• BRENNER, Johanna: soloist, v

Tagesbote aus Böhmen 3/4/1857 reported: ‘Miss Brenner intends to give a farewell concert on Saturday 18th April in the Žofín Island Hall.’ Further news of this event appeared in Tagesbote fur Böhmen 17/4/1857, which noted that ‘Miss Brenner gives on Saturday 18th April in the Konvikt Hall her Farewell Concert...’. Evidently the venue for this event had been changed. This same issue of Tagesbote aus Böhmen also published, as a separate news item, the programme for this concert: ‘Programme of the Farewell Concert of Miss Brenner: 1. Meeresfahrt, poem, set to music for soprano, alto, violin and piano accompaniment, by Count von Adelburg – performed by Miss Günther, with the composer Adelburg and the Concert-giver. 2. Beriot-Walzer, sung by the Concert-giver. 3. Sonambula-Fantasie [La sonnambula] for violin by Lipinzki, performed by Mr Count von Adelburg. 4 2 Duets for soprano and alto by Mendelssohn and H.V. Veit, performed by Miss Günther and the Concert-giver. – 5. Closing aria from Sonambula by Bellini, sung by the Concert-giver. 6. Colibri, Pece [Piéce] de Salon, Polka de Concert, composed for piano and performed by Mr Roskoschny [Rozkošný]. – 7. Bravura-Variations by Proch – performed by the Concert-giver. – 8. Das letzte Lied, song by F. M.; Bohemian folksong, performed by the Concert-giver.’

The German-language Prague newspaper Bohemia 16/4/1857 reported that ‘The Farewell Concert of Miss Brenner takes place the day after tomorrow at 4.30pm in the Konvikt Hall.’

A review, signed ‘-h.’, of this concert was published by Tagesbote aus Böhmen 19/4/1857. The correspondent reported: ‘Miss Brenner gave yesterday afternoon a not-well attended yet – from the enthusiasm of the audience – brilliant concert. The beautiful voice and graceful singing style of the young lady had a greater effect than ever did on the stage, if only because the frequent and marked rhythmic licences this time did not meet with the opposition that they always find with an [inflexible] orchestral accompaniment, but on this occasion had an engaging and flexible piano accompaniment. Miss Brenner sang the Beriot [Waltz on the] closing lament from Liebestrank [L’elisir d’amore], two arias from the last act of Nachtwandlerin [La sonnambula], the Bravourvariationen by Proch, a Lied by Michl and the Melodie of the Czech folksong „Ach není“ with an occasional text, and answered the unusually warm farewell calls and bouquet-giving through the thoughtful encore of Proksch’s „Vergissmeinnicht“ [Forget-me-not]. With Miss Günther the concert-giver sang as the opening number a „Barcarole“ for soprano, alto and violin solo, written and composed by Count von Adelburg. From the broad construction and the changes of mood of the poem, the composition was more akin to a „Scene“. In the poem, the progression is from slight lovesong to a tempest, and from this to an elevated spirituality; the choice in the music of a two-part form with the combination of violin-obbligaro does not therefore seem to be motivated from within, yet the composition still has melody and character. Mr von Adelburg himself took the violin part, and also played a Lipinski „Sonambula-Fantasie“ with great bravura and apparent sympathy for the eccentricities of the composition. Miss Günther sang a Lied by Fuchs and one by Fesca, and Mr Rozkoschny played very tastefully a very prettily conceived character piece „Colibri“ and a Polka of his own composition, to great applause.’