NEW YORK, THURSDAY, June 15, 1922.
jV\USlCAL(ÔURIER
VOL. LXXXIV—No. 24. Whole No. 2201.
of the Guard,” Goring-Thomas’ “Nadeshda” and Mackenzie’s “Cricket on the Hearth.”) There will also be two dramatic performances on July 17 and 20, a reception at Queen’s Hall on Monday evening, July 17 (when F. Corder’s motet, “Sing Unto God,” for female chorus in fifty parts, written for the opening of the present building, will be performed, and also a masque written for the occasion by Louis N. Parker), and three orchestral concerts at Queen’s Hall on July 18, 19 and 20. The programs of the first and second of these will consist entirely of works by composers educated at the R. A. M., several of which have been written for the occasion. The orchestra will be made up of old students; the conductors will be Sir Henry J. Wood and Sir A. C. Mackenzie, July 21, distribution of prizes to students takes place, and July 21 a banquet will be given. O. P. J.
ST. LOUIS HEARS PERFORMANCE
OF BEETHOVEN’S NINTH
Massed Chorus of Five Hundred Makes Name for Itself— Citizens Guarantee Opera Deficit
St. Louis, Mo., June 3, 1922.—Beethoven’s ninth symphony was given in its entirety Wednesday night of this week, by the St. Louis Massenchor with members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Hugo Anschuetz, conductor of the Massenchor. The work was presented on a scale of wonderful magnitude. The chorus of about 500 voices was such a one as the composer must have dreamed of when he conceived his massive ensembles. The orchestra of seventy men gave an adequate rendition of the orchestral portions of the great work and Director Anschuetz, who is an idealist, presented the symphony in what really may be called a tremendous manner. The four soloists were Elsa Diemer, soprano; Pauline Bohlman, contralto; Arthur Kraft, tenor, and Raymond Koch, baritone.
The ninth symphony has not been heard in St. Louis since 1910, when it was presented in part under the late Max Zach, and 5,000 persons at least were present to hear the performance this week.
The first, second and third movements were somewhat hampered by the fact that the limited preparation permitted to give the performance at the time scheduled did not give the director an oportunity tq stamp his personality very firmly upon the orchestral production, but when the big chorus came crashing in with Beethoven’s setting of Schiller’s “Lied an der Freude,” it was a different story.
The choral movement of the ninth symphony is notorious for its difficulty, because of the trickiest rhythms, complicated polyphonic writing, great leaping intervals, and remote modulations, as well as a cruel height of range, but all these obstacles the chorus cleared away with complete confidence and buyancy, all the more remarkable because the tempo was taken at a headlong velocity which brought a thrill such as music rarely kindles. '
The performance as a whole was so remarkably good that a general hope is expressed among music lovers in St. Louis that it will be repeated in the near future and that it will be the forerunner of other great choral symphonies which up to this time the orchestras of this city have feared, apparently, to undertake. The performance has established the Massenchor as one of the three foremost musical assets of St. Louis and has brought Hugo Anschuetz forward as a choral director of rare ability.
Citizens Guarantee Opera Deficit. The sum of $40,000 has been pledged by St. Louis citizens to cover any deficit which may arise from the present Municipal Opera season. This amount was pledged by 150 St. Louis firms and individuals. The announcement of the guarantee was given out this week by Nelson Cunliff, chairman of the Production Committee of the Municipal Theater Association . The members of this committee are Max Koenigsberg, G. A. Buder, Joseph G. Miller and H. J. Pettingill.
According to Charles Previn, musical director of this association, the Municipal Opera Company of St. Louis is the only all-American operatic venture in this country. The principals, directors and chorus all are citizens of the United States, and the chorus is an all-St. Louis aggregation, and the directing body of the Municipal Opera Association is taking great pride to itself for this fact.
Biggest Advance Sale.
“lengths” of his part. Another well-nigh ideal representative of his character was Friedrich Plaschke, of Dresden, as Kurwenal, a fine singing actor with a beautiful resonant baritone.
Emmy Kruger’s Triumph.
The surprise of the production without question was Emmy Kriiger’s Isolde. This young singer, a disciple of Lilli Lehmann, has earned a considerable reputation in Europe in other roles, but on this occasion sang Isolde for the first time. Considering this, her accomplishment was nothing short of wonderful. She exhibited exemplary vocal style and rose to heights of emotion that one expects only of the maturest personators. By virtue of her stature and personal beauty she seems to be created for the role, and the picture which she presented of the tragic princess will remain one of the cleverest memories of the festival.
By her side was the Brangaene of Karin Branzell, with her gorgeously colored contralto, an ideal Wagnerian singer whose superlative singing of this role at the Berlin Opera lias been commented upon in these columns before. Of the other characters the Melot of Gustav Helgar, of Zürich, must be especially commended. The chorus was the least agreeable element of this production, but neither this nor the (Continued on page 8)

Photo by Schneider, Berlin
MAX RABINOFF,
who has been out of active participation in the musical game for a number of years, is bringing to America next season the Ukrainian National Chorus, which has made a tremendous success in Europe, Mr. Rabinoff in former years teas identified with various opera companies here, his last venture being the Boston National Opera Company. For several years past lie has been in political life, executing various missions for the governments of the republics that ivere carved out of Russia after the revolution,. He will, continue to do this work for some time yet, musical management being only a side issue with him at the present time. However, those who know his indomitable spirit and determination to succeed know also that he will never be thoroughly happy nor satisfied until he Jias returned to the operatic field and founded a great and enduring institution in this country. An article in this issue tells the interesting story of the Ukrainian
National Chorus.
The business manager of this association announces that the season, with DeKoven’s “The Highwayman,” has an advance cash sale of $35,000 and reservations to be taken up amounting to $15,000. This is the best advance sale in the history of the St. Louis Municipal Opera.
_	V. A. L. J.
Royal Academy to Celebrate Centennial
London, June 1.—A musical festival to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Music—founded July, 1822—will be held from July 10 to 22. The proceedings will include a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral ; a series of twelve chamber concerts given by past and present students at Aeolian Hall every afternoon and evening from July 10 to 15, and six performances of English opera at the Royal Academy of Music between July 10 and 22. (The works performed will be Sullivan’s “Yeoman
SECOND ZURICH FESTIVAL A FRANCO-GERMAN
TOURNAMENT OF ART
German Performances Generally Excellent, and French,
Despite Handicaps, Make Good Impression—“Tristan” Under Walter the Outstanding Event—“Fledermaus” with Massary a Hit—Julien Lafont Scores as the Father in “Louise”—A Swiss “Venus” the Novelty—Nature, in Rivalry with Art, Wins
Zürich, June L—Just about the close of the Genoa conference the second Zürich International Festival began. The world has heard a great deal—too much, in fact—about the first; it will hear too little about the second. Yet in point of real accomplishment, of lasting value, reckoned by the hour glass of eternity, the Zürich Festival is ahead of its political brother. If international problems could be settled at music festivals, the concert of Europe would be complete . . .
The point is that music festivals, such as this, are bound to be successful. They deal in sure things and leave nothing to chance. They do not try to smooth over differences, but to accentuate them—and enjoy their difference.
And they end up by affirming that these differences, marked as they are, are not irreconcilable after all, and that in this department of human endeavor the nations are all striving after one goal. They strive with comparatively little jealousy; and no one can assert that they take no pleasure in each other’s success.
The Zürich Festival was a rivalry between French and German art. No blood was shed; no feathers were seen to fly.
There were comparisons; there was a lot of good camaraderie—though not as much as one would wish; there were neither victors^ nor vanquished—a most Wilsonian affair. There cannot be too many rivalries of this sort. Olympic games never brought on a war; international music festivals ought to prevent wars altogether.
In this thought the Zürich Festival must realize its importance. One hopes it has come to stay.
An Artistic Tournament.
Granting that an artistic tournament has taken place, it behooves the neutral outsider to draw up a score. There is no question about it, and one may as well admit at the outset, that the Germans took most of the points. Their performances of “Tristan” and “Die Fledermaus” came nearest the ideal festival standard. In some respects they were model performances. The French, on the other hand, were handicapped. They were handicapped by lack of material, by the difference in language (which made a thorough fusion with the native elements in the theater difficult), and they were handicapped by untoward accidents. As it is, their “Carmen,” and especially their “Louise” was all that could be expected and presented many beautiful and characteristic moments, though at other times they came perilously near shipwreck, prevented only by the firm pilot’s hand of Albert Wolff.
Of both contingents the most valuable unit was the conductor. Bruno Walter, who took the place of the late Arthur Nikisch, not only filled it with honor, but accomplished things that only his ardent nature and youthful enthusiasm, joined with superlative ability, could accomplish.
Thus his “Tristan und Isolde”—which will probably remain the outstanding feature of the whole festival—reminded one of the best traditions of Bayreuth and our own Metropolitan days of glory. Perhaps no conductor living today can reach that point of intensity, that delirious intoxication of beauty in “Tristan” as Walter. It is, aside from Mozart, his greatest feat. The orchestra glowed and seethed under his magnetic influence; and there is no doubt that every man gave his last and gave it willingly.
An All-Star “Tristan.”
The result was a marvellously concentrated expression and an interrupted rise from beginning to end. No doubt we have heard equally fine—in some details better —performances, but infused with the spirit of a unique effort—the festival spirit—as it was, it soared far above the usual. The cast was very nearly the best that can be got together in Europe today. Two of the principals, Curt Taucher, of Dresden, as Tristan, and Paul Bender, of Munich, as King Mark, are about to join the Metropolitan company in New York and will no doubt be the representatives of these roles there. Taucher, though his production is far from ideal, has an unusually agreeable and essentially musical style of singing for a Wagnerian tenor and in the great moments his beautiful voice soared to golden heights. Paul Bender’s gigantic bass and equally gigantic figure made him the ideal king, and his nobly expressive singing reconciled one to the