BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Sunday, May 23, 1824
Today is the big day of the repeat Akademie concert, at the large Redoutensaal at 12:30 p.m. Michael Umlauf again acts as conductor and Ignaz Schuppanzigh as concertmaster. The soloists for the Missa Solemnis and Ninth Symphony are the same as for the first concert: soprano Henriette Sontag, alto Caroline Unger, tenor Anton Haitzinger and bass Joseph Seipelt.
The program this time, according to the program, consists of:
1) Grand Overture [Consecration of the House, op.124.]
2) The new Terzet composed by Herrn L. van Beethoven, sung by Madame [Geronima] Dardanelli, and Herren [Domenico] Donzelli and [Pio] Botticelli. [Tremate, empi, tremati, op.116.]
3) Grand Hymn, sung by Dlles. Sontag, Unger, Herren Haizinger, Seipelt and full chorus [the Kyrie from the Missa Solemnis, op.123.]
4) Aria: Di tanti palpiti [from Rossini’s opera Tancredi] sung by Herr [Giovanni] David [in falsetto].
5) Grand Symphony with a Finale including solo and choral voices, on Schiller’s Lied, an die Freude. [The Ninth Symphony, op.125.]
The following playlist reconstructs the concert program:
1) Consecration of the House Overture, Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado
2) Tremate, empi, tremate, Timo Jouko Hermann conducting the Heidelberg Symphony, with soloists Diana Tomsche, Joshua Whitener and Kai Preußker
3) Kyrie, Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Royal Concertgebouw
4) Di tanti palpti, sung by Carlo Vistoli (who, like Giovanni David, sings the piece falsetto, but the recording in the playlist includes the preceding recitative; for just Di tanti palpiti, use the following link):
https://youtu.be/utx340Twy78?si=YWsCEKMehjzPyzvN&t=280
5) Ninth Symphony, Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Very little is known about the concert, and what is known is for the most part based on biographer Anton Schindler’s account, which is highly untrustworthy. It does appear correct that the large hall was less than half full, which had to be a major disappointment to Beethoven. Nephew Karl’s estimate in late June is that only about 800 people showed up in the ballroom that could hold several thousand. As editor Theodore Albrecht points out, Schindler places the blame for the poor attendance as “for the bright sun had lured the music lovers out of doors.” But the weather report in the Wiener Zeitung Nr.120 of May 25 at 507 notes that the weather was in fact cloudy in the morning and overcast the rest of the day, with temperatures between 58 and 64 Fahrenheit.
Karl’s explanation two days later probably is more accurate: Most people were already out in the country, and of those still in Vienna, some did not come because they knew Duport, not Beethoven, would be getting the profits, and the inclusion of the Rossini aria made others indignant, while the high prices in the galleries may have frightened some potential attendees off. Furthermore, as Karl will observe in June, there had been almost no publicity for the concert, so the fact 800 showed up is actually impressive.
The Ninth Symphony seems to have come off better in the second performance than the first, and the better acoustics of the Redoutensaal no doubt helped. Karl Holz, who probably played in both performances, will note in 1825 (Conversation Book 91 at 24r) that at the first Akademie the winds dominated; in the second, the strings. As was the case with the first Akademie, we will discuss the reviews of this concert as they are issued, though they are fewer and generally shorter than for the previous one.
After the concert, Beethoven no doubt receives the congratulations of the concertgoers and he expresses his thanks to the participants. Beethoven will come to Duport’s office on Tuesday, May 25, to collect his 500 florins compensation. He, Schindler, Schuppanzigh, and Nephew Karl now adjourn to the Golden Pear near Beethoven’s apartment for dinner. There are very few entries in the conversation book for this dinner, so editor Albrecht conjectures they may have gotten a private room where they could talk loudly enough for Beethoven to understand.
Schuppanzigh makes fun of his own gluttony, saying that if he were locked in a room with nothing but artificial food made of wax for two or three days, he would give way to despair.
Schindler writes an explanation, probably not wanting anyone to overhear since it is critical of government officials, of what the story was behind the payment to the Magistrate’s Councillor the other day. He wanted (apparently as a bribe) one-fifth of Beethoven’s income from the concert. Duport was going to pay the 100 florins himself so it wouldn’t come out of Beethoven’s share. Schindler says he was able to negotiate the charge down to 25 florins C.M., but Duport had to pay it immediately. Schuppanzigh backs that up; the Magistrate’s Councillor is an arch-lout and Schuppanzigh similarly had to pay 15 florins C.M. for his concert in the Augarten on the first of May.
While the nobility generally did not attend the concert today, Schindler mentions that Archduke Karl’s wife Henriette (1797-1829) did attend. High Chamberlain Trautmannsdorf was also there and stayed until the last note.
This appears to be Schindler’s last legitimate entry in the conversation books until Beethoven is on his deathbed. Schindler then reappears like a vulture in the dying composer’s final weeks. But the rupture between them does not occur until tomorrow evening, and it will be discussed then.
Conversation Book 69, 5r-5v.