Prague Concert Life, 1850-1881

Event title:

Benefit concert in aid of free meals for poor Prague law students

Venue: Žofín Island (Žofín Hall)

Event type: Art music culture

Date: 03/03/1861 12noon

Season: Lent

Beneficiary: Society for the Provision of free meals for Poor Law Students

Programme comprising:

General participants:
  • Estates Theatre orchestra: participating orchestra
  • TAUWITZ, Eduard: director of ensemble

Part 1:

CHERUBINI, Luigi : Overture to opera Les deux Journées
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus : aria unspecified, from opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail, v, orch, K384
     • Nachbauer, Franz Ignaz : v
BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van : aria Komm, Hoffnung from act 1 of opera Fidelio, v, orch, op.72
     • Bělská, Louisa : v
arr. Liszt, Franz: R. Schumann: Liebeslied (Widmung) from song cycle Myrthen , arr. pf
     • Friedlandová, E. : pf
2 unspecified Czech folksongs, v
     • Nachbauer, Franz Ignaz : v
Czech folksong Když jsem šel po Praze (When I went after Prague), v
     • Nachbauer, Franz Ignaz : v
DREYSCHOCK, Alexander : unspecified Romanze for piano, pf
     • Friedlandová, E. : pf
CHOPIN, Fryderyck Franciszek : Berceuse, pf, D-flat major, op.57
     • Friedlandová, E. : pf
TOMÁŠEK, Václav Jan Křtitel : song Slavíček Nightingale no.1 from 6 songs, v, pf, op.71/1
     • Bělská, Louisa : v
JÍROVEC, Vojtěch : song Země česká (Czech land), v, pf
     • Bělská, Louisa : v
Czech folksong Ach není tu (Ach, it is not here), v
     • Bělská, Louisa : v

Part 2:

BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van : Symphony, orch, nr.4, B-flat major, op.60

Commentary:

Prager Morgenpost 27/2/1861 published detailed advance news of this concert, given for the fund for lunches for law students, whose patron was identified as ‘His Excellency the Cardinal and Archbishop Friedrich Prince von Schwarzenberg.’ The source specified the event date, time, venue, and listed the programme in performance order. Details of the programme and of the event had appeared the previous day in Národní listy.

A review, signed ‘!!’, was published by Prager Zeitung 6/3/1861. This noted that this concert provided a ‘festive and worthy’ opening to the benefit concerts of the year’s Lenten season. The correspondent enthused about the singing of Mrs Bělská, who it was noted had previously impressed during her performances in the concert hall but had hitherto not often chosen works adequately befitting her artistry. Her performance of the aria of Leonore from Fidelio and of two Czech folksongs inspired vociferous applause
, which did not cease until the artiste performed an encore of Ach není tu není [Ach, it is not here, it is not]. Miss Friedland’s appearance in the concert hall as a pianist was noted to have been ‘a new, likewise [of Bělská’s inspiring performance] interesting phenomenon... [performing these three difficult pieces] with elegance, skill and an artistic awareness.’ The young pianist received ‘universal applause.’ Mr Nachbauer gave a ‘noble’ performance of an aria from Mozart’s „Belmont und Konstanze and of three Czech folksongs, of which the last, namely the teasing Když jsem šel po Praze caused a great furore, when the naïve original text was sung... The second half of the concert comprised Beethoven’s powerful „Vierte [Fourth], performed with precision by the [Estates] Theatre orchestra under the direction of Mr Tauwitz. The unfriendly weather caused the attendance of the concert to be poor.’ 


Summary of sources:

Národní listy (20/02/1861)
Národní listy (26/02/1861)
Prager Morgenpost (27/02/1861)
Prager Zeitung (06/03/1861)