and deep meaning." Mr. Musin's playing of the violin concerto was characterized as "artistic and tasteful." Mrs. Trebelli was praised for her performance of the Gluck aria, but the reviewer was critical of her performance of the Mendelssohn piece, calling it "hard and unsympathetic."(1)

The Musical Courier reviewer praised the conductor, saying "his interpretations are fresh, vigorous and new, his readings, if not always justifiable from a classicist's standpoint, are original and interesting, his programs are broad, comprehensive and well chosen, and last, but not least, his performances are given in a hall which has all the requirements for the enjoyment of a concert." The reviewer went on to say that the symphony created "an unusual amount of enthusiasm, and Mr. Seidl, who had been loudly applauded after each movement, was thrice recalled after the finale." The reviewer was less enthusiastic about the two overtures, commenting on the "evident tiredness from recent overwork" of the orchestra. The reviewer also commented on Mr. Musin's "fine technic, beautiful tone and grace," and said he was possessed of a "broad and truly artistic nature."(3)

The New York Herald reviewer commented on the "wild enthusiasm" accorded the Beethoven symphony, noting Seidl's "agreeable and effective surprises...in the allegro and andante" and that he "seemed to break entirely with tradition in the scherzo and in the finale allegro movements." He called the Wagner and Leonore overture "magnificently played." Of Mr. Musin's playing, the reviewer found it "impossible to speak in terms of praise, lacking, as he does, the breadth of tone, the depth of sentiment and the severity of style which such music demands."(5)

The New York Times reviewer said the Beethoven symphony "was played, throughout, with great brilliancy and power." The reviewer commented that Mr. Musin's tone was smaller than that of other violinists who have played the concerto, but acknowledged his "feeling, dignity, and almost unimpeachable cleanness and finish of execution."(6)
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Sources:

1. "Amusements: Herr Seidl's Concert," The Sun, January 30, 1887, p. 10.
2. "Amusements: Steinway Hall," American Art Journal, January 29, 1887, p. 228.
3. "Anton Seidl's Concert," Musical Courier, February 2, 1887, p. 74.
4. "Anton Seidl's Second Symphony Soiree," The New York Times, January 26, 1887, p. 7.
5. "Herr Seidl's Symphonic Concert," New York Herald, January 30, 1887, p. 8.
6. "The Amusement Season: Musical and Dramatic, Notes of the Week," The New York Times, January 30, 1887, p. 2.