St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-14
IN DULCET STRAINS,
Concert by the Boston SYM
phony Company an Art
istic Success.
Lovers Of the Classic Greet
Each Number With Much
Applause.
The Grand Jury Take a Turn
at the County Insti-
tutionS.
Prisoners Treated in Regal
Style--Recommendations
to the Authorities.

"Tannhaeuser," the third and per-
hapS the greatesto OF Wagner's successes,
has been performed many times before
st. Paul audiences. but never has its
performance evoked SO rapturouS re-
Spouse as that drawn from the vast
crowd which heard the overture as
given at the Peoples church last even
ing by the Boston Symphony orchestra,
under the dictorship of Arthur NikiSch.
The auditorium was packed with lovers
of the classic, and a glance over
the sea of faces from the front of
the house betrayed that the audience
was one which would know how to ap-
precate or condemn, as the merits of
the music should justify. The first dis
tant notes Of the pilgrim song, growing
nearer and louder, at last near at hand,
and again lost in the distance, were
enough to interest every listener in the
fortunes thus muSicallE told of the err
ing TannhaeuSer. Then, as the thread
of the strange legend is followed in the
fantastic measure of that weird dance,
and TannhaeuSer'S song OF defiance to
the unholy crew rings jubllantly, the in
terest is intensified to a degree which
tells its own story of the magnificence
OF the Interpretation. The bolsterouS
reveiing and shriekS Of wild delight,
representing Tannhaeuser's surrender TO
the charms of the goddess, and the later
dawn of day with the song of the reap
preaching piigrims,tO which gives place
the gruesome murmur following the
orgie of the sirens, were all SO wildly
truthful as to leave lasting impression
on each hearer; and as the joyful song
of the pilgrims SWelled louder and
more loudly, until in its ecstasy it
chronicled the release of rannhaeuser
from the spell of the Venusberg. and
the strange story thus grandly told had
reached its end, there arose from the
audience burst of applause than
which a more spontaneous or continu-
Gus tribute was never paid an orchestral
performance in ST. Paul,
Nine. Steinbach-Jahns, the sopraniste
of the company, sang the aria 20 Lovely
Halls in so perfect manner as TO win
for her perfect ayalan che of plaudits.
and compel her to return to the front OF
the stage three times in acknowledge
ment. TimOthee AdamOWSki'S violin
SOLO work was very fine, and he, too,
came in for share OF the laurels. The
success Of the evening, however, was
peer Gynt." summary of Greig's
composition for operate production.
The piece as summarized is in four
parts, representing "The Break Of
Day." The Death of AaSe," "Anitra'S
Dance" and 1.-The Hall of the Mountain
King"
The character OF Peer Gynt is taken
from one of the Norwegian tolk-legons.
lie is Norwegian Faust, whose super
abundance Of Imagination will bring
him to destruction, If he is not saved by
woman. Peer Gynt is peasant lad,
whose parents were Well-to-do people;
but the father is now dead, and the
mother and son are living in great pow
erty. The lad is full Of great ideas, and
has many wonderful plans for the future.
These he confides to his mother, who,
Notwithstanding his wild ways and fan
tastic ideas, believes in him. His youth
full arrogance knows no bounds. He
goes to wedding and carries off the
bride to the mountains, where he after
wards deserts her. During the night
he WanderS about and meets with some
frollcsome dairymaids. He harbors at
last in the hall OF the king of
the Dovre mountains, where he
falls in love with the kings
daughter, but is finally turned out of
doors. He returns home, where he finds
his mother, Aase, on her death-bed.
After her death he sails for foreign
chimes, and lands, after the lapse Of
many years, rich man, on the coast of
Morocco. In one of the Arabian deserts
he meets Anitra, the daughter of
Bedouin chief. She only succeeds in
captivating him temporarily, and leaves
him. Peer Gynt dreams about Solvejg,
the love Of his youth, who has faithfully
been waiting for him. and to whose
arms he at last returns, old and gray.
The impressive solemnity of the
death chant is followed by the weird
strains to which the Bedouin maiden
porarily captures the heart of Peer
Gynt One almost expects Anitra In
her quaint garb to appear among the
players, and give TO the picture that
realism it almost possesses without her
presence. The fourth movement, a
grotesquely impish march, represent
ing the imps tormenting the wan
derer, is as strangely character
iSt C of the composer as the
first three, and the reception
given the Interpretation compelled the
repetition of the scene in the hall of the
mountain king. Nine. SteiBbach-Jahns
gave three song numbers, rs blinlzt
der Thau,' Lullaby" and "Die
Quelle," each of which were received
with great applause. and the lady sang
as an encore number German ballad,
and sang it SO charmingly as to add to
the laureis she had already won.
The closing glory was the Mendels-
sohn symphony in A, italian" Among
all Mendelssohn's works there is not
one more characteristic than this SYM
phony of that cheerful, sunshIny, happy
disposition which was almost more re-
markable than his genius. There is a
force Of freshness and life, and of
youth, innocent without being weak, to
which, perhaps, no parallel can be
found. except it be his own
G. minor concerto. which in
deed was the offspring OF the same
happy time of his life. The B-flat SYM
phony of Beethoven in some respects
resembles it, but the absolute truth, the
extraordinary spring, is wanting even
there. The beautiful composition was
given in a manner worthy of Nikisch
and his wonderful orchestra. Again
the house resounded in praise of the tai
ented Bostonians, and the best concert