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MUSICAL COURIER
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February 2,
excerpts from the Wagner operas, including the prelude and “Love Death” from “Tristan.” The conductor and his orchestra were in splendid fettle and gave the familiar numbers with all the devotion, finish, and fine spirit to which this town has become accustomed of recent years in the renderings of the Philharmonic. The audiences at the two concerts were not sparing of their appreciation and applause.
New York Symphony Orchestra: Prokofieft Soloist
The principal item in the program of the New York Symphony Orchestra, Albert Coates conductor, at Carnegie Hall Thursday afternoon, January 26 (repeated on Friday evening), was the new concerto for piano—the third, in C major—by Serge Prokofieff, with the piano part played by the composer. This concerto, although begun in 1918, was only finished in October, 1921, and had been played but once before by the composer, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, on December 16, 1921. It is as a whole rather more tame than one had been led to expect by Prokofieff’s other works. The whole first movement is built up on two themes that are really good tunes—one fast and the other slow and lyric—quite in conventional manner except that the lyric tune begins the movement in the orchestra and the fast tune only comes with the entrance of the piano. In this movement there are some effective and ingenious combinations of the piccolo with the upper notes of the piano, a very clever effect. How the purists who objected to the introduction of the famous triangle note in the orchestra part of a Liszt concerto would be astonished and dismayed if they could hear castanets and tambourines repeatedly used in this Prokofieff concerto, although, peculiarly enough, there is nothing Spanish in its character! The second movement is a theme with five variations. The theme itself is another real and attractive tune and sounds like a minuet until one realizes that it is in even time. The working out of the variations is particularly easy to follow, as the composer has thoughtfully placed a sort of orchestral “amen” at the end of each one and concludes the movement with the repetition of the theme by the orchestra, to which the piano plays a particularly ingenious accompaniment of staccato chords. The finale, dashing and vigorous, is not so interesting in its material as the other two movements. On the whole it is the most interesing work of Prokofieff’s that the writer has heard. The technical difficulties appear to be very severe but they were faced without flinching by the composer, who was the recipient of long and well deserved applause at the close.
The concert began with a suite arranged by Glazounoff and Steinberg from Rimsky-Korsakoff’s “Le Coq d’or.” Mr. Coates, for many years in Russia, understands this music much better than any conductor that has ever led it at the Metropolitan. Its beauty and brilliancy made one sigh for its reinclusion in the Metropolitan repertory, preferably with Mr. Coates as guest conductor. To end with there was an excellent performance of the first Brahms symphony, a work which Mr. Coates had already directed to the approval of critics and public when here last year.
John Mel dr urn
There were several novelties on the interesting program which John Meldrum presented at his piano recital at Aeolian Hall on the evening of Thursday, January 26, works by Deems Taylor and Emerson Whithorne being given their first performance in New York.
Mr. Meldrum played two movements—the second and third—from the Whithorne suite, “New York Days and Nights,” and in describing the work perhaps it would be just as well to quote Mr. Whithorne’s own annotations:
“The first movement of my work—On the Ferry—depicts the early morning crowds crossing to Manhattan. Over a sonorous melody, rather in the folk-tune manner, there is the continual movement of water as the ferry winds its way through the river traffic. The mood is joyous: spring sunshine, sparkling waves, and happy workers.
“The second movement—The Chimes of St. Patrick’s—is in strong contrast to the first part. There is heard the tumultous chiming of bells, and through their sound the great organ intones a solemn Dies irae. This has been transcribed from a Gregorian chant with a careful consideration of tone values, producing a free alternation between five-four and four-four measure.
“We are then carried to Pell Street, Chinatown. It is night and from an oriental cafe floats an ancient Chinese melody, ‘The Fifteen Bunches of Blossoms,’ a melody which has regaled many a feat in the land of lanterns.
“And the fourth and last movement takes us by a quick transition from this opium-scented atmosphere to bustling Times Square.”
The other numbers to be played for the first time here were_ a prelude and poem by Deems Taylor and Lazare Saminsky’s “Conte Hebraique,” the last mentioned selection being given its first performance in America. This work was written by the Russian composer in Jerusalem and has been published abroad. It is understood that it also will be published in this country.
Schumann’s “Des Abends,” prelude, aria and finale by Cesar Franck, a group by Chopin and three numbers by Rachmaninoff completed this program of unusual interest.
A large and appreciative audience enthusiastically received Mr. Meldrum, for he again played with his accustomed fine style, with vigor or with beauty of tone in accordance with the demands of the composition, and his use of the pedal also was commendable. This young pianist is a sincere young artist and has a large following in New York.
JANUARY 27 Augusta Cottlow
A _ large audience welcomed Augusta Cottlow at her Aeolian_ Hall recital on January 27 and listened with evident enjoyment to one of the most interesting and unconventional programs that has been played here for some time. Busoni made his appearance—rare enough to be almost a novelty—both as composer and arranger. As arrange, he was responsible for the pianistic form of a toccata—prelude, adagio and fugue—in C major by Bach, a powerful work and one that immediately got and held the attention of the audience and proved to be a most excellent program opener. It was played with dash, rhythmic force and fervor by Miss Cottlow. Following this there
Wednesday evening, January 25, the occasion being Maximilian Rose’s recital.
The young violinist, who has been heard in New York many times and who has established a big following, opened his program with a group of Bach compositions, comprising the suite in E minor, “Sarabande,” as well as “Rondeau et Badinerie.” His other numbers were “Poeme,” Chaus-sons; “Oriental Chant,” Moussorgsky-Rose; “Divination by Water,” Moussorgsky-Rose; caprice in E flat, Wieniawski-Kriesler (which had to be repeated) ; two selections by Suk—“Un poco triste” and “Burlesqua”—as well as Bruch’s concerto in G minor which closed the program.
-That Mr. Rose pleased his audience was evidenced by the many outbursts of applause during the evening. As at previous hearings he proved himself a sincere artist. His sweet, pure and yet powerful tone was one of the outstanding features of his performance. David Sapiro accompanied him sympathetically.
Magdeleine du Carp
An afternoon of unalloyed pleasure was provided at Carnegie Hall on January 25 by Magdeleine du Carp, the French pianist, assisted by the Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Josef Stransky. Her program included two of the great masterpieces of piano music—the Beethoven concerto, No. 5, in E flat major, and the Schumann concerto, op. 54. To introduce to the attention of critical New York two such war horses as these was to throw down the gauntlet valiantly, to say: “Here I am, daring to compare myself with the greatest of the great. What do you think of me?”
Well, what one must think is that Miss Du Carp came off supremely and serenely victorious. The herculean task that she set herself was none too great for her pianistic powers, and in the competition with the ghosts and the memories of the many who have played the same great works for us before, she came out by no means second best. Her force is amazing and her technic no less so. She is one of those women pianists whose playing holds little of the feminine—certainly no evidence of feminine weakness. She plays these manly, male conceptions as a man would play them, though exercising a commendable restraint (which some men do not) and playing with rare charm of sonority and color and Gallic subtlety of nuance.
Like most French musicians she possesses a genuine understanding and_ love for the classics and her interpretations are traditional. There was a well controlled tonal balance and a care in the use of the pedal that resulted in clarity of utterance, not only of the principal melodies, but also of the counter motives and inner voices, and the entire viewpoint was evidently informed by simplicity of thought and sincerity of ideal.
The third number on this program was a new symphonic poem by Pierné, for piano and orchestra, illustrating Victor Hugo’s poem, “Songs at Twilight.” It is about “those who died for their native land,” a poem of heroism, and in many places the heroic orchestra was too loud for the solo instrument. It is, however, a fairly good work with a grateful and exceedingly brilliant piano part, which Miss du Carp interpreted with splendid verve and dash. There was a large audience and Miss du Carp’s success was undoubted, judging by the spontaneous and enthusiastic applause.
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel gave' his third New York recital on Wednesday afternoon, January 25, at Town Hall, playing the A flat major sonata by Weber, four impromptus by Schubert and the B flat minor sonata by Chopin. It was a fine program, splendidly played. Even the musicianship of Mr. Schnabel can hardly make a Weber sonata interesting for most of us nowadays, but he is an ideal interpreter of Schubert. It was sheer joy to listen to his sympathetic playing of the four impromptus. The Chopin sonata was done too in a masterly way. The funeral march was truly the acme of the xpressive playing and there was real mystery in the “Wind Over the Graves” finale. Mr. Schnabel insists upon playing a sort of program that American audiences apparently do not care to hear. There were very few people to hear him in the Town Hall, but those few applauded him enthusiastically and he well deserved it.
JANUARY 26
Yvette Guilbert
Yvette Guilbert is ever welcome, ever new. Her art— the power of it and the versatility of it—is one of the amazing things of our generation. It is a pity that we do not all of us understand French thoroughly and completely, with all its delicate nuances and delicious shades of meaning, so that we might enjoy the Guilbert songs in the original and get out of them all that is in them. Her latest appearance, and her last appearance for some time in New York—for she sails for home in a few days—was at the Town Hall on January 26 and only served to confirm the already vivid impression of the real greatness of her art, and, no less, the real greatness of the woman. If ever there was a real, natural, unspoiled genius, surely that genius is Guilbert. She has built up an art of her own. Commencing as a music hall singer, she has built and built, studied and studied, until she has become, not only one of the world’s greatest artists, but also a most faithful interpreter of long-forgotten moods. During all these years—centuries—those things lay open for the world to see. But no one saw them until Guilbert found that they were the natural precursors of the Parisian songs of her early career. She has gained the aid and artistic support of the best known artists of France, itself a guarantee if any were needed, of the sincerity of her aims. And she has given us some of the most impressive art works of the present day.
What would it serve to give in detail the program rendered on the occasion of this Town Hall recital? Surely, nothing. It remains only to add that she was assisted by her “Players”—they being her pupils—and by Edmond Rickett at the piano and Mildred Dilling with her harp, whose exquisite playing won much applause.
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
The Thursday evening, January 26, and Friday afternoon, January 27, concerts of the city’s oldest orchestra, attracted a particularly musical audience, because the program was made up of Beethoven’s seventh symphony and orchestral
NEW YORK CONCERTS
(Continued from page 32.)
program consists of a pleasing and scintillating combination of songs and recitations, and he is at his best when he sits at the piano, singing or reciting. He is a man of imagination, and possesses to a rare degree the power to make you feel all of the sentiments that he feels. He presents to you a whole variety of characters from everyday life— types that each of us instantly recognize—and presents them, with their joys and sorrows, their foibles and their foolish mannerisms, in such a way that the effect is highly entertaining and deeply impressive by turns. A genuine entertainer is Mr. Sidney. He has won Great Britain, South Africa and Australia, and now, having recovered from the effects of a wound received in the war and the results of having been gassed, he has come to win America. Judging by his success Tuesday afternoon it will not take long. He is a welcome addition to our lighter forms of musical entertainment.
Harriet Van Emden
Harriet Van Emden, who made sftch an auspicious debut earlier in the season at Aeolian Hall, was heard in a second recital in the same place on Tuesday evening, January 24. Again the young singer delighted a large and representative audience, not alone with the natural beauty of her voice, but also with her discriminate handling of it and her skill in the art of interpreting. She is an intelligent singer, but she does not make this fact too dominant a feature of her work. She prefers to give her hearers the impression that she really enjoys the message of the various composers and wants her listeners to do likewise. In this she fully succeeds.
With Werner Josten at the piano (three of Mr. Josten’s songs won much favor with the audience), Miss Van Emden sang the following program:	“Lungi dal caro bene,”
Sarti; Polissena’s aria from “Radamisto,” Handel, arranged by Frank Bibb; “Resta in pace, idolo mio,” Cime-rosa; “Alleluja,” Mozart. She also gave.
An die Nachtigall.............................Johannes Brahms
Der Jäger ....................................Johannes Brahms
Breit über mein Haupt dein schwarzes Haar.....Richard Strauss
Schön sind, doch kalt die Himmelsterne............ Richard Strauss
AH’ mein Gedanken, mein Herz und mein Zinn....Richard Strauss
Chanson d’Amour...............................Ernest Chausson
La Chanson de l’Alouette.........................Edouard Lalo
Guarda, che bianca luna..........................Werner Josten
Frühlingsnetz (New)...........................Werner	Josten
Scheiden (First time).........................Werner	Josten
The Sprig of Thyme............................Percy Grainger
Dutch Serenade ..................................S. de Lange
The Great Awakening (By request)...........A. Walter Kramer
Wings of Night................................Wintter	Watts
Song of the Open..............................Frank La Forge
JANUARY 25
Maxmilian Rose
Despite the extremely cold weather, Town Hall was crowded to capacity with a very demonstrative audience on
Richard
BÜRGIN
Concert-master of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
For dates address Mrs. Carolyn Kaharl Chickering & Sons 169 Tremont St. Boston, Mass, or
Richard Bürgin Symphony Hall Boston, Mass.