New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-03-29
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
THE WAGNER CONCERT.


gwen last night at steinway Hail. affords fair gauge
Of the strength Of wagners sdherents in NewYork
disciples Of the new school may take comfort The hail
not nied but the audience very respectable IN
numbers, and II was gathered apparently from many
classes OF society both native and German The music
had an attentive and intelligent hearing. and most Of 1t
was received with considerable enthusiasm Indeed,
thanks partly TO the German influence in our com
munIty, and partly to the perseverance Of q few
prominent musicians, such as Theodore Thomas
and in lesser degree, Carl Bergmann the theories OF
the great reformer Of the lyric have made more
Roadway IN this city than anywhere else out OF Ger
many Works 70 which England Is just now with diff
Guilty persuaded 10 listen for the first time have been
familiar Cor several years and the most preudced
sucers for classical forms forced 70 acknowledge
that there much in this art which demands and
deserves hearing For ourselves, confess that we
contemplate the rapid progress OF these innovations with
feeling both OF sadness and dismay. We cannot
reconcile ourselves either the loss Of the oden treas
which are commanded to give up, or to the
wild and wonderful creations which offered IN their
place. The which soOthes the fancy and softens
the feelings. and brings gentle repose to tbelweary
mind seems to be passing away and in its place comes
a terrible teDlpesruOus art rackng the intellect and
infamng the Imagination Yet It would be absurd 10
deny that Wagner extraordinary poet, and that
much Of his work seems destined TO immortality
he Is composer for the oOneertroOm, and to take
without scenery action is violation of that funda
mental principle Of his that the musical idea and the
dramatic action inseparably united St, MI Theo-
dore Thomas by whom the performance last night was
given arranged a very good programme, and presented
favorable specimen OF the Wagner school as could
obtained outside OF theater. The rst piece the
overture 20 1.-The Flying Dutehman." This opera was
written about the same time "Rienzi," namely,
when the composer q years OF age,
and Is occasionally performed in London where
no one has yet ventured 70 produce his later
works. Many ecoentricites observable in IT, and
peculiar methods Of developing thought and charac-
terstc the scOrnGs but the whole 1t does
depart very widely from the conventional operate
FORM and Wagner rather inclined repudiate now,
as a folly OF his youth. The second piece was the
familiar V0rsBci to "LOheDgrin another opera which
he has OutgrOwn. "LOhengn" however ls47l Is seven
years later than Der Fhegende Hollander," and
shows a decided change Of style. II Is one OF the
most beautiful examples Of the romantic opera
which our generation has produced, and If.
Wagner had continued in the path which be opened
here we can hardly doubt that he would have accom-
phshed before this the reform OF which he dreams
In the Faust Overture however. the extravaEances
which have repealed most musicians from his works are
boldly developed This written in 1s4O but revised
in 1885, and may be supposed therefore TO represent
later phase OF intellectual progress than Lohen-
grin" and Tannhauser" 1t has often been heard IN
New-York and has never been fayOrite piece with
mi see llaneous audiences.
By way OF relief, perhaps, Mr.. Thomas gave after
Faust superb performance OF Beethoven" Heroic
svmphouy. and then we came 70 the interesting
features OF the evening,-the selections from DE
Walkdre" one of the three operas in the Nibeungen
ogy 20 be represented al Bayreuth in 1874 The 1rst
was the Rh der WGGsureH, part OF which has been
PLAYED here before We have spoken OF that portion as
wonderful weird representation Of the ride Of Odins
maidens among tbe embsttled hosts: but the second
part, gwen last night for the first time seems TO US
even timer than the other II lacks the gro
tesQue force and rhythm which commended I
the Introductory passages so strongly and
so Immediately 70 popular favor; but IT has grander
and more musical at the same time an equally sug-
gestive character. This followed by the scene OF
Wotan's Farewell (FOdn'S AbSchtedJ Of which we have
also had partial rendering before At the first of his
present series Of symphony concerts last November
Mr. Thomas gave the instrumental music Of this scene
and last night MT Remmerz added 10 1t the vocal part
Here we have an excellent illustration Of Wagners
Latest theory OF dramatic musio-music In winch
there Is no formal melody, not even properly |
any musical defamation. but II which voice ana
instruments blend together IN the expression OF certain
thoughts scarcely Ineligible if you take them apart
from The context and apart from the accessories OF
scene and action but wonderfully eloquent yon take
them as he meant they should be taken Thanks TO an
excellent explanatory programme we we're able 70 Ioi-
low the sentiment of this and 70 appreciate many
rare beauties which would otherwise have been LOST
The trst part IL more remarkable for severe dgnity
than for anything else; but this succeeded wnen
Woan presses the last KISS upon his daughters brow by
messages Of exquisite tenderness equal TO the finest things
IN Lohengrin" Indeed doubt II in al contemporary
musc there are more genuinely poeucai thoughts ana
more beautiful and refined expression than Ii the CLOS
inc Dortous Of this remarkable Yet II was heard
with much less enthusiasm than the first numbers on the
programme and with very much less than the |
beethoven symphony. The concert closed with the |
q Kaiser Marsch."
We need hardly say that the execution OF all TINS |
music was admirable Mr.. Thomas and MS men took u
con a,aoys and Nj Remmertz did his difficult share
almost without a fault.