New-York tribune., 1900-01-15
SUNDAY NIGHT MUSIC.

Last nights concert at the Metropolitan Opera
House was in several respects the most interesting
and delightful Of any given by Mr.. Grau this
son. Its serious elements were worthy Of the
loftiest occasion and there enough that
popular, in the careless sense, 10 please the ord
seeker after Sunday night amusement. The
orchestral numbers admirably chosen, and
Nine. Sembrich. in what she sang and the manner
in which she sang 1t. gave lesson IN singing
which every teacher and student in New-york
ought to have heard. She cut loose from her
old list Of airs and sang for her set pieces
a lovely old aria, with violin obblgato. from
Mozarts I'll re Pastore' and the scene With two
flutes concertante from Meyerbeer's "LEtoie du
Nord'-the scene which operate literature owes TO
the fact that Frederick the Great played the flute
and after he was dead was transmogrihed into an
operate hero by a constituencies Hbrettist-
Il Etoile du Nord' was originally "Das Feldlager
in Schlesien''-''The Camp in Silesia." Nine Sem
hrich is fascinating in the music Of Rossni, Don-
zetti and the early Verdi, but as a singer OF Mo-
zarts music she is than fascinating, more than
lovely, more than Charming-she is a very paragon
of a species Of excellence whose every manifesto
ton is liberal education in music. How the pretty
fripperies OF Meyerbeers scena dwindled
into inslgnifcance when brought into COM
parisOn with the sublime cantabile singing in the
Mozart aria and the air which she gave on the
first demand for more-Buononcufs Per la
Gloria!' There beauty OF the highest kind,
beauty which fell into the Of the eager listen
like a benson She supplemented the Meyer
beer music with "Aht giunge," from La
5onnambula," and this, since there no likeli-
hood OF cessation of the applause, with Brahms's
''Vergebliches Standchen."
Herr Bertram and Herr DippeI likewise con-
tributed dgnifed features to the programme by
singing each a group of songs - a large air
Herr Bertrams choice ''Wo berg ich mich" ="
from Weber's 'Euryanthe. and Herr DippeIs the
romance with vioI d'amOur obbligato, from LES
HugusnOts; recalled. the latter added. ''Di quelIa
pira,' from I'll Trovatore."
Two features remain to be mentioned one with
warmest praise and with dispraIse qualified
only by consideration for the inexperience of the
singer. Mr.. Friedheim played Liszts pianoforte
concerto in fat, and played It beautifully
though his old admirers must have been amazed to
hear how the impetuous and sonorous player of yore
had learned TO roar gently any sucking dove.
Perhaps it out Of consideration for his nstru-
ment. but whatever the reason the effect as
pleasing it unexpected. The music was
given with an amount of brilIancy and poetry not
often associated with 1t in the popular mind At
terward he played Liszt's sixth Hungarian Rhap-
sody with a dash and finish that were truly
marvellous. The singer who compeIs a change in
the tone Of this review was Miss Broadfoot Of the
opera company, who. TO judge by her selections
20 mio Fernando" and, the inevitable recall.
'Iiete signore," from Les Huguenots'-loOks
upon her voice contralto. Pursuit in this direc-
ton, fear, will work but injury to her voice,
which is not contrato in quality in any register.
But II would be wiser for her study than to
sing in public for time, for she is both crude
and immature