27
MUSICAL COURIER
BUELL
— AS —
Orchestral Soloist
In New York
BACH CONCERTOS IN A MAJOR AND F MINOR
“In all of these things, which call for the highest skill, technical and interpretative, Miss Buell played with fluency, good touch, careful shading and full appreciation of the Bach style.”
—Henry T. Finck in N. Y. Evening Post.
“Dai Buell displayed a zeal and a seriousness in her performance equal to her noble enthusiasm.”
—Richard Aldrich in N. Y. Times. In Boston
BACH CONCERTO IN A MAJOR
“Dai Buell played the A major concerto as it should be played, with force, energy and clearness. The flow of parts was well articulated; especially in the Largo did she make the piano speak!
This reading of the concerto had a convincing vitality and a true understanding of the polyphonic style. It was a fitting climax to the concert.”—Boston Transcript.
In Boston
LISZT CONCERTO IN E FLAT
“The concerto proved an admirable vehicle for Dai Buell’s exuberant style of playing.” —Boston Transcript.
“Miss Buell had many admirers in the audience who came especially to hear her playing of the brilliant Liszt concerto, and they were well repaid. It was a fine performance !”■—Boston Herald.
“Miss Buell showed fleetness, presence of mind and admirable pianism in Liszt’s concerto.”—Boston Post.
MASON AND HAMLIN PIANO
Season of 1922-1923 Now Booking
ADDRESS:
SMALLEY CONCERT BUREAU 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass.
blind and deaf, and America to be suffering from a sad attack of Italianitis—if the Americans of America have anything whatever to say about what is presented for their delectation, which is greatly to be doubted.
Damrosch knows his Wagner perfectly and he makes one feel the amazing greatness of the man—the greatest genius the world has ever known, as Mencken gives us to understand. It is hard, indeed, that the devotees who enjoy the Damrosch recitals, and learn from them sufficient of the Wagner ideal to prepare them for the full enjoyment of the opera_ when it is performed, should have such rare opportunities to hear the stage work. It is also a tragedy that they do not have opportunity to hear it in decent English.
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Under the skillful direction of Artur Bodanzky, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra delighted a large audience at the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday afternoon with this program: E flat symphony, No. 3 (“Eroica”), Beethoven; “Mother Goose” suite, Ravel, and Wagner’s “Rienzi” overture. Ravel’s five children’s pieces were especially fine. This was the first of the Sunday concerts at the Metropolitan.
BERLIN
(Continued from page S.)
he appeared at the desk, and the policemen stationed for precaution at conspicuous spots in the hall could quietly sit down as listeners.
Weingartner finds in the Berlin press more opposition than among the public. Of course his eminent qualities as a conductor are recognized everywhere, but at the same time he is blamed for his lack of development, for un-progressiveness, for resting commodiously upon old laurels, for being out of touch with the modern movement, etc.
His Berlin programs so far corroborated these charges. He relies entirely on the magic power of classical symphonic literature, and the only concession to more recent creative endeavor was his own “Lustige Ouverture,” a brilliant and showy piece, skillfully made, but devoid of individuality "in its imitation of Strauss.
Mischa Elman the Soloist.
Mischa Elman, as soloist of this concert, was applauded in this conservative environment as much as everywhere else. He played the Tschaikowsky concerto in an altogether superior manner, exhibiting a phenomenal technic in the service of a musical temperament of extraordinary power, and a tone of touching emotional quality. Still more remarkable was his success in his own concert with the Philharmonic orchestra, at which he played concertos by Vivaldi and Brahms, and Lalo’s “Spanish Symphony.” Prof. Willy Hess conducted the orchestra on this occasion.
H. L.
Bloch's “Jewish Poems” Impress Progressives.
A concert of more than ordinary interest was that given with the Philharmonic Orchestra by Dr. Heinz Unger, the young conductor who has distinguished himself first as an authentic exponent of Gustav Mahler, and more recently as a champion of modern orchestral composition. The focus of interest this time was upon the “Trois Poèmes Juifs” of Ernest Bloch, which received their first hearing in Germany upon this occasion. They made a visibly deep impression upon an audience which no doubt comprised ׳ a considerable proportion of Jews.
Critical opinion, on the other hand, was divided, the more progressive wing being laudatory, while the academics recognized chiefly a relationship to Debussy and a reminiscence of the oriental atmosphere of “Salome” ( !)—in other words, externals.
That there were many such listeners was due to the fact that most of them had come chiefly to hear Mahler’s “Lied von der Erder;” for that there is a certain soul-relationship between the two composers was obvious from a juxtaposition of their works. Dr. Unger gave a profoundly personal and spiritualized reading of the “Lied,” assisted most ably by Ida Harth-zur Nieden, contralto, and less so by Ludwig Hess, tenor.
Eleanor Spencer Scores Again.
The chief soloist of the concert was Eleanor Spencer, who delighted her audience by a brilliant, spirited and colorful rendition of Cesar Franck’s “Symphonic Variations.”. Spiritually as well as technically this fine artist has developed to a most remarkable degree. For her the greatest plaudits of the evening were spent and American musician-ship was able to record another decisive victory in Berlin
C. S.
More New Busoni.
At the last symphonic concert of the State Opera, Furtwängler gave an excellent performance of two pieces from Busoni’s “Faust” music, namely the Sarabande and the Cortège. Both compositions represent the latest phase of Busoni’s art and in the severe strictness of their part-writing, the_absence of all commonplace effectiveness, the purity of their melodic contours and the intricate subtlety of their structure, they require listeners of highly developed musical training, who moreover must sympathize with Busoni’s not at all popular art. The few, however, who can fully realize what is offered to them enjoy an aesthetic treat of rare intensity, of extremely individual flavor and lofty spirituality
H. M.
Benham Pleases Berlin Again.
America was pianistically represented also by Victor Benham who, having been very well received on the occasion of his first visit last year, returned for a series of three recitals in which he covered an important section of the works of Beethoven, Chopin and Schumann. In the last he is at his best, the poetry and imaginativeness as well as the rugged outlines of the great romanticist appealing most powerfully to his nature. Benham is a man of broad culture and essentially an intellectual player, possessed withal of a sterling musicianship and prodigious technic. He had large and appreciative audiences and was frequently recalled His Beethoven program, comprising four sonatas, including the Hammerklavier” and opus 11, was a real trial of strength.
César Saerchinger.
March 23, 1922
frequently by our local and visiting symphony orchestras proved more suitable to Mr. Monteux’s imagination. In this he was far more satisfying. “Prelude to a Drama,” by Franz Schreker, was the novelty produced. This is a composition of ultra-extreme tendencies. Although there are moments where fragmentary suggestions appear, many of these showing a strong penchant towards Wagner; on the whole, the work lacks originality. Whether concert audiences will crave for a repetition of this composition is problematic.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Concert
The concert on March 18 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by David Mannes and his orchestra of selected musicians, afforded much pleasure to another large audience. The program comprised the “Coriolanus” overture, Beethoven; Dvorak’s symphony No. S, in E minor (“From the New World”) ; symphonic poem, “Danse macabre,” Saint-Saëns; suite for string orchestra by Scalero, op. 29 (in manuscript, first performance) which proved to be an inspired work; ־“Volga Boatman’s Song” (arranged by Stravinsky), Glinka, and overture to “Tannhäuser,” Wagner.
To go into detail regarding the performance of each number is unnecessary. Mr. Mannes’ readings .of the various compositions were musicianly. In short, he is firmly established as a conductor of authority.
Ossip Gabrilowitsch
Ossip Gabrilowitsch, who divides his time between being conductor for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and one of our best pianists, gave his third piano recital of the season at Aeolian Hall, Saturday afternoon, March 18. Mr. Gabrilowitsch chose an eminently conservative program. The list comprised Mendelssohn’s “Variations Seriuses;” Schubert’s A minor sonata, (op. 120) ; two etudes, the D flat prelude and scherzo, op. 20, of Chopin, and Brahms’ E minor intermezzo, op. 11, and rhapsody op. 119, in E flat. Everything on the program was played with the taste, poesy and imagination which are always characteristic of Mr. Gabrilowitsch at his best. As on Tuesday evening with the Philadelphia Orchestra in the Brahms concerto, he proved once more that he has no superior today as an interpreter of the works of the great Vienna master. Under his magic touch all their dryness vanishes and nothing but the Beauty is left.
MARCH 19
John McCormack
One need only attend a McCormack concert such as the one he gave at the Hippodrome on March 19, to appreciate the fact that several things which we take for granted are in reality only relative and depend entirely upon the circumstance—in other words, the artist. We take for granted, some of us, that English cannot be sung, and that, especially, songs written in a foreign tongue must be sung in that tongue or be inevitably ruined. McCormack, with his genius, his magnificent vocal equipment, and his faith in his own people and his own native tongue, proves to us that this belief is the purest fallacy based upon nothing more substantial than the inability of certain other singers, either foreign born or brought up on foreign ideals, to accomplish what McCormack accomplishes with, apparently, the most perfect ease, and certainly to the delight of the huge audience which invariably gathers to hear him because all these people know that McCormack will treat them fairly and will give them what they want.
More than once in the past two or three seasons remarks have been passed as to the extraordinary love of music to be found in Australia, where artists can give a whole series of recitals in a single season, and it has been invariably added that such a thing would be impossible in New York. But McCormack proves that it can be done in New York. Not only that it can be done, but that it can be done in the face of the_ tremendous number of musical entertainments that are being just now given in New York—a crowded season unknown in Australia. Not only can concert after concert be given by McCormack, but also they are given, not at some small auditorium seating a thousand or so, but in the great auditorium of the New York Hippodrome, before audiences that fill not only every inch of the regular seating space, but also every inch of the stage as well.
Also we constantly hear that there is no American music worth singing. McCormack proves the contrary. He puts American songs on his programs and the American songs are as successful as any of those emanating from foreign sources. As a matter of record it may be stated that two of the American songs on this particular program— “On Eribeg Island,” by H. O. Osgood, and “Your Eyes,” by Edwin Schneider—shared honors with one of the Irish songs, “The Light of the Moon,” arranged by Herbert Hughes, as having brought forth the greatest amount of applause that was allotted to anything in the entire program, far more than was given to the songs of Strauss and Wolf. The Osgood song is new, marked “first time” on the program, and its popular and widespread success may be confidently predicted.
McCormack’s success is only partly due to the extraordinary beauty of his voice. If he did not know how to use it that beauty would be worth very little. But he brings with it a supremely great artistry and a musicianship that is _ so eminent that even the most fastidious professional critic, can •find no fault with it. His interpretations are full of charm, but they never sacrifice the musical side of the piece to the vocal side—the great fault of most singers. McCormack never permits himself any sort of affectation, never disregards the music and the composer in order to “show off’’ the beauty of his voice. He is a great and sincere artist, and the greatness of his success is a thing of which America should be proud, for it proves the excellence of American taste in things musical.
Walter Damrosch Opera Recital
Walter Damrosch gave one of his inimitable opera recitals at Aeolian Hall on March 19 before an audience that not only filled the entire hall but occupied a goodly number of seats.on the stage. The subject for explanation and elucidation was the great Irish-American folk opera, “Tristan”— at least one may presume it is Irish-American, for is not Ireland a part of America? or is America a part of Ireland?
The writer likes Damrosch’s enthusiasm. He is a real Wagnerite—one of the few left in these cynical days of idol smashing, where, truly, the world seems to have gone