The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-06

! delicately reticent accompaniment, and
consented at last, to repeat the closing
bars Of the heroine's protest.
For the Schumann 'NuSSbaum song
the prima donna did not obtain the re-
| ward she secured last year, when this
| love ditty proved most acceptable of her
| numbers. In the old-time Lass with the
! Delicate Air. superior singing did not
conceal the fact that many foreigners
mastery of ''all the languages" includes
English by courtesy only More satisfac-
tory was the "Serenade' by Richard
Strauss. The concordant piano accom-
paniment in the hands Of Mr.. Oberhoffer
illustrated how willingly a, good musician
chooses the em1nence of self-suppression.
! 1t was in her last number, a waltz aria
the Voices Of Spring by Johann Strauss,
that Madame Sembrich not only added a
few of the welcome f1ourishes. but mani
tested, in fresh. delicate gaiety. the CO.
| quettish spirit that marks her as essen
| TALLY a prna soubrette, tho a grand SOU
brette indeed
| The new Symphony orchestra is both
unfortunate and fortunate in it's strings.
Numbering but little more than half the
orchestra, they might proftaby be in
creased by fifteen players at least. Some
times. in tutti passages, especially in the
| William Tell overture, all the care of
Conductor Oberhoffer could not prevent
an overwhelming of the strings altho he
had reinforced them by bringing the
violin For the brasses, with their four
French horns, bass tuba and three from
bones, and the woodwinds, including an
English horn and a bass clarinet, had
much superfluous strength to restrain. On
the other hand, the violins. under such a
concertmeister as Frank DAM, Jr., who
has fine stability, are proud array of high
grade soloists, who were able by sheer
ability to supplement the directors eau
ton and to maintain the influence of their
class.
In the brass and wood an occasional 1ler-
vous hestancy interrupted unity. Here
some tones were not always smooth. But
defects were lost In the artistic repression.
the tasteful thoroness, which emanating
from the self-possessed conductor, gave
the orchestra an individuality auguring a
splendid future.
In the qualities named, in precision, and
in dynamic variety and consistency, the
new organization bids fair to reach high
symphonic ideals. An increase Of mem
bers is but a matter of time. There are
already several Instruments with which
few except the largest orchestras are ia
vored-a viola d'amour, for example, an
! English horn, and a harp-the last played
by the only woman member Miss Loretta
Dellone.
The ''Meistersinger'' prelude by the or
chestra did not appeal" as pastors put
it. Neither did the technical difficulties,
the transcendental melancholy of LISTS
symphonic poem, THE Preludes" Yet
everyone was charmed with the simpler
beauties of the Schubert symphony in B
, minor, thanks somewhat to it's familiar
harmonies. Mr.. Oberhoffer lifted his eye
brows like a true musician before grant
ing a repetition of the little serenade by
{ Ioszkowski Spanish melodies of Aragon
) in Cid ballet suite were as successful as
if they had not been oddly described in the
program as "characteristically French
music" And the William Tell overture
) with it's masterful cello solo by Carlo
Fisher, completed a, most favorable i'm
Z preston.
President Frederick Fayram of the Phil
harmonic club explained the drafts and
( echoes by pointing out that the auditorium
I has been only half remodelled as yet into
) an ample, attractive concert hall and that
} the work is being pushed as rapidly as
I possible to the end that Minneapolis will
{ have a large, finely appointed music hall.
H. B. Curry.
s SUZANNE ADAMS TOMORROW
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