Roberts' Opera House (November 5, 1878)

Carreño appeared at Roberts' Opera House with August Wilhelmj (violinist) in a concert directed under Maurice Strakosch. Miss Kate L. James (soprano) and Miss Maud Morgan (harpist) were also on the program. Carreño performed an unidentified piano sonata (Beethoven, Ludwig van), Illustrations du Prophète, S.414 (Liszt, Franz), unidentified piece (Gottschalk, Louis M.), unidentified nocturne and valse (Chopin, Fryderyk).

General admission tickets were priced at $0.50, gallery seats were $0.35, reserved seats were priced at $0.75 and $1.00. According to the Roberts' Opera House ledger book, ticket sales from this concert totaled $375.

Advertisement: Hartford Daily Courant, 5 November 1878, 1.

Review: Hartford Daily Courant, 6 November 1878, 3.

Ledger Book: Roberts’ Opera House records, 1871-1886, MSS 26034. Connecticut Historical Society.  

Please note that this image may not be published without written permission from the Connecticut Historical Society.

Hartford Daily Courant, November 5, 1878.

Roberts Opera House—Great Musical Event! Tuesday Evening, Nov. 5, 1878, First and only appearance in Hartford of Herr August Wilhelmj, The Greatest Living Violinist, assisted by Mme. Theresa Carreno, the Eminent Pianist. Miss Kate L. James, the Charming Young Prima Donna. Miss Maud Morgan, the Talented Harpist. Mr. Maurice Strakosch, Musical Director. General admission, 50c; Gallery, 35c; Reserved Seats, 75c. and $1.00. Sale of seats commences Monday morning, at the Box Office.

Hartford Daily Courant, November 6, 1878.

The Wilhelmj Concert. The writer asked an enthusiast over Wilhelmj and the best musical critic in New York, recently, in what Wilhelmj's greatness consisted: "In everything," was the reply. And that was the verdict last evening. The man is like his playing, and such marvelous playing comes naturally from the dignified, graceful person, with the head of Beethoven, who stood before the audience last night. It is useless to make any comparisons, or indulge in the technicalities of criticism. The performer is so easily the great modern master of the violin that very little is left to be said...

To those who had not heard Mme. Theresa Carreno in New York, her performance was a great surprise. Beethoven is seldom better rendered in the concert room than the sonata first played. The execution was excellent, and there was observed a beautiful balance between the expression of the idea and the necessary technique. Her execution was perhaps best exhibited in the airs from the Prophet arranged by Liszt. On an encore she gave us one of the airy nothings of Gottschalk, but it was done with rare grace. The nocturne and valse of Chopin showed the exquisite delicacy of her touch and her fine sensibility. Madame Carreno showed ability of another sort in her accompaniment of Wilhelmj. She had all the evening double duty, but she seemed to be unwearied, and played her last selection with the precision and charm of the first. At this late hour we can indulge in no extended comments. Probably every one in the house longed to hear Wilhelmj with the background of a fine orchestra. We should like to say something, if it would do any good, about the ill-breeding and senselessness with which Hartford audiences are apt to insist upon encores, with often little discrimination. But last night the indiscriminate calls seemed to come not from music lovers, but from some foolish young men.