[Met Concert or Gala] CID:20830



Eighteenth Grand Sunday Night Concert
Metropolitan Opera House, Sun, April 2, 1899




Eighteenth Grand Sunday Night Concert



Metropolitan Opera House
April 2, 1899

EIGHTEENTH GRAND SUNDAY NIGHT CONCERT

PAUR'S GRAND ORCHESTRA
under the direction of Herr Emil Paur


Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture

Un Ballo in Maschera: Eri tu
Giuseppe Campanari

Xaver Scharwenka: Piano Concerto in B-flat Minor: Scherzo
Moritz Rosenthal, piano

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream: Nocturne; Wedding March

Rienzi: Gerechter Gott
Ernestine Schumann-Heink

Le Cid: Ballet Music

Pagliacci: Prologue
Giuseppe Campanari

Mozart/Liszt: Reminiscences de Don Giovanni
Moritz Rosenthal, piano

Schubert: Die junge Nonne
Robert Franz?: Es hat die Rose sich beklagt
Ernestine Schumann-Heink

Goldmark: Sakuntala: Overture

Conductor...........................Emil Paur [First Appearance]

The opera company was on tour in Boston at this time and a special orchestra
was engaged for this concert.







The opera company was on tour in Boston at this time and a special orchestra
was engaged for this concert.

Review 1:

Review in The New York Times

THE OPERA HOUSE CONCERT

Eighteenth Popular Entertainment of the Season

The eighteenth popular concert of the season took place at the Metropolitan Opera House last night. The audience was one of great size and unbounded enthusiasm. In fact, if last night's concert is a criterion, there seems to be no reason why these entertainments should cease until hot weather burns them out of existence or there are no opera singers left to sing. The departure of the Grau company will not prove a serious obstacle in the way of the entertainments until they make their final exit from the country by way of the Narrows. Then, indeed, it will be impossible to bring them back to sing on Sunday nights.

Last night only two of them appeared, Signor Campanari and Mme. Schumann-Heink, but the latter has become so great a favorite with the Sunday night audiences that she is a tower of strength in herself. Associated with these two artists were Moriz Rosenthal, the famous pianist, and Emil Paur with his orchestra. This ought to be a strong enough combination to please a fastidious Sunday night audience at $1.50 for an orchestra chair, considering the fact that when Mr. Rosenthal plays in Carnegie Hall all by himself he charges $2.50 for similar accommodations. To be quite plain, last night's concert was a very cheap one, and it was as good as if it had cost the audience double the money.

Mr. Rosenthal played the scherzo of the Schwarenka concerto with his customary facility, but it is hardly worth while to play piano with orchestra in the Metropolitan. It sounds like a feeble little tinkle to all who do not sit in direct range of the instrument. Mr. Rosenthal was heard to better advantage in the second half of the programme when he played the "Don Juan" fantasia of Liszt. It is needless to say that he had to give the usual "encores." Mme. Schumann-Heink, who made her first appearance here since her recent serious illness, was in good voice and, in the exacting air of Adriano from "Rienzi," proved that she had regained full command of her vocal and dramatic delivery. She was subsequently heard in two songs by Schubert.

Signor Campanari's first number was "Eri tu," from "Ballo in Maschera." which he sang with much expression, but his best work was heard in his second number, the prologue from "Pagliacci." He, too, had to give the unfailing additional numbers. The orchestra was really a feature of the concert last night. Its numbers were the "Carnival Romain" overture of Berlioz, the nocturne and wedding march from Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Dream" music, part of the ballet music from Massenet's "Le Cid," and the overture to Sakuntala." When Mr. Paur has had more experience with Opera House audiences he will not place such gems as the Goldmark work at the end of a programme. The Berlioz overture was especially well played. Mr. Paur conducted admirably.



Search by season: 1898-99

Search by title: Eighteenth Grand Sunday Night Concert,



Met careers