Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-22
TO.NIGHT'S PROGRAMME.
Some Beautiful Selections-Attractive Mel.
odies-Meudelssohn' Midsummer Nights
Dream = G0unod's Faust - Saint.
Saen's Ballet-Music From
Heurv VIII


This evenings programme opens with the
overture, "a Midsummer Nights Dream"
by Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-
Bartholdy (born, Hamburg, 1909; died, Leipzig,
1S4O. The wonderful lad was only II
when his reading of Shakespeare in
Tieck & Schlegel's translation inspired him to
express in music the essence Of this fairy-like
comedy. He meant to write only an overture
then, but when II years later his monarch
asked him to compose music for the whole
drama, the themes of the overture were found
to fit perfectly into their places throughout
the play-so faithful miniature had he
at first created. The overture is remarkable
alike for its youthful woodland freshness and
for its solid musicianly construction. No less
ren declares that ne one piece
of music contains so many points of
harmony and orchestration that had never
been written before; and yet none of them have
the air OF experiment, but all seem to have
been written with certainty of their success"
1t is small wonder that, upon the composition
of such piece, Mendelssohn's musical pupilage
under Zelter was terminated, and himself left
free to follow the bent of his individual genius.
Mr.. Giuseppe Campanari, a baritone well
recommended from Europe and Boston. will
sing Valentines air. "Dio Possente," from
Golnod's Faust" The attractive
melody is familiar to all as ap-
pearing in the orchestral intro
ly omitted from Valentines lines-where, in
deed, the composer first placed it for the Eng
lish production. A happy afterthought.
Though Saint-Saens' ballet music from
"Henry VIII" happens to bring his name into
this evenings programme, this most learned of
living French musicians will be more appro-
prIately introduced to the festival audience
tomorrow in connection with his cantata.
"THE DELUGE."
"Henry vIIP' is one of saint-saens' most re-
cent operas and has achieved measure of sue
cess denied to his earlier ventures in the same
.depal tment His signalability as an orchestral
writer has, however, been recognized from the
first.
In the aria from Mozarts "Don Giovanna,n
Pittsburgers will make the acquaintance of
Mas. LilIi Lehman-Kalisch, whom the most
trustworthy critics oD America pronounce one
of the greatest living dramatic sopranos. Her
previous career was chiefly passed in the Ber-
lin Royal Opera where the discriminating au-
thorities kept her singing in lighter roles. ig-
er need scarcely be informed that
Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart (Salisburg, 1756,-Vienna, 179l) was the
most universal in his genius of all the worlds
composers. and that among all his works in
every department of music, Don Giovanni" Is
regarded as the master piece-many deeming
it the greatest opera exer composed.
LISTS SECOND PoLoNAIsE,
in the orchestral arrangement of Mueller
Berghaus, adds another to the overly-long list
of arrangements from piano compositions that
make up the orchestra programme.
Carl Retter's TIE Deum in will be sung by
Mrs. ese,Herbert-F Forester, Miss Helen Won
Doenhoff, Messrs. James H. Ricketson and
Giuseppe Campanari, with chorus and
orchestra. The work of our talented
local musician is already we'll
known here, having been produced at Trinity
Church on Christmas Day, 1887. and given by
the Mozart Club with orchestra) some months
later.
The overture and the familiar recitative and
air ocean, Thou Mighty Monster" from
are representative of the work of.
Karl Maria Won Weber (Eutin, 17S6-London,
lS26) who was one of the greatest of overture
writers and whose operatic works distinctly
foreshadow Wagner theories.
Space and time falling the remainder of the
programme may be synopsized thus: Wagner's
"siegfried Idyll," for orchestra; Romanza
from 'Trovatore," sung by Mr.. Jules
Perotti, the leading tenor Of the festival, whose
''high G" is said to be phenomenal; prelude
and finale from Wagner's 'aTristan und
Isolde" (the work wherein his theories are
most consistently and freely manifested)
with Mrs. Kalisch as Isolde; and lastly, "a
Cloister Scene," short dramatic cantata by
Mr.. Horace Wadham Nicholl, the former we'll
known Pittsburg musician, to be sung by Mrs.
Forester, Messrs. Ricketson and Campanari
with chorus and orchestra Q. W. 8.