New-York tribune., 1868-10-26
MUSIC.
OPENING OF sTEINwAY HALL.


| We have already described the improvementf
which have been made in seinway Hall under the dirsc
tion of Mr. Henry Rec and have only to add that tbs
effect on Saturday night when the gas was lighted sad
the seats were filed with gay and welldressed audi
ence was IN the highest degree pleasing and cheerful
The decorations in excellent taste, and the ooiou
though possibly little cold grateful TO the eye and
| well cOntrased pleasant loom sometimes makes me
success of doubtful concert where much depends upoa
the good nature Of the audience and Seinway Hal WIN
be far more popular place Of entertainment thanu
was in its ausere youth when IL looked much like
Puritan meeting house that any music iyeer than Oh
Hundredth seemed out Of place in It, sul
applause sounded like sacrilege This Is for
tunate; for according TO present appearances, w
shall have little OF no music this Winter anywhere bat IA
steinway and Irving Halls. The Academy Of Music win
be In a comatose condition as soon as Miss Kellogg has
sung twice more and the operahouses the west aide
are gwen up the patrons OF prettyw aer-gr saioon
The performance at the opening OF Steinway Hall wss
remarkable for that rarest Of good things programme
excellent in every number. There padding. no
trash thrown n 10 catch the untutored ear, but all the
selections possessed artistic merit and all the solo per
performers were accomplished artists. The orchestra
under Mr. Theodore Thomas, was strong and In gocd
TRIM The first piece the bills was Beethoyens nfh
Symphony &C minor. The first movement allegro eow
brio taken with rather heavy hand but the Others
were admirably played especially the melodous arda's
con Doto, the beautiful pizzicato passages In To
third movement. aud the deceterdndo or the nnai
aAeqro Mel delssohns "Meusna" overture whic1
opened the second part OF the concert we wess
sorry to perceive produced very little effect Charming
is and fun of poetry it is too delicate for the tasss
OF miscellaneous audience and is seldom very warmly
received partly because for its due appreciation needs
TO be supplemented by representation OF the legend
which II written 10 illustrate. The story OF "tM
lovely Melusna," the fairy maiden who welded Couns
Raymond OF Perpignan, condition that he shouh
seek penetrate the secusion into which every
Saturday used retire. and who lived happily wfs
her lord until one fatal day he broke his promise and
discovered that week she was transformed fx
twentyfo hours into mermaid, is OF the avor@
fairy tales OF France, and made the subject OF ~
opera by Conradin Kreuzer Mendelssohn saw II pay1
az a German theatre when he twenty-four yesn
old and being displeased with the overture but fasc
ated with charming actrees who took the principal
character he wrote this overture as substitute for tns
original. He himself thought very highly Oh ="
composition, and his Judgment was not mistaken
may not be encored by the people, he writes In CIV
OF his letters "ss Kreuzers but 1t viii give tneu
more solid delight" In the beautiful melody which runs
through IT, embroidered with varied fancies we seem
hear the ripple OF waters and the weird music OF iA
land, while the shadow Of coming misfortune sp'eaas
over the whole piece vail Of mild melancholy fns
orchestra played it with delicacy and good taste iss
third Faeketans OF Meyerbeer with which they wousa
up the performance, was more popular ana We p'eee
was equally well done; but the senseess custom III "
audiences indulge Of troopng out soon as the last
begins disturbed It to such degree that CRITICISM
impossible.
The vocalist OF the evening was Madame la ufanke
who made her first appearance in Sew'lork since
return from Europe, and was very cordially reoe"s
She in excellent voice, and displayed her wonaef
culture to great advantage particularly In Rodes @
ons B,iHanies on q sweet and plaintve little mea0V
which she sang deliciousy. Her rendering OF the
ter Aria" from Do, Giordnni" was o finished p'eoe
vocalsm but the aria is too dry for concert room ~
anne La Grange was twice encored. Mr.. s. b. Mills pn's
with the orchestra the charming romance and ~'s?
from Chopin's piano concerto In minor topus Id ~
his own Fairy Fingers" caprice, besides tarsnus
his own on being recalled. He Is always pleasing 49,
and on this occasion played admirably, especially IN
Chopin concerto which was at brilliant and dene'
Mr. Bergner's correct method and sympathetc 'ou'n
the yioloneelo were keenly reished In seryais So"
de Spa.
A circular handed TO the audience as they entered
nounced that at the particular request OF Mr. s'ens
Mrs Scott siddons would read from Tennyson and
bethp between the first and second parts Of the con0
When the slight and graceful figure OF the lady or
very simply in plain white, with the dark hair falling
over the shoulders and shading the young. winnn1
teleotual face first appeared on the platform tns
already conquered sne read tno n c~ne froa
Macbeth"-two selections as wide apart procsSs IA a.
any two In English literature Criticism may ,vvmssi
this evening: 1t will be enough TO record mere oduol
carried away the sympathies OF her listeners ana sh
,OU Ssr yey sn@ S Ss sOR es With
Tomorrow night Mr. Thomas VIII appeas "a IN -
Orchesta and Madame La Grange In Newsis wan a -
course OF the week he purposes visiting Ne"'p'
other paoes.