The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-11-28
ANU 8 E N e N T g.

FIRST PHILHARMONIC CONCERT. The character
and size OF Philharmonic audience Is 80 well
known now that 1t is merely necessary to say that
the season OF the society opened last night at the
Academy in the usual brilliant manner. every seat
being occupied The programme was one OF ex-
ceilence and variety, comprising Mozart's
lovely symphony In r nat, Liszt's Titanic
concerto for the piano In nat and
Mendelssohns entire music to "a Midsummer
Nights Dream" The symphony is one OF the ten
derest and most poetic or the amiable composers
works and was fauitiessly performed. The hundred
instruments, under the experienced direction or
Carl Bergman, were like obedient spirits beneath
the spell OF an enchanter, and spoke in thunder
tone or gentle whisper, anon diaogued and
again breathed forth an ensemble which rose
The concerto is o1e OF the most colossal OF piano
works, and needs wrists OF steel to execute its mar
veou5 passages. Miss ABIDE Topp PLAYED IL for her
DEBUT at Steinway Hail when she nrst came to this
country. she has improved much since in her rem.
deriDg OF the work but still we do not think pos
siDe Tor any lady to succeed in mastering 1t. The
physical exerfon alone required In IL lncapacitates
the slender fingers and delicate wrist OF Miss Topp
from ever reaching the goal OF perfection In the
execution or the wonderful measures Of Liszts
work. she played the opening march well, with
clearness and Droper'v balanced power; and IN the
delicious little SC 1rz her remarkable delicacy OF
execution and pO. inception were shown 10 adj
VANTAGE. But IL .le quasi aaagio, which, by
the way, strangely reminds one OF the idygketto
IN Chopin's Concerto IN minor, the Dold
passionate declamatory phrases In octaves did not
receive that force OF expression which was due to
them. Again IN the Wild dashing finale in which
the opening n0re PUSHES through nearly every scale
on the piano. Miss lopp ook the tempo too slow
aud exhibited evidences Of WEAKNESS In The
rendering OF the lightning passages which
hash through the stormy background of
the orchastr In the terrible trlli which
occurs In the concerto and which extends seye
raj pages or the score the weakness OF the player
was felt stl Miss Topp played admirably and de-
served the applause which greeted her, but she
should not Oyertask Der powers again by selecting
such a Titanic work. What can we say OF the
matchless music which Mendelssohn has nung
ike rich veil over the matchless fairy
tale of Snakspearef We have criticised 1t often
nj length before, and new beauties reveal themselves
at each hearing. The 1utIer OF fairy wings IN the
scherz0, the inspiring tones Of the ''Wedding
March, the echo Of the woods and the troubles or
lovers in the dGdne and the Jolly measures oil Bot
tom and his companions are musical photo
graphs such as only the sun OF such genius
as Mendelssohn could linn. Mrs. Scott-Siddons
read, or rather decialmed, the play with much
success. In narratag the adventures of Bottom and
the other wise men she was particularly happy, ana
threw all her soul into the work. instead OF the mo-
notonous, dreary style OF the majority OF dramatic
readers. Her success was OF the most marked
character, and many Of the charms OF tine "Md-
summer Nights Dream" were Drought into stronger
Teler by ner admirable elocution and acting.