1907

19 April 1907

Sanna April 19, 2020 1 Comment

The only concert tonight is a popular concert of the Mozart-Saal Orchestra. The program is all Beethoven: Overture to the Creatures of Prometheus, the third Leonore Overture, and the complete music to Goethe’s Egmont. The Philharmonic did the Egmont music on a popular concert just two days ago! I wonder what is going on. (The Mozart-Saal Orchestra is in its last days–it will not return for the fall season.) Some short items of musical news…

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1907

18 April 1907

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Mignon by Ambroise Thomas is getting its 250th performance tonight at the Königliche Oper. Its premiere in Berlin was on 10 December 1868, and its popularity has only grown since then. I was surprised to see it was even in the repertoire, but it didn’t take much research for it to become evident that this opéra comique was popular everywhere for a long time. The Germans usually object to adaptations of Goethe, but apparently the…

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1907

17 April 1907

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The violinist Florizel von Reuter is giving yet another concert, with the pianist Arthur Newstead and the Mozart-Saal Orchestra, conducted by Paul Prill. (In researching what became of this child prodigy, I came upon a book he wrote about his experiences communicating through a medium with the spirit world, specifically with the spirit of Paganini. The book is endorsed by Arthur Conan Doyle, who was also a spiritualist. See below.) The Philharmonic has another Beethoven…

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1907 Cultural Context

16 April 1907

Sanna April 16, 2020 2 Comments

The alto Iduna Walter-Choinanus is so well-known there is hardly anything left to say about her, a critic writes (and I can’t find anything about her!). She is singing the Brahms lieder with viola obligato (played by Fridolin Klingler of the Klingler Quartet). The pianist is Cornelia Rider-Possart, who will be playing “Carnaval Mignon” by Schütt. The alto Helene Martini is also giving a Liederabend with some unfamiliar names on the program: Strattner, Johann Wolfgang…

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1907

15 April 1907

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The Königliche Oper’s production of Salome is being performed tonight. The Paris premiere of the opera next month will also have Emmy Destinn in the title role and Strauss as the conductor. The Komische Oper has already departed for London, where they will give a run of Hoffmanns Erzählungen. Arthur Abell had some final gossip about the Monte Carlo Opera visit and the Kaiser’s continuing distaste for Salome: Emperor William gave a lunch at his…

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1907 Programming

14 April 1907

Sanna April 14, 2020 No Comments

The end of the season is in sight. The number of concerts is dropping: it looks like mostly voice recitals this week. There are a few high-profile concerts coming up before May, but just a few. I still don’t understand this feast-or-famine approach. Why can’t the concerts be spread out more over the year? The Berlin concert season of October through April is referred to as the winter season; perhaps prolonging it would be like…

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1907

13 April 1907

Sanna April 13, 2020 No Comments

The Monte Carlo Opera Company’s final evening is made up of the first act of Samson und Dalila, the third act of Hérodiade, and the second act of Barbier de Siviglia. The respective composers of the first two selections, Saint-Saëns and Massenet, will be present. There is an interesting review of the Lortzing Theater’s Fidelio in today’s Tageblatt. The relatively new theater’s decision to attempt a serious opera is surprising and bold. But “the singers…

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