• BENNEWITZ, Antonín: soloist, vl

Preliminary news of this concert appeared in the German newspapers Bohemia 27/4/1859, Prager Zeitung 24/4/1859, and Prager Morgenpost 28/4/1859, the latter which listed the works to be performed in the programme and noted that a concert grand piano was being provided for the event by the music repository [‘Musikalien-Niederlage’] of  Jakob Fischer. The Tageskalender appearing in Bohemia 28/4/1859 gave details of the time and venue for this concert.

Reviews of the event appeared in the major German daily newspapers Bohemia 30/4/1859, Prager Morgenpost 2/5/1859 and Prager Zeitung 4/5/1859. The content of the programme as originally announced by Prager Morgenpost 28/4/1859 was confirmed by the various reviews, although the order in which the works were given cannot be precisely ascertained; Bohemia 30/4/1859 text related the performance order of the instrumental works but did not specify at which points Frl. Mik [Miková] performed the vocal items. The order of the programme given within this database record corellates information from the Bohemia review with the advance announcement of the programme appearing in Morgenpost.

Each of the specified German source reviews enthused about the success of the concert and the stature of Bennewitz’s performance. The other artists appearing in the event were also praised, most notably Fischer for his playing of the difficult piano part in the sonata by Rubinstein. The unsigned review published by Dalibor 1/5/1859 included a description of Antonín Benevic’s [Bennewitz] developing abilities as a violinist. ‘From year to year the young virtuoso continues so rapidly in his studies on the violin, that his success creates general astonishment.’ His tone and cantilena was praised; his staccato, spicato, flageolet and double stopping was ‘clear and clean’. He could ‘reckon himself among the best virtuosi on the violin. All the works performed by him as well as his virtuoso playing gained great applause, attention was seized especially by the sonata by Rubinstein. In this concert Miss Míková [Miková] sang the very characteristic song Der Vogelsteller of F. Vogl, as well as the humorous song by Mozart Warnung with warm feeling and with outstanding interpretation. Not less notable was the performance by Mr Goltermann with typical virtuosity ... of the concert duo [of Servais and Léonard]. The attendance was numerous and the outcome [i.e. the success of the concert] splendid.’

Warnung was the title given to the published piano version of Mozart’s uncompleted arietta for voice and orchestra ‘Männer suchen stets zu naschen’, K433. An notable description of the joint composition by Léonard and Servais appeared in the Bohemia 30/4/1859 review. This related that the piece was highly interesting in its incorporation of themes from Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata, from the Pastoral Symphony and from the ’Dythirambische aus der Siebenten’ [suggesting the Seventh Symphony, possibly the Scherzo or the Finale].