The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-05 00:00:00

I..ti:T II

Two VOMAI,coI. Iqt. :14. for 11auotUrte awl Violin Schumann.
.• 11w michty trc,., 11014" Schubert.
Trio, ;i1 1 hat major, (M. 70. for Halu oforw. Violin
tooll..l.•iimilt •

.te the principal feature of the evening, we must first
speak of the perfonuarice of Madame Schumann, whose
Mandel te playing belong. to the highest order of intellec-
tual interpretative art. in which the personality of the
player and the exhibition of mechanical dexterity ►re
imbordinated to a reverent identification with the inten-
tion of the composer, and the realisation of the sentiment
of his work. The mere execution, however faultless in
literal rendering, of a piece of music of a high class will
utterly fail to produce the effect intended by the cow-
levier if the executant does not possess some portion at
least of the feeling in which the work originated. The
finest eoliloquies of Shakspeare, the eublimest pas-
sages of Milton, will not only fall that on the
ear. hut will fail to convey to the wind of the hearer 'any
impression of their high suggestiveness if drawled out in a
level and passionless tone, current though it may be in
literal utterance. Yet this is all that is frequently brought
to the interpretation of music of the grandest order, that
of Beethoven, for instance, by players who have all the
mechanbou of their art at command, but nothing more—
the mechanical means of expression, but none Ol tht
inner
perceptions of the dep sentiment underlying the written
characters, and requiring for its reproduction a mind
capable of sympathy with the genius which conceived it.
As it has been well said, such artists
MA). not hope from outwerd forms to win
The pa-don and the life whose fountainssn• within.
Among the very few pianists of the day who
have any claim to these high qualities, Madame
Schumann holds, and has long held, the most
distinguished position. As Clara Wieck, before her
marriage with the late Robert Schuumnn the composer,
this lady was considered throughout Gennany (even in
Mendelesolm's time) as ono of the greatest pianists in
all those higher qualities which alone can raise execu-
tive art to en intellectual importance. Madame Schu-
mann's recognition in this country, on her few sad
intermittent visits here, has been gradual and slow,
perhaps largely owing to her very natural endeavours to
Promote by her performances a taste fur the compositions
of her late husband, against whose works (as we have
several times had occasion to observe) the most
unjust prejudice and irrational aversion have been fostered
here by some critics. This prepossession is now fast
diminishing—a result largely attributable to the many
excellent performances of Schumann's works at the
Crystal Palace concerts—and musical audiences are
beginning to perceive what special genius and character
there are in touch of Schumann's music, unequal and
even laboured as some of his larger works undoubtedly
are. All who were so fortunate as to bear Madame
fichurnanu's magnificent performance at a Philharmonic
concert two seasons since of the concerto in A minor must
have felt the injustice of that uucouipromising condemns-
film of Schumann which has been so largely current
among us. tint of nearly a hundred and fifty
published works of Schumann we could readily
put aside some that perhaps had better not have been
written, or at least published, but by far the larger pro-
portion, especially of his pianoforte works turd songs,
forms a rich and valuable addition to the music of the ro-
mantic and ideal schooL The worst, then, that can be
alleged against Schumann is, that he was not invariably
and equally successful—that he aimed at a universality.
and occasionally at a vastness of sublimity, that he did
not entirely attain. Similar allegations, however, might
with truth be mode against many who are yet recognised
as among the great men of art and literature. The whole-
sale condemnation with which some critics have at-
tempted to write down Schumann is as unreasonable as
would be the attempt to put down Wordsworth because
he had not the dramatic faculty, or Goldsmith because
lie could not approach the sublimity of Milton—
or any other such like absurdity, far which
many parallels could be found. Wordsworth and
Goldsmith, and many other great men, have had their
detractors, but in spite of contemporary satire on Words.
worth's homeliness of style, notwithstanding Goldsmith's
sabr;quet of " inspired idiot," they are both permanently
placed among our great men—and as " Time brings in his
revenges," just as certainly will Schumann rank among the
great (not the greatest) composers of Germany.
We have said thus much on the subject, because it is
impossibly to dissociate Madame Schumann from the re-
collection of her gifted husband, the extension of a know-
ledge of whose genius it has been the loving labour of her
life topromote by her admirable performancesof his works;
and because we believe there Is now • large
musical public among us which will dare to think
for itself, and will enjoy and appreciate much of Schu-
mann's music, in spite of the angry moldings and probP
bitiona of sciolist critics. Indeed, there is so great and
recent a change in this respect that we believe Madame
Schumann would find " fit audience," and not " few," for
a series of special recitals of Schumann's pianoforte works
interspersed with some of his vocal pieces—a scheme that
would further the popular knowledge of a much misunder-
stood composer, and enable the public to hear his works
interpreted by one who must, in every way, be best quell-
tied to give them their true reading.
This is rather a digression from last night's concert, but
we have been led into it by a recollection of the
injustice which has been done to Schumann by some
of our critics, and the inevitable association of the
subject with the re-appearance among us of Madame
Schumann, whose reception on this occasion was so enthu-
siastic as in some measure to atone for the slowness with
which her transcendent merits have been recognised here.
Her interpretation of Beethoven's solo sonata, one of the
moat romantic and imaginative of his many works of the
kind, was of the highest order of intellectual playing.
Clear and certain in execution ; alternately grand and
pathetic in expression ; full of varied rhythm ; and those
subtle inflections of style which prove a thorough percep-
tion of the composer's intention -it was in every way a
performance worthy of the author's genius and the
artist's reputation. The applause and repeated re-
calls which Madams Schumann received after this
fine performance were meet satisfactory proofs
of the increased power of our public to recog-
nise and appreciate the highest qualities of executive
art. Probably influenced by the recollection of some
English diatribes on Scbuniszin's music, Madame Schu-
mann introduced last night only two short romances front
the set of three (op. 94), originally written for oboe and
pianoforte, but also arranged by the composer for either
clarinet or violin (in lieu of oboe), and given last night in
the latter shape with the aid of Herr Joachim. The
second of these romances is a charmingly vocal melody,
with an elaborated pianoforte accompaniment—No.
has much of that broken rhythm of which Schumann
is occasionally somewhat too prodigal. Both pieces,
although mere trifles, give sufficient indications that Soho-
mann was a man of special powers. Beethoven's trio is
much leas frequently performed than its companion
work in D, to which it is indeed scarcely equal in interest.
That it should prove so effective as it was in St. James's-
hall last night was greatly owing to the significance and
emphasis which Madame Schumann gave to every phrase
of a work that it; moat likely to be appreciated in a limited
space and by • special audience. Most important too was
the co-operation, on this occasion, of such admirable
artists as Herr Joachim and Signor Piatti. Spohr's double
quartette, a form of which he was the originator, was ad-
mirably played by Herr Joachim, Messrs. Ries. Pollitzer,
and Wiener (violins), Henry Blagrove and Zerbini
(violas), M. Paque and Signor Piatti (violoncellos). Mr.
Sullivan's song was encored, a compliment partly due to
the expressive ringing of Miss Edith Wynne, who also
gave with much pathos Schubert's exquisitely beautifel
song, the " Young Nun ;" the highly-coloured accompani-
ment most effectively played by Mr. Benedict, the con-
ductor. The room was crowded, and the performances of
Madame Schumann called forth the most enthusiastic
applause from the whole audience.
Madame Schumann is again to appear at the perfor-
mance of Saturday morning, when she will play the
Waldstein sonata, and also in fichumann's quintet in
E flat.