Thirty Years of Musical Life in London

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In central London, during the "seventies," the best medium for hearing good orchestral music was the Promenade Concerts at Covent Garden. These were held in August and September, under the management of Messrs. A. and S. Gatti. My old friend Signor Luigi Arditi was the conductor for the first few seasons, and he was succeeded in turn by Sir Arthur Sullivan and Mr. F.H. Cowen; while later on came a popular Welsh bandmaster, Mr. Gwyllym Crowe. Much that was interesting and instructive the shilling habitue could hear at these "Promenades"; but for me the most notable recollection associated with them is the occasion when Arditi gave the first performance in England of the "Trauermarsch" from "Götterdämmerung." The new tubas had only just arrived, and there was not much time for rehearsing. Nevertheless, it seemed to me that the wonderful excerpt was fairly well played, though I was too breathless with amazement and admiration to be able to form a cool judgment. But I do know that the audience hardly waited for the last note before it burst into frantic applause, and insisted upon having the march played a second time.

excerpt from 'Thirty Years of Musical Life in London, 1870-1900' pp. 57 (193 words)

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