• LARSEN, Sophie: soloist, pf

A report appearing in Dalibor 20/11/1860 mistakenly announced that this concert would take place on 25/11/1860 and remarked that Miss Larsen had come to Prague in order to perfect her piano playing as a pupil of the Czech virtuoso Alexander Dreyschock. The source also specified that the following works were to be performed:

R. Schumann: Quintet
A. Dreyschock: unspecified Andantino and Allegro appassionato, pf
A. Dreyschock: Rastlose Liebe, pf [op.112]
J.S. Bach: unspecified gavotte, pf
A. Dreyschock: Saltorello, pf [Saltarella, pf, op.43]
F. Mendelssohn: unspecified duo, pf
L. van Beethoven: Sonata appassionata, pf
unspecified vocal works, performed by Miss Emilie Miková and F. Fektér.

Bohemia 25/11/1860 reported that ‘[On] Wednesday in the Konvikt Hall the Pianist Sophie Larsen from Copenhagen will give a concert in which she will perform several pieces by Schumann, Beethoven, Dreyschock (his Saltarella), Sebastian Bach. Of ladies there will also be [taking part] in the concert Mrs Louise Bělsky [Bělská], Mrs Josephine Procházka-Schmidt [Josefa Schmidt-Procházková] and Miss Mik [Miková], then Messrs Goltermann, Bennewitz, Bauer and Paulus performing with the concert-giver Schumann’s Quintet in E-flat major.’ The date, venue and time of this concert were confirmed by the Tageskalender listing of the event published by Bohemia 28/11/1860.

A brief, unsigned review published by Dalibor 10/12/1860 confirmed that the concert had taken place on 28/11/1860. The correspondent related that Miss Larsen had performed compositions ‘of Dreyschock, Schumann, Bach etc. dexterously, cleanly, and with polish, and demonstrated that with further studies she will attain great virtuosity.’ The vocal works performed were not listed by either Dalibor source.

A more substantial review, signed ‘V.’, of the concert was published in Bohemia 1/12/1860. The critic noted that the programme given by the pianist and the quality of performance testified to her great viruosity and musicality, and described in detail the particular characteristics of her playing. In addition to Beethoven’s Sonata appassionata and her participation in the Quintet by Schumann, Miss Larsen was reported to have given Chopin ‘Op.26’ [whether the entire opus or only one of these Polonaises was not specified], Mendelssohn’s Rondo capricioso, an unspecified Nocturne by Field, a Gavotte by S. Bach and Dreyschock’s Saltarella. No other piano compositions were listed, suggesting that the programme either changed from that listed previously by Dalibor, or that the Czech periodical’s information was not accurate. The Bohemia review confirmed the solo vocalists and the works they performed. Evidently Mrs Bělská and Mr Fektér did not participate in the event.

A review, signed ‘!!’, was also published by Prager Zeitung 1/12/1860. The correspondent seemingly grudgingly praised the young pianist and drew attention through a pointed aside at the frequency with which piano concerts were then being given in the city: ‘The way in which the piano cult is running rampant [here] may be inferred from the fact that already in this concert season, three concerts for piano only have taken place. Scarcely had the sounds of the Seeling’sche Spiel faded [the playing of Seeling, a pianist who a few days earlier had given a concert in Prague] than, the day before yesterday in the Konvikt Hall, others were beating upon our ears. Miss Sophie Larsen, a very young pianist from Copenhagen who gave a concert in this hall, may have been more concerned with taking a measure of the opinion among the Prague public about her artistic capabilities than with dazzling through her performances. Despite her tender years, she demonstrated in her playing a considerable degree of proficiency and mastery of the instrument, plus an untiring stamina. In the pieces she performed, which were all thoroughly familiar and indeed much taken by us for our own, she had to battle with reminiscences of the stars of piano virtuosi including Drehschock, Bülow, Klara Schumann etc. But if one looks down from here, then one must regard her performance as mostly correct. It seems as though this concert was the first ever given by the young lady in public. The pianist gathered animated applause from the audience.’

The programme record is listed in the order in which the works were described by the Bohemia 1/12/1860 review, which does not necessarily constitute the order of performance. Most likely, Schumann’s Quintet would have been given as the final item.