• Estates Theatre orchestra: participating orchestra, orch

This event was first announced in the Czech periodical Dalibor on 10/2/1860, in a report which noted that ‘This year’s concert in aid of the Academic Readers Society certainly will be one of the most interesting. We shall hear the Overture to the opera „Život za Cára“ [A Life for the Tsar] by the brilliant M. Glinka; the Overture to the tragedy „Alexej“ by L. Procházka, a chorus „26. lipna [Dne 26. srpna]“ [26th August] by Slavík, a Czech chorus by Vil. Blodek, then solo pieces performed by F. Pivoda, the talented pianist Božena Svobodová, and the excellent violin virtuoso Rosa d’Or.’ Although the particular works specified were performed in the concert none of the listed participants was to take part. The absence of d’Or was explained by a notice appearing in Dalibor 10/3/1860 relating that she had been taken seriously ill while on a journey to Brunswick.

Each of the four main German Prague daily newspapers published news on 9/3/1860 of this concert, specifying the date, venue, beneficiary of the event, and that the programme would be very interesting on account of its containing many works being given for the first time. Prager Zeitung also relayed summary details of the programme, reporting that Miss Tiefensee was to perform Russian, Polish and Czech songs, Miss Kollár pieces for the piano, Mr Strakatý a song composed in the last year by the late Krow [Krov],and Mr Unger his own new composition for ‘viola d’amour [d’amore]’ There would also be given two new Overtures by Glinka and Procházka and two male-voice choruses by Blodek and Slavík. Prager Morgenpost 9/3/1860 specified the soloists participating in the performance, after which the report related that tickets for admission could be obtained from the music shops of Mr Hoffmann, Christoph and Kuhé, and from the box office. The same information about ticket sales was published in the text appearing in Der Tagesbote.

On the day of the concert a listing of the event appeared in the Tageskalender of Bohemia. Prager Morgenpost 10/10/1860 was the only source to publish a comprehensive pre-concert listing of the actual programme. From the subsequent review published by Dalibor 20/3/1860, which described the concert in performance order, details of this Morgenpost programme did however alter. Strakatý was originally to have appeared in fourth place on the advertised programme, and Miss Tiefensee was to have sung folksongs in the second half of the concert.

Dalibor 10/3/1860 had reported that Krov’s song Porodila mne moje matička [My dear mother bore me] to be performed in this concert had been written especially for the veteran Czech bass Karel Strakatý, and was to be given with orchestral accompaniment. The review published by Dalibor 20/3/1860 included no mention of the song having an orchestral setting. However, the review of the concert by Prager Morgenpost 11/3/1860 made clear that it was performed with orchestra. Neither the orchestra participating in the concert nor the male-voice choir was identified by any of the periodical reports. The ensemble appearing in the annual benefit concerts for the Academic Readers Society in past years was that of the Estates Theatre. Conducting on this particular occasion was František Škroup, who early in 1860 had taken over as director of the Žofín Academy. In February 1860 Škroup advertised for instrumentalists (string players) to join the hitherto song and piano-based Academy and this may have reflected in whole or part upon the composition of the ensemble on this occasion.

The detailed Dalibor 20/3/1860 review of this concert was not published in the Feuilleton pages of the journal, but unusually appeared as a separate article, signed ‘(?)’, within the main body of that issue of the periodical. The event was evidently considered to be a highlight of the concert season and of particular interest to Czech society. Its popularity was considerable, with the Dalibor critic remarking that by 4pm the Hall on Žofín Island was so full that that ‘many people had to return home.’ All the music was noted to have been enthusiastically received by the audience, excepting the Overture ‘to the Russian national opera „Život za Cára“’ [A Life for the Tsar] by Glinka. The poor reception of this work puzzled the correspondent; the Overture ‘so intelligently contrived and so cleverly constructed and so beautifully orchestrated was received indifferently. Why? We really do not know. Was it perhaps that the audience did not warm to the simple yet to heart speaking themes? Or perhaps it did not comprehend the Slavonic spirit of the master? We do not want to judge, but still it is certain that the listeners did not appreciate the value of this piece. After that however the excellent singer Miss Karolina z Tiefensee enlivened the public with her performance of the Czech folksongs „Měla jsem holoubka“ and „Osiřelo dítě“, as well as of gloomy Russian and alluring Polish songs. She sang so expressively and so outstandingly, that she was [curtain-]called many times. The honour moved the celebrated singer to perform „Češka“ by Fr. Škroup, in which after each strophe, after the resolute declamation of the words „Čech musí být a vlastenec“ [He must be a Czech and patriot] the Hall shook with tumultuous applause. The applause and calling of „Excellent! Bravissima!“ was without end. Next Mr Unger performed [his] Fantasie for viola d’amore with harp accompaniment. The lovesick and longing as well as sweet and melting sounds of this melodious instrument would certainly have particular effect if it was granted to us to hear them in a small room; however even despite the cavernous surroundings the playing of Mr Unger entertained the audience. Wistfully, even painfully, the excellent chorus „Dne 26. srpna“ moved us, in which the poet V. Šmilovský sings in poignant words of the death of heroic King Přemysl Ottokar II, who on 26th August 1278 on a field in Moravia fell in battle. Ah, who could not be deeply sorrowed by the mournful sighs of the sounds of Slavík’s trombone accompaniment?... Mr Slavílk, pupil of Mr Z. Kolešovský, proved in this composition to be a greatly talented composer who prospers more and more every year. The part writing is skillful and ingenious, the setting of the tragic text with completely appropriate music, and he successfully vanquishes the monotonous. Not less well-liked was the exhuberant chorus by Vilém Blodek, who using a text brimming with merriment by J. Picek worked a chorus in the style of Jelen and roused the audience to tumultuous applause. A very interesting novelty for us was the overture (F minor) to the tragedy „Alexej“ by Lud. Procházka. The talented composer soundly interpreted the essence of this tragedy, he depicted with fitting themes the great moments of this dramatic poem and worked his composition in an imaginative style and furnished it with voluptuous and at times characteristic orchestration. Although this overture in rhythm is reminiscent of Beethoven’s to Egmont, we still do not hold it against the composer, that he clings to the classical Beethoven; for who did not follow in their first works pre-eminent models? Mozart in his quartets followed Haydn; Beethoven in his symphonies Mozart, and so with all ‘výtečníkům’ [excellent practitioners] spring to mind excellent models. Mr L. Procházka’s compoition is certainly a successful and meritorious work, and we cherish the hope that in a short time we will number this artist among the front rank of Czech composers. We must also laudably mention the piano playing of Miss Aug. Kolárova, who performed a Nocturne by Chopin, a Rhapsody of her teacher Mr F. Smetana, and the Invitation à la Polka by Dreyschock with great clarity, ability and with ample strength, and showed particular flexibility of touch. The audience showed great enthusiasm when the nestor of Czech song, Mr Karel Strakatý, began to sing „Porodila mne moje matička [My dear mother bore me]” by J.T. Krov, composer of the so-called Hussite song [undoubtedly referring to his song Těšme se blahou nadějí which for much of the nineteenth century was often mistakenly deemed to be of Hussite origin]. Who would not be moved by the beautiful melody with the words: „My dear mother bore me, Bore me on a beautiful Spring day, Bore me in the green orchard, Bore me among the roses, Among the roses fully blooming!“ How sweetly resonate these simple words, streaming from the heart of the loving mother! How deliciously the words with the charming music touch us: „If I would know, my baby, That you will be a true, real Czech, I would swaddle you with roses, You with roses sweetly fragrant!” And how it shocked the audience the unexpected reprise with the terrible words: „If I would know, little baby, That You will be a false, perfidious Czech, I would wrap you with a cruel rug, In a cruel rug woven with thorns!“ Oh if only each devoted Czech mother, to whom the late Krov dedicated his song, would in reality heed these words! Certainly our land would abound with prosperity!’ The review then quickly drew to a close, noting that ‘Mr Strakatý on general demand had to repeat the song, which is published in Prague by Christoph and Kuhé, and the concert came to a very splendid conclusion. Thanks, yes sincere thanks to the Academic Readers Society for these spirited delicacies!’

The première of Jan Ludevít Procházka’s Overture to Hálek’s tragedy Carevič Aleksej [Procházka on his manuscript of the work titled the Overture simply Alexej] probably constituted the most interesting and notable highlight of this concert. Although the piece was certainly written with a definite practical association with the play in mind [Der Tagesbote 6/3/1860 recorded that Hálek’s work was due to be given on Sunday, 11/3/1860], in form and aesthetic content Procházka’s composition explores more ambitious ground than that expected of a simple dramatic prelude or conventional concert overture. This was the second of two large-scale quasi-programmatic orchestral works that he composed during the late 1850s which were remarkably ambitious in their stylistic conception. They are to all intents symphonic poems of very specific programmatic content and obviously drawing upon Liszt’s pioneering works in the genre. Both Alexej and, to a much greater extent, his slightly earlier Alfred Symfonie bristle with elements of neo-romantic influence, employing techniques of thematic transformation and an adventurous although often crude exploitation of chromatic melodic and harmonic writing for stringent expressive effect. Both works, contemporary with Procházka’s friend Bedřich Smetana’s early symphonic poems Richard III and Valdštýnův tábor [Wallenstein’s camp], rank among the earliest examples of orchestral writing by a Czech composer to positively embrace and utilize such progressive idiom.

The appearance of the viola d’amore in this concert, and in later productions on 12/3/1860 and 13/2/1864, presents a fascinating indication of contemporary Czech knowledge of this, elsewhere in Europe usually outmoded, instrument. Its continued survival and use through the nineteenth century signals the source of the interest in the instrument shown by later indigenous composers, such as Leoš Janáček.

The programme of this concert is given in performance order according to the Dalibor 20/3/1860 review correlated with information from the other specified sources