VIENNA.

OUR winter season was abundantly rich in concerts. Bernhard Romberg, the king of violoncellists, introduced himself to the public in the Hof-Operntheater, with two concertinos, a fantasia on Norwegian mountain airs, and a humorous melodic tableau, under the title of the Masked Ball, consisting of the following subdivisions. A. Introduction. B. Inclination for a dance. Tuning. Beginning of the dance. C. Dispute among the dancers. Peace and good order are enjoined. Tender endeavours at reconciliation. D. Music in the supper-room. E. Short interruption. Promenade in the Seufzer-Allee, ‘Avenue of Sighs.’ F. Crowding to the ball-room. Galoppade. Merry conclusion. Even those who are not particularly fond of the picturesque in music, could not help being pleased with the characteristic conception of the individual component parts of this medley, their ingenious combination into a consistent whole, and lastly, with the high skill and unique talent displayed by the master; for Romberg, although advanced in years, still continues to be the same great artist as hitherto, his instrument sings as sweetly as before, he playfully dallies with the most deterring difficulties, and will probably remain unexcelled for a long time to come. Mr. M. Schmidt, trombone player to the Electoral Chapel of Hesse Cassel, has visited us for the second time, on his return from Italy, and excited not only renewed admiration by his own performance, but also by the talents of a son, who fully promises to equal his father. Mr. Joachim Hoffman has brought out a new symphony of his composition, with which the theorist will scarcely be able to find fault; but the spirit of the present day demands imagination and inventive power, and is not satisfied with a mere learned combination of cold, dry, scholastic phrases.

The concerts of Messrs. Lewy, KrÄhmer and his lady, and of Miss Salamon, were very well attended; the first-named gentleman displayed his whole skill in a divertimento with the piano, by Thalberg; in a concerted duet between bassoon and piano; and also in a vocal piece, sung by Madlle. Heinefetter, accompanied by the same instruments. This mode of accompaniment with the tinkling of a piano, and a little horn, violoncello, or bassoon ‘sauce,’ which is gaining daily more ground in all Musical Academies—these pretty sort of instrumental duos and trios, however pleasant in a room, begin to be vastly tiresome and sickening in concerts. Mr. KrÄhmer and his lady played a concertante for the oboe and clarinet, with great taste, also solo variations on the czakan. Madame K. also played a violin rondo of Kreutzer, with a masculine power of bow, and the most vigorous precision; and in Beethoven’s Adelaide, which she gave on the clarinet with the greatest tenderness and feeling, we missed nothing but the text of the poem. A Polish family of artists, of the name of Kontsky, consisting of five branches, has created a great sensation here. Eugenie is a pleasing, cultivated singer. Anton, a pupil of Field, is a fine pianist, and instructor of his younger brother Stanislaus, who is only ten years old; Carl, who wields the violin with the hand of a master, is again the teacher of his younger brother Apollinar, who, although but seven years old, already creates surprise by his performance.

The TonkÜnstler SocietÄt (Society of Musicians) has brought out a new oratorio entitled Jephtha’s Gelubde, (The Vow of Jephtha,) composed by the court organist Assmayr. The poem is somewhat homely, but the composer has done all that could reasonably be expected, and has shown himself particularly conversant with the fugue style. The individuals of the orchestra and chorus establishments of the KÄrnthnerthortheater have opened series of four subscription concerts, under the title of the KÜnstler Verein (union of artists). Among a variety of classic works of Beethoven, Mozart, C. M. von Weber, Cherubini, &c., some compositions of Mr. Lachner, their director, consisting of a symphony, a duet from his Cantata, ‘The four ages of mankind,’ together with some other works of his, were received with high approbation.

Although Vienna may justly boast of excellence in musical performances at all times, all parties nevertheless concur in opinion, that these performances excelled all previous ones, and that a composer may consider himself fortunate, if his works are seized with such deep feeling, and executed with such zeal, and a union of such masterly skill. The two movements from Beethoven’s last Mass, hitherto unknown to the public, appeared somewhat strange in their effect. The violin solo in this Mass, played by Mayseder with a rich bell-like tone, yet unembellished, raised expectations which were not realized: no one ventured an expression of censure, all was silent. This indeed was the most prudent course; and a critical judge observed very properly, ‘We hear all that this immortal master produced in the latest period of his active career, without being able to understand and relish his novel conceptions, because we have not yet arrived at the point of view from which the work is to be surveyed and judged of. We hear it for a second time, and individual passages begin to become luminous and clear; we hear it frequently, and then only we are struck with admiration and astonishment. Beethoven has made giant strides in advance of all of us: he will be better understood by a succeeding generation.’

The Concerts Spirituels were also of first-rate excellence. It would be superfluous to notice the numerous classic compositions of Mozart, Cherubini, Beethoven, C. M. von Weber, Vogler, and other great masters, which constituted the rich bills of fare; but a new Te Deum laudamus, by Tomascheck, must not be passed over in silence, although its merit can only be critically judged of when it shall have been published; it is grand and original, like every thing else produced by this great master.—Our Dance-Orpheus, Strauss, has lately launched a new set of waltzes, for the christening of which the whole of the Vienna public were invited to stand godfathers and godmothers. These waltzes were to be produced for the first time for his own benefit. Every visitor, on paying for his admission, had the privilege of giving in any title which he might like best. At the awful hour of midnight lots were drawn for the title to be adopted, and chance decreed it to be Tausend Sapperments Walzer[90], under which name the new-born child has already begun its terrestrial career.

BERLIN.

THE month of May, which was here unusually warm, presented many interesting musical occurrences. The first of these was the performance of Haydn’s ever beautiful oratorio ‘The Seasons,’ produced by our general director of music, Spontini, on the boards of the Royal Opera Theatre, with the assistance of the whole of the solo and chorus singers of that establishment, and of the whole Royal Chapel, for the benefit of the charitable musical institution bearing his name. The performance was grand and effective in the extreme, though here and there some of the Tempi were rather hurried; a crowded audience expressed their delight at the masterly manner in which this classical composition was executed.

The Royal Opera distinguished itself by the excellent performance of Ferdinand Cortez, Castle Candra, The Vestal Virgin, Alcidor, and a new opera entitled Hans Heiling; the text by Edward Devrient, the singer, and the music by Henry Marschner, Kapell Meister, who attended in person. The success of this opera was not brilliant, but certainly honourable to the composer: its value, however, stands higher in our estimation than in that of the generality of the public; the reason is, it requires in many parts a serious, deep power of conception on the part of the audience; it takes for granted a sense, and a degree of cultivation for what is noble, which the major part of the theatrical public does not possess, which expects, for the most part, to be amused with senseless vulgarity, or, as is the case with Spontini’s newest operas, to be excited by tasteless splendour and noise. Marschner’s opera is calculated for a more civilized audience, and, by the few that belong to that class, its merit is fully acknowledged.

The music is varied in point of invention, highly intellectual in faithfully expressing the import of the poetry, and admirably instrumentalised. The poem contains many situations eminently susceptible of musical expression, some borrowed from the awful realms of the romantic, others taken from the more cheerful domain of pleasure and joviality; and in both respects, the composer has satisfied the expectation of the judicious critic.

In the Vestale, Mademoiselle Stephan, whose vocal talent develops itself more and more, and who, in the short space of six months, has made a very marked progress in scientific cultivation, sang very successfully the part of Julia, in which she had the advantage of Spontini’s own instruction; although, in a dramatic point of view, greater freedom of action might have been desirable. This defect, however, will no doubt be removed by further practice and experience. The whole representation of this excellent opera was masterly, and had the most powerful effect on the audience. Mlle. Lehman, as High-priestess, Messrs. Bader and Devrient, as Licinius and Cinna, as also the choruses, ballet, and orchestra, under the spirited conduct of the composer, contributed essentially to this result.

Concerts we also had in abundance. In one of these, given for the benefit of the Friederich Stift, (Frederick’s Institution,) the two singers, Demlles. Carl and Hoffman, appeared for the first time in public since their return to their native country. Demlle. Carl, whose fame had more particularly reached us from Turin and Madrid, evinced great progress in the cultivation of a good Italian vocal method. Her sonorous voice is flexible, and particularly pleasing in the mezza voce of the higher notes, which she intonates with the greatest precision and purity. Her style of execution is particularly calculated for the compositions of Nicolini, Rossini, and Pacini, but would gain considerably by a more intense degree of feeling and expression. Demlle. Hoffman had less opportunity of displaying to advantage her mezzo soprano voice in a duetto buffo than in an aria of Donizetti: upon the whole, however, it seemed as if this vocalist, who in her style and action has adopted the lively character of the southern inhabitants of Europe, had paid leas attention to the display of her beautiful lower notes, and, on the other hand, had devoted more care and study to the developement of her higher scale. A decisive judgment, however, upon the merits of these two singers can probably only be formed after we shall have seen them on the boards in their respective dramatic walks.

On the 15th May, the anniversary of Zelter’s death, forty members of the Singing Academy, which he directed for so many years with unexampled zeal and success, sang over his grave, at six o’clock in the morning, two sacred hymns, Wen hab ich sonst, als dich allein, (Whom have I else but thee alone,) and Wie herrlich ist die neue Welt, (How beautiful is the new world,) by way of testifying their respect for his memory; on which occasion the pillars of the iron railing around his tomb were tastefully decorated with garlands of fresh flowers.

Madame Caradori Allan gave a concert in the saloon of the playhouse. ‘This singer’ (a Berlin critic states) ‘does not possess a very strong voice, but it is uncommonly clear, vibrating, and silvery, if we may use the expression, and has received a high degree of cultivation. Madame Caradori’s style is that of the purest modern school, exempt from its faults: she executed all passages gracefully, and with taste; and in individual perfections, such as trills, divisions, &c. she has attained a degree of excellence which few singers before her could boast of. These qualifications, united to a graceful exterior, totally free from the coquettrie prÉcieuse of most female singers of repute, gained this artist the applause of the public in an extraordinary degree.’

In the same concert played Mademoiselle Josephine Eder, from Vienna, a young pianist of great talent and skill.

Madame Schechner Waagen, whose absence we had to regret during the space of four years, reappeared on our boards in Gluck’s Iphigenia. Her voice does not possess the power it had six years ago, but it is quite the same as we found it in 1829, when a particular change took place in its quality, and it gained in gracefulness what it lost in point of strength. This lady has since made her appearance in the part of Fidelio: the effect, particularly in the second act, was truly overwhelming.

It is a long time since we have seen an audience wrapt in such enthusiasm.

PRAGUE.

IN Demlle. Josephine Eder, a young pianist from Vienna, whose concert was attended by a numerous and highly respectable audience, we found a youthful talent of superior order; and we have every reason to confirm the report which had preceded her, as regards the brilliant hopes for the future, which the high degree of her present cultivation is fully calculated to justify.

Demlle. Eder played a pianoforte concerto by Thalberg; and at the conclusion of the concert, variations by Franz Stadler upon a theme from the opera Die Braut, (La FiancÉe,) and showed nut only a great sureness in conquering difficult passages, which however were not too frequent in either of these compositions, but still more an ease, mellowness, precision, and expression, united to pure feeling and refined taste, which even now entitle her to a distinguished place among competitors of a more advanced age. The fact of this young lady’s coming from Vienna might almost have been inferred, by her selecting the overture from Fidelio, by Beethoven.

With us Auber, Bellini, and Lindpainter, are now the order of the day. Bernhard Romberg has again visited us, and furnished to our musical public three very agreeable evenings by his unequalled skill; a circumstance the more welcome, as our Opera, in consequence of the indisposition of Mde. Podhorsky and Mr. Drake, is in a state of utter depression, and reduced to the representation of the most miserable farces and trash.

Mr. Romberg played in his first concert a concertino for the violoncello in G minor, written in his usual pleasant and cheerful style; and at the conclusion, the Masked Ball, a humorous piece for the violoncello. In his second concert Mr. Romberg again treated us with a couple of his newest compositions, viz. a second new concertino; and at the close of the evening a fantasia upon Norwegian rural national airs, which, however attractive, do not equal his Polish and Swedish national melodies.

BRESLAU.

OUR music-director, Mr. Mosevins, whose influence on the taste of the public, and especially of the singers of our city, is universally and gratefully acknowledged, has gained a fresh claim on our thanks by the production of Handel’s oratorio of Samson, on the eve of Palm Sunday, in which the vocal solo pieces, as well as the choruses, were chiefly performed by amateurs; the execution showed a careful and zealous rehearsal, and was received with universal satisfaction. In the Passion week we had abundance of musical performances. On Ash Wednesday, Graun’s VersÖhnungslerden Christi, (the Redeeming Sufferings of Christ,) under the direction of Mr. Siegert; on Holy Thursday, Haydn’s Creation; on Good Friday, Graun’s Tod Jesu (the Death of Jesus); all these performances, however, were more or less deteriorated by the prevailing epidemic, the influenza. A variety of obligato cough accompaniments between the songs were, alas! too prevalent. Of our theatre we have but little to report. Herold’s Zampa was received with approbation. Meyerbeer’s Robert the Devil did not meet with success. Madame Piehl is, since the departure of Demlle. WÜst, our first and last singer. In the Autumn the meeting of natural philosophers to be held here is to derive additional interest by a musical festival, at which Handel’s Jephtha, and several vocal compositions of Spohr, Mozart, Hesse, and other eminent masters, are to be produced.

BREMEN.

WE have the pleasing task of reporting upon the performances of Demlle. Henriette Grabau, who, together with her brother Mr. A. Grabau, and Mr. Ullrich, (both members of the Leipzig orchestra,) delighted our musical public with two concerts. This lady’s voice has gained greatly in sureness and volume; her execution is pure and finished; she unites the Italian florid style to solid German song, so that she may be justly pronounced a classic vocalist. Mr. A. Grabau, as violoncellist, has also earned considerable applause; his endeavours to attain still higher perfection in his art will not fail to be crowned with success, for he possesses every qualification to arrive at first-rate eminence; he has a fine melodious tone, great versatility and strength of bow, and a true feeling and inspiration for the beautiful. A similar judgment may be passed on the violinist Mr. Ullrich, whose playing met with deserved approbation, and warrants the highest hopes for the future.

In conclusion, we have to mention a composition of our worthy Mr. Riem, performed by our Vocal Academy, at a country trip, which takes place every year in the fine season. It celebrates the charms of the month of May; and consists of eight parts with two quartet solo voices, so skilfully interlaced, so sweet, cheerful, and lively, that it would be impossible to imagine anything more attractive for such an occasion. It is a true lovely picture of delightful May, and excited universal interest.

KARLSRUHE.

THE Musik Verein (Musical Union), established about 1820, for the performance of sacred compositions, continues in a state of flourishing activity. Only the more ancient Italian and German compositions for the church are performed;—no operas. Among the former the pious labours of Palestrina, Durante, Bach, Handel, and Feska, are particularly attended to.

PARIS.

Don Giovanni is about to be represented at the AcadÉmie Royale de Musique with all the theatrical pomp end excellence of execution which are habitual to this theatre. Mad. Damoreau is to be the Zerlina, Madlle. Dorus Donna Anna, and Madlle. Falcon Donna Elvira; Nourrit represents Don Giovanni, Alexis Dupont Ottavio, Levasseur, Leporello, and Dabadie Mazetto.

[We are assured that the artistes who have just finished their engagements at the King’s Theatre, London, are thoroughly discouraged, and that few of them feel disposed to return another year to the capital of England. They complain of the deceptions which have for four or five years been practised on them. But these deceptions have not surprised us, for it is long since that we predicted what has at length happened. Revue Musicale.]