VIENNA.
A SECOND concert has been given at the Hofoperntheater by Bernhard Romberg, which was in every respect equal to the first. The young prodigy, Apollinar Kontsky, aged seven years, has also given a concert; this precocious virtuoso, who still plays upon a small-sized violin, evinced extraordinary strength of arm and perfect fulness of tone, and particularly delighted his audience by the correct taste he displayed, and by the expression which he infused into his performances. With the genius which is already apparent in him, and the promise which his present astonishing proficiency holds out, if he persevere in the cultivation of his instrument, under the care of a really good master, there is reason to expect that he will become one of the first violin players in the world.
BERLIN.
A YOUNG singer, Mad. Schodel, from Vienna, has made her first appearance at the Königstadt theater; her voice, which is of an agreeable quality, is rather weak, particularly in the lower notes; she has, however, considerable flexibility, and she sings simple melodies with exquisite sweetness and taste; her acting, moreover, is very good. There has been no novelty at this theatre of late; the operas of Melusine and Des Adler’s Horst have been the principal attractions.
A new opera has been produced at the Königliche theater, Das Schloss Candra (Candra Castle), by Joseph Wolfram, which was rather favourably received. The music makes no pretensions to genius, at the same time the opera contains much that is very meritorious; the choruses, if not beautiful, are at least good, and the same may be said of the concerted pieces; the arias, however, are weak. The other performances have been, Alcidor, Die Stumme, and Fra Diavolo.
DRESDEN.
THE unceasing efforts of the Kapellmeister Reissiger have led to an engagement as a compensation for the temporary loss of Mad. Schroeder Devrient, whose characters will be sustained during her three months’ absence by Mad. Kraus Wranitzky; Mlle. Maschinka Schneider is also engaged for one year. The opera, however, experiences an irreparable heavy loss in the departure of Mad. Schebest, who appeared for the last time as Irma, in Der Maurer und der Schlosser (le Maçon.)
On Palm Sunday there was a grand performance of Bach’s oratorio, St. Matthew the Evangelist, at the great opera house, under the very able direction of Kapellmeister’s Morlacchi and Reissiger, in aid of the fund for the relief of the distressed widows and orphans of members of the Royal Chapel; the choruses consisted of upwards of two hundred voices, and there were ten eminent solo singers—among them, Mesdames Kraus Wranitzky and Schebest; the tenors, Babnigg and Schuster, and the bases, Risse, Wächter, and Zezi; and upwards of a hundred instruments judiciously proportioned.
FRANKFORT.
MLLE. Carl has arrived here, and has sung at a concert which, notwithstanding her fame, was but thinly attended. On the 15th April M. Kalkbrenner gave a concert and was received with enthusiasm.