Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-03
TWO GOOD CONCERTS.
Critical but WelI-PIeased Audiences
Effective Work Of the SoIoists-A Warm

| Critical but WelI-PIeased Audiences--
Effective Work Of the soIoists-A Warm
Reception.
| The inimitable and inexhaustible Patrick
! Sarsield Gilmore began yesterday with Pitts
burg TO give leading cities of the country 20
year aftermath Of his gigantic Boston Peace
Jubilee. Though yesterdays concerts lacked
the choral element they still formed an
auspicious opening of the tour.
| For the matinee an audience Of some L5O0
people half.flled the big, bleak barn Of build
ing variously known as Battery B Armory,
Fifth Avenue Music Hall and Market House
Gilmore's famous band struck a noble keynote
for the programme In Beethoven's great lie
onora" overture the third and most dramatic
I the four oyertures written by the master
for his only opera, "Fidelia." This overture is
an improved version of the second, which was
played at the first performance of the opera in
lSO5; it has nothing in common with the dis
carded first overture or with the fourth, which
Is now generally used with the opera, The third
with it about all that could be done
in the absence Of the strings, though
there were some needlessly sensational
effects The other important orchestral
work appropriated was portion Of Mendel-
eSOuus IuiIu symphony lOp. Do IN n miuoiJ
called Scotch" more probably because of its
affinity in subject matter and treatment with
the "Hebrides" overture, than because of any
authentic connection with the genial com.
posers visit to Scotland, The tender and
thrilling first movement (Andante con moto;
folk-song-like Scherzo (Vivace non troppo)
were the movements given-and very well done
they were, for brass and reed band.
The rest of the band programme included
two transcriptions of wellknown piano pieces:
Liszt's Twelfth Rhapsodie Hongroise, which
was effectively rendered, and Rubenstein's
Valse Caprice, which became an orgie, rather
than caprice, through the devil-may-care
style and tempo of its performance. Other
numbers were a wild descriptive piece by
Puerner, "The Charge of the Light Brigade
(which would seem to have been a very jolly
sortie); the Carnival of Venice, with original
variations by Is soloists of the band, and Gil
more's own national anthem, sColum bia, {" with
a cannonade accompaniment that would have
sounded better had the wonted chorus and
anvils been on hand to fill in the dynamic gap
between instruments and explosions.
The first sololst of the afternoon was Herr
Eugene de Danckwardt, tenor, who repeated
the same aria (''Celeste Aida" Verdi.) he sang
here with the Valda Concert Company some
months ago. His not robust baritone voice
was 0Ob eQudl w Lue utudnuS upon ~, tuOuBu
he sang with feeling and empressement. Miss
Helen Dudley Campbell sang "Nobil Signor,"
from the "Hugenots," very well; but her tri-
umph was made in the evening with "Ah quel
Giorno." from "Semiramide," |" which she sang
with greater finish and better command Of re-
sources than she has ever shown in Pittsburg
before. She responded to an encore with Schu-
mann's delicious bit of Sunshine" which was
given with much simplicity and TASTE Mr..
Myron W. Whitney was the foremost soloist
0ff "a m nj If Man1QIs-
sohn's '1'm Roamer." and sturdy encore
ballad showed him to be still possessor of mo-
BILE bass voice and postmaster in the art OF
singing in pure style and with great effect His
warm welcome at the hands of the audience
proved that several years absence had not lost
him his place in Pittsburg. Nine. Blanche
StoneBarton sang Proch's La Stella" air and
variations. delightfully."-. and had to respond to
the applause with Abt's graceful Cuckoo"
song Few coIordtur singers possess the linn
pid purity and richness of tone In all registers
that characterize Mime. Barton's voice; her
STYLE too is truly artistic, and her vocalization
good, If not entirely faultless.
In the evening very nearly 5000 people at
tempted to hear the concert. Attempted. be-
cause several hundred of them did not secure
admission until the programme was well under
way, and it was nearly o'clock before the
seated. The blame for this belongs to the local |
manager. who provided but one ticket taker |
and three ushers to care for 5000 persons to |
whom seats had been sold. The crush at the |
single smalldoor was terrific; ladies are said to
have tainted and the mems mutterings were |
loud and deep. |
The first three numbers were about spoiled |
by the noise in the seating of these unfortu- |
mates. They were the ''Tannehaeusern over |
ture, so-called concerto" for euphonium, |
played by Sig. Raffayolo, and Miss Campbelps |
solo, above referred to. The important nov,
city IN the Gilmore repertoire presented |
on this evening was a. more or less |
effective arrangement Of Webers familiar |
''Coneertstueck" for piano, which does not |
works Of Liszt, Rubinstein and other modern |
romaneists. 1t was however, exceedingly |
well played; as also were the selection from
piece 'sAfi Alpine Storm" by one Kunkel, the |
march, 1.-The Irish Brigade" by Puerner, and |
America" with artillery addenda. Stilllighter |
encore numbers served to show the remarkable
discipline of the veteran bandmaster in quick |
tempo changes and capricious phrasing.
Signorina Clementina de We're considerably |
deepened the impression made by her first ap-
weeks ago. She sang the same selections, the
"Air du Mysoli," from David's ia Perle du
Bresil." and part of the great aria
Flute" The much larger audience
this time stimulated her to increased
brilliance of execution; her staccati were par
fervor in her singing, too, and the same breadth
and dramatic power so unusual in soprano
leg0ieri. While the lower register of her
voice is not all that could be desired, it Is of
crystalline purity in the highest range-and
she took prolonged E in ait. after touching +. /
Sgnor Campanini has surely not been in bet
ter form for some years past than he was last
night. His voice seemed fresher and fuller,
more resonant and pliable than of late. Having
little need to cover up vocal defciencies-es-
pecially in the lovely, simple romance from
Gluck's "Iphigenia"-he commercially abb
stained from the tricks of trade" to which he
has recently been descending for that purpose
The artistic finish and fervid feeling of his in
depreciation well deserved the imperative
encore which he at length answered with bit
of La Donna g Mobile, from "Rigoletto."
Signor Del Puente was not behind his one-time
fellow debutant in the vocal resources and
graces of style and manner that he brought to
the rendition of the 'Torcador'' song from
Carmen" and the Largo al Factotum,n from
"n Barbiere'-the two pieces in which he has
several times proved to Pittsburg audiences his
right to be classed among the leading baritones
of the day.
All in all, the Gilmore Jubilee made very
beginning for what promises to be
= he richest month of. music that the Iron Citv |