• Cecilia Society: participating institution, vv, orch

News of the 1854 visit to Prague of the singer Steger [Stéger] was published as early as March by the newspaper Bohemia 12/3/1854. This noted that the singer would come to Prague to give a concert to benefit the Children’s Hospital of St Lazarus. He would apparenly travel to the city on 9th May, give the concert on 10th and depart on 11th for an engagement in Frankfurt am Main. In the event the concert took place on 11/5/1854.

Mercy’s Anzeiger 4/5/1854 published news that ‘In the concert that the Royal Court Opera singer Mr Stéger gives on 11th May at 5pm in the Žofín Hall, Miss Meyer, Schmidt [Schmidtová], the violinist Mr Wiener and the Cecilia Society will participate.’

Der Tagesbote 4/5/1854 reported that ‘The Court opera singer Mr Stéger gives on 11th May in the Žofín Hall a concert for the benefit of the Children’s Hospital at St Lazarus, in which Miss Mayer [Meyer], Miss Schmidt [Schmidtová], Mr Wiener and the Cecilia Society will also participate.’ The correspondent noted that hopes had faded of the concert ‘presenting an opportunity to hear the Swedish Nightingale, Jenni Lind-Goldschmidt’. The complete programme for the concert was published in an advertisement for the event appearing in Der Tagesbote 9/5/1854 and published again in Der Tagesbote 11/5/1854. This announced that the Miss Mayer [Meyer], Miss Weiß, Mr Weiner and the Cecilia Society had agreed to participate on account of the good cause of the concert. Admission tickets cost: to the circle 3fl; to a seat in the hall [Saale] 2fl; to a standing place in the hall 1fl; to the gallery 40kr. They were obtainable from various shops (mainly apothecaries), and from the venue on the day of the concert.

Mercy’s Anzeiger 7/5/1854 listed in its news section the programme and participating soloists for this concert to be given by Stéger on 11th May for the benefit of the Children’s Hospital. This issue of the newspaper also published an advertisement for the concert which listed the programme in full in performance order. The text announced too the ticket prices and the places from which they were available. The advertisment was reprinted in the newspaper on 8/5/1854.

News of this event was also published by Lumír 11/5/1854 announcing: ‘Today will be at 5pm on Žofín a concert by the Vienna Court singer Mr Stéger to benefit the Hospital for Children at St Lazarus. Beside Mr Stégr will be participating Misses Mayerová [Meyer] and Weissová, Mr Wiener and the Caecilian Society.’

An unsigned review of this event was published by Der Tagesbote 12/5/1854. The correspondent considered that the concert ‘belonged to the most brilliant of this season. The numerously assembled audience greeted the much-loved singer with unending cheers and vigorously [received] each work. We found Mr Stéger the same as before his departure [from Prague in 1853 to sing in Vienna]: the same colossal range of magnificent voice; the same incapacitating pleasure in the rank of this artist... Stéger’s singing can amaze, but one cannot adore it; one many find it extraordinary, but not beautiful.’ Also in the concert, Miss Louise Mayer ‘sang with her peculiarly stylized coquetterie two Lieder by Adolph Köckert. The Cecilia Society gave two magnificent male-voice choruses by H.W. Veith [W.H. Veit], and through precise performances of two Overtures contributed both variety and interest [to the occasion].’

A review, signed ‘z.’, of this event was published by Mercy’s Anzeiger 12/5/1854. The occasion ‘was one of the first highlights of this year’s musical benefit [concerts]. The celebrated singer, greeted by prolonged noisy applause, unfurled the compelling charm of his magnificent voice in rapturous art; he sang Schubert’s „Am Meer“ then „Doppelgänger“, following that two songs by Elise Countess Schlick „Die Bedette“, which had to be encored, then „Des Reiters Abschied“, then „Frühlingslied“ in A major [op.71 nr.2] by Mendelssohn, the splendid „Des Müden Abendlied“ by Veit, performed with a particular expressiveness, then to finish [he gave] the Andante from the Romanze from Skraup’s [Škroup] opera „Die Meergeusen [Meergeuse]“’. The correspondent ‘deplored, that we cannot hear this favourite singer on the stage, we are only able to appreciate his genius through these benefit events. Also, Mrs Meyer excelled in performing two Lieder by Röckert; she and Miss Weiß [Weißová] contributed [to the programme] Veit’s poetic duet „Zwiegesang der Elfen’ to great applause ... Mr Wiener played two movements from the Concert militair by Lipinski with great bravura. The Cecilia Society participated under the leadership of director Mr Apt with commendable zeal, performing with great precision an Overture to „Macbeth“ cast in the style of Reissiger by Oberthür, then that to „Ruy Blas“ by Mendelssohn, and then two admirable choruses by Veit. The locality was packed. The audience was very refined.’

A brief unsigned review was published on 13/5/1854 in the supplement 20 to Lumír 1854. The correspondent reported that the ‘Concert of Mr Stéger (the day before yesterday on Žofín) was almost full and the public magnificently received its former darling whose departure from Prague could have been prophesied. Yesterday he left to perform in Frankfurt n. M. [am Main].’