The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-06-29
THE THOMAS CONCERTS,
Criiiqn- by Conn potent Auditor
Correspondence Nesc North. West.

II talked-of Theodore Thomas Copcerrsp have
# at last taken place, and are now 10 he though,
o. oil only rs an event Of the past. much In the
= regret of all true lovers of the art. say "an
event." because am told by old musical res.
idents that such an orchestra and conductor
have never before been heard I'm this CITY
= consequently IL Is not surprising to hear or.
: binary residents say that they did not care
Il Tor the music-it was toe scientific for them
q 10 ENJOY, and they would have been lust ~
b well pleased with a simple ballad, etc. and
nave no doubt many went home disap-
' pointed, thinking they had not had their
moneys worth.
, AS professional man I am very glad
theodore Thomas came here AS consider Il
the commencement of q new epoch in music
Tor Salt Lake City. Now that the residents
nave heard one of the finest orchestras and
conductors In the world, they will perhaps BE-
httle more generous and unpreiudiced
when they hear the best local talent: but
there IL such a lack generally of musical
knowledge, or appreciation and taste. that if
any unprincipled prof essional comes to the
city and wishes TO depreciate any of his
brothers in the divine art, he has only to get
|
and persuade them that so and so is not nm
to the mark in his profession or 1t NAV be
that n very creditahle performance of some
great work which has cost months of labor
10 prepare has taken place, but relying upon
the Ignorance of his hearers he tries to iuiure
the reputation of his brother in the profess
sion by insisting that it was a miserable per-
formanre. etc. This il not mere imagination
on my part, lint has actually taken place in
my experience. But they say time rights all
Things, and so am in hopes that a better
future is in store for music here. Only the
worst Of II IL, If the same standard Of good
music Is not kept before the public, they will
! lapse into their former state instead of i'm
| proving in taste. may say that ! mean
these remarks to apply TO Morrnons Us well
~ Gentiles.
Well, about the Thomas concerts: As the
DAY approached, the city began filling with
strangers from all parts, and Mr. Calder's
store was besieged with crowds of applicants
for tickets. ] understand there were upward
Of 1900 people present the first night, and |
have no doubt much larger audience would |
have attended had not the tragedian Barrett |
been performing in the theater at the same
time. However, consider it must have |
been success financially as know il was |
unsteady. There is no doubt that the last |
Saturday nights performance was the best |
in every respect. The orchestra seemed TO |
catch the spirit of their conductor, and can
liken 1t to nothing better than huge must
cal machine, played upon by a master hand,
such rs immense organ where the performer
ia nsN. ,nFtt
the most delicate pianissim to a gradual
crescendo and tremendous for.issimo and
back again to n gentle piano It must not
be thought that / wish to depreciate the
other performances, but there is ALWAYS. in
every attempt In art or science, an effort bet.
ter or worse than the last The afternoons
performance was considered by musical men
to have been the poorest, being, as was
thought, hurried through
Now with respect to the first concert. The
magnificent "Tannhauser' overture of Wag-
ner was the opening, the Pilgrims Chorus
being the principal theme have heard this
overture played by some of the finest orches.
tra's in Europe, but the rendition on Friday
evening pleased me better in every way; it
always appeared to me before to be very
noisy. The effect of the violins in the run
ming passages was beautiful in the extreme
and the phrasing perfect. In the climax,
when the brass instruments entered, the eff. {
feet was grand. The next number was
the "Andante con Moto,,' from the SYM
phony in minor No. 8, by Beethoven. :
which think gem. know every note of 4
IL, and consider il was rendered to perfection:
the effect of the clarionet in the long FOLDING
note was exquisite, the player not giving too l
much prominence. Ny only regret was that 7
they did not play the whole symphony ]
through.
No. 3 was Hector Berlioz's setting of Carl :
Maria Won weber's pretty Invitation to
the Waltz" With all due respect TO Herr
Berlioz, whom / always revere, never could
feel satisfied when listening to this adapta-
ton to the orchestra. / admire the clever u
way In which he has Instrumental the waltz, Il
but as IL was never intended by Weber for an p
orchestral piece think it a pity it should
be done by any other hand than its author, q
It being true pianoforte composition New I,
srtheiess 1t was very pretty and admirably r
No. 4, song, Gam Meer," by .
Schubert, sung by Mr.. Franz Remmertz, put :,
he audience into raptures and was encored
but understand Mr.. Thomas makes 1t a rule
never to allow his soloists to appear again u
when encored-merely to bow their acknowl- n
nents and retire. Mr.. Remmertz has beau Il
ifui voice, possessing great power. As No. T.
Madame Rive King was to appear in con- q
'erto by Saint-Saens. The announcement n
vas made that she was indisposed, but as an r,
equivalent Miss Thursby would sing twice, =
Ter song being "Una Voce POGO fa'," from
sossini's Barber OF Seville" which an
louncement was received with applause.
No. o was an aria, "L'Etoile du Nord," by "
deyerbeer Miss Emma Thursby sang this
the effect when the flute played ju
he air and she followed in imitation all re
trough was lovely; the flute and the voice al
eemed to be trying to rival each other. No. al
, Hungarian Raphsody ~, Liszt, was enough :,
0 send anybody with a soul for music into :.
aphsody Of delight No. 8, aria, car la Sui :,
'nda," Mercadante, by Miss Belle Cole, was u
Tell received This lady has magnificent VI
Ich contralto voice which she knows how to A
manage to perfection. She seems to me n
borough artistic. No. 8, "Suite, Sylvia" Les
'elibes, was extremely pretty. As No. 10
Hiss Thursby sang "Una Voce' beautifully. ia
No. ii was chorus, Thanks be 10 God" th
'om Elijah" by Mendelssohn. The chorus on
as made up Of voices belonging to Salt ri
AXE City, which had been in training under -.
Il. @. j. Thomas for about six weeks or 's'
ore. Considering the difficulty of the mu- w
c and the lack Of musical culture to render
lem able to appreciate such music before te'
,gaging to practice it, all the more credit is fes
ne to Mr.. q. Thomas for the efficient state lin
brought them to. 1t was very creditably m.
ing, however, the chief fault being the slow IN,
npo IL was taken at by Theodore Thomas. Al.
18th all due Difference to his great abilities
now that 1t should have been taken much =,
Kicker, and also sung with more "guisto;" ~
1t perhaps he was afraid they would not be cro
lie to do SO well II be took 1t quicker. Then TAR
ain the effect would have been much scs
ander If the diapasons and pedals of the she
and organ had been used by an efficient the
ganist, and such is not lacking in Salt ito
IKE, there being an old pupil of perhaps !
9 worlds creates: living organist resident -.
re now. '"e
afternoons programme had the i"0
ost popular music, but was not so well ut INC
nded. Mr.. Fred Harvey sang Sound an IL
axm," from the Judas Maccabeus'' of tioI