Edinburgh Orchestral Festival: Reid Concert 1891

Date: 
Friday, February 13, 1891
Time: 
7.45 pm
Season/No: 
1891, Fifty-first year

Venue:

Participant(s): 

Principal Artistes

Madame Lillian Nordica - soprano
(Madame Neruda (Lady Hallé) - violiniste) [on the day of the performance Lady Hallé was indisposed - see Notes]
Herr Willy Hess - violin
Sir Charles Hallé - conductor and pianist

Work(s) / Composer(s) / Opus No(s): 

Part I

Introduction, pastorale, minuet and march ... General Reid

Overture, "Anacreon," ... Cherubini

Recit., and Air  "Don Giovanni," ... Mozart
  "In quali eccessi, o Numi,"   "Mi tradi quell' alma ingrata ..."
  Mdme Nordica

Violin Concerto, op. 46 ... Mendelssohn
  Lady Hallé and orchestra

Symphony No.2 in D op. 36 ... Beethoven
  (first heard in Scotland at the Reid Concert of 1875)

Interval

Part II

Overture, "Nachklänge von Ossian," ... Gade

Aria, "Dich, theure Halle, gruss' ich wieder"  (Tannhauser, Act II) ... Wagner
  Madame Nordica

Pianoforte solos,  (a)  Barcarole in F sharp, op. 60  (b) Grand Valse (vivace) in A flat, op. 42 ... Chopin
  Sir Charles Hallé

Nos. 1,4 and 5 from Orchestral Suite, in Olden style, op. 27 ... Oakeley
  Pastorale, Andante 
  Sarabande, Andantino
  Gavotte and Musette, Allegro

Violin solo,  Romanza in A minor ... Max Bruch
  (first time here)
  Lady Hallé

Song  "Er, der Herrlichste," ... Schumann
  Madame Nordica

Overture, "Der Freischütz" ... Weber

Composer(s):

Performer(s):

Group/Ensemble: 
The Hallé Orchestra

Performance Type:

Programme: 
20 page booklet
Programme Notes: 

Programme note on the Gade mentioned the news from Copenhagen of the sudden death of Niels Wilhelm Gade.    First section of the programme note is in the form of a biography, abridged from the 'Musical Times' of January.

Programme notes by H.S.O.

[Reid] Professor: 
Oakeley, Sir Herbert Stanley, 1830-1903

Promoter:

Printer(s): 
Robert Home and Son, Edinburgh
Notes: 

The Reid Festival in 1891 comprised two concerts, on the Friday evening and the Saturday afternoon.

"The Times," in its review of the 1891 Reid Festival recorded that:
"Extreme regret was caused by the absence, owing to serious illness of Lady Hallé, but the music selected by her was admirably played by the leader of the orchestra, Herr Willy Hess, who was enthusiastically recalled after each of his solos."
"Independently of their musical interest these two occasions are likely to be specially remembered as being the last of the 72 orchestral festival concerts given by the present Professor of Music, whose ill-health last year compelled him to send in his resignation of the Chair of Music, and whose retirement takes place in three months time.  The performances will also be memorable as the last by Sir Charles Hallé's band in connexion with the Reid concerts, which have so greatly aided musical taste in Edinburgh."

Programme includes a list of works performed at seventy-two orchestral festival concerts during the incumbency of the present Professor of Music, 1865-1891.  There is also a list of instrumental soloists and vocalists engaged.  Conductors have been Signor Arditi, Herr, A Manns and Sir Charles Hallé.

................................................

Due to Professor Oakeley's illness the organisation of this 1891 Reid Festival was overseen by Dr John Grieg, who also covered some of Oakeley's classes in the academic year 1890-91.