MUSICAL COURIER
36
March 8, 1923
enleben. Mr. Mengelberg certainly brought out all of the dramatic intensity and beauty of the Strauss poem. Though the audience was not of capacity size, everyone present felt the superiority of the program and the satisfying results attained. Every number was given vitality and color, causing the concert to be an altogether enjoyable occasion.
PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Leopold Stokowski and his men began their program at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday evening, with a suite made up of selected numbers from the operas by Jean Baptiste Lully in the concert transcription of the late Felix Motti. Next came the Concerto Grosso in D minor, for string orchestra, by Antonio Vivaldi, in the orchestral dress of Sam Franko. To end the first part, there was the C minor Passacaglia of Johann Sebastian Bach, in Mr. Stokowski’s own orchestral transcription. This arrangement of the program served to emphasize the fact that Johann Sebastian Bach had about eight thousand times the talent of Jean Baptiste Lully and Antonio Vivaldi added together. It also proved that the Philadelphia Orchestra, when put to it, as it is in the coda of Mr. Stokowski’s arrangement of the Bach piece, can make about twice as much noise as any other orchestra ever heard in Carnegie Hall. It was a tremendous climax that fairly shook one’s insides ; but at that, it was music and not mere noise.
The second part began with the first performance here of Ernest Schelling’s orchestral fantasy, A Victory Bajl. The key to the Schelling idea is in Alfred Noyes’ poem of the same title, a typical stanza of which is as follows:
Shadows of dead men stand by the wall,
Watching the fun of the Victory Ball.
They do not reproach, because they know,
If they’re forgotten, it’s better so.
It cannot be described better than by quoting Lawrence Gilman’s program note: “Mr. Schelling has conceived his tone-poem as a bacchanale traversed by a vision—an apparition of troops marching on irresistibly, inexorably. Nothing stops them—not those that fall by the way, not those whose fate is written in fiery, stormy skies. On they march to victory or disaster, with—in either case—desolation, suffering, death. The music (after an introductory section, moderato) evokes the ballroom and its heedless, swirling crowd. There is a brilliant polonaise, and the rhythms of the fox-trot and tango are suggested. Then comes the dramatic and poignant interruption: the vision of the marching hosts—those valorous and forgotten dead who sacrificially _ ‘laid the world away.’ The approach of the ghostly legions is announced by the two trumpet-calls : the Call to Arms and Charge. We hear (as in the Variation entitled 1914 in Mr. Schelling’s Impressions of an Artist’s Life) the Dies Irse on the brass. The tramping of the soldiers is momentarily drowned by the wild tumult of the dance ; the lights flare up, and we see the revellers waltzing through the melee. But thè vision reshapes itself. The Scots and their bagpipes pass. There is a great climax, a long drum-roll, diminuendo; and then, from a distant trumpeter, Taps.”
The piece is surprisingly effective. It hangs together. This orchestration is made with a practiced hand, and its speech is coherent. There was much enthusiasm for the number, which is thoroughly effective, Mr. Stokowski and Mr. Schelling being repeatedly called out, together and separately.
To end with, Benno Moiseiwitsch played the solo part of a very difficult concerto for piano by Tcherepnin. It was written back in 1908. Mr. Montagu-Nathan, a biographer of Tcherepnin, calls him an “eclectic,” and no doubt he was, at least at that time. There is, so to say, everything in it except the kitchen stove. Mr. Moiseiwitsch galloped all over the keyboard with amazing skill; but unfortunately Mr. Tcherepnin had not given him much of anything to do that was worth doing.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28
CITY SYMPHONY: EVELYN LEVIN SOLOIST
The progress shown at the City Symphony’s concert on Wednesday afternoon was most gratifying. It played the Oberon overture (von Weber) and Tschaikowsky’s fifth symphony, both of which had been played by them within a week. But how differently! It has usually been the strings and woodwinds which excelled, but this time the horns deserve special credit for their noticeable improvement upon previous performances. However, a very beautiful tone quality came from the strings, particularly the cellos, in the andante cantabile. Two of the Brahms Hungarian dances brought hearty applause. Conductor Foch gave these an admirable orchestral interpretation, having excellent control over his men for the varying and sudden changes of tempo. They were played with spirit and brilliancy and feeling for mood.
Evelyn Levin, a girl of sixteen and an Auer pupil, gained approval with her creditable performance of the Wieniaw-ski violin concerto in D minor, No. 2, op. 22. Her modest bearing and_ poise won her immediate favor. Combined with a musical temperament is a sure and fluent technic which leaves her free to give her thought to interpretation, which she does with intelligence. Pure intonation, firm bowing, and good rhythm are among her valuable assets. She played with ease and brilliancy in the rapid and tech^ nically difficult passages, particularly in the last movement,
EDOARDO PETRI
Vocal Instructor
Studios: 1425 Broadway, New York City
Telephone Pennsylvania 2628
NE-W YORK CONCERT/
Beginning with the Bach-Liszt Fantasie and Fugue in G minor, rendered with clarity and fluency, he followed with the Waldstein sonata of Beethoven. This was played with appreciation and understanding, with power, and a straightforwardness and sincerity of manner that was refreshing. His powers of technic were brought into full play here, and his sure, facile technic was adequate to cope with all the difficulties. The second group consisted of the Brahms Intermezzo in A, the Brahms rhapsodie in A flat, a Chopin etude and nocturne and Weber’s Perpetuum Mobile. The Intermezzo was sympathetically interpreted and the rhapsody again revealed the brilliancy of his technic.
The Chopin nocturne in F was given with admirable tonal color and effective contrasts. One of the most interesting numbers on the list was Severac’s Retour des Muletiers, which was performed with good rhythm and accents and a sense of humor. Three effective compositions by the artist himself were heartily received—two waltzes ar.d Guitarre, the latter especially meeting with the hearty respon e which it well deserved. Liszt’s etude No. 10, smoothly played, concluded the program. A large audience was appreciative, recalling Mr. Rubinstein many times. His encores consisted of Chopin etudes—Revolutionary, Storm, Black Key and F major and Liszt’s Valse Oubliee.
The Herald commented thus upon Mr. Rubinstein’s performance: “Fluent technic and a thorough familiarity with his subjects were revealed in the pianist’s art. His interpretations of Bach and Beethoven were not brilliant but certainly intelligent and executed with a judicious and well conceived style. His smooth flow of tone also was displayed in the lighter numbers.” The Tribune reviewer thought that "Smoothness and finish were the principal traits of Mr. Rubinstein’s playing.”
ROBERT LOWERY
Under the auspices of the Washington Heights Musical Club, Robert Lowery, pianist, gave a recital on Tuesday evening, before a large audience which manifested its approval in no doubtful manner. Mr. Lowery began his program with Mozart’s popular C minor fantasia, and closed with a number of Chopin pieces, filling in the middle section with a Beethoven sonata, op. 57, and a group of moderns: Debussy’s Reflets dans l’Eau, Clouds by our regretted American genius, Griffes, and two by Mokrejs.
Evidently we have here a well-selected program on the sort of^ music people like to hear, and Mr. Lowery did it ample justice. He possesses a quiet and dignified manner of playing which indicates an intimate understanding of the emotional elements of the music without any approach to sentimentalism. His technic is excellent, smooth, flowing; his tone generally sonorous and often delicate; and his poetic and spiritual feeling very evident. An agreeable and appealing player!
NYIREGYHAZI
One cannot but be amazed at the force and power of this delicate looking Hungarian pianist, Erwin Nyiregyhazi, who gave a recital at Aeolian Hall on Tuesday evening. He looks like the sort of overgrown school boy one might expect to hear struggling painfully through a few simple things at the usual boresome graduation exercises. All the more astonishing, then, are the things he does at (and with) the_ piano. Technically, from a purely mechanical point of view, he appears to have reached the transcendental class. Any further development in this matter would appear to be impossible. And whatever technical difficulties the music may present are overcome with perfect ease and with a variety of nuance that admits of every detail of expression being brought to the foreground. This is remarkable enough, but, after all, many a pianist has had technic without having anything else. But Nyiregyhazi has everything else. Down to the finest details <~f staccato, legato, rubato, balance of tone, tasteful and musicianly use of the pedals, he seems to be guided by a deep-felt instinct that forces him to do the right thing at the right moment and raises his playing into a class witfi the best of artists, even those most mature in their art. There are rare moments, indeed, where his youthful exuberence and en-thusiasrn seems to run away with him, but that only makes his playing all the more charming, spontaneous and appealing.
At this recital he played several pieces by Liszt: Fantasia and Fugue, Valse-Impromptu, Hungarian Rhapsody, No. 2; and pieces by Mozart, Brahms (the B minor rhapsody, of which he gave a deeply emotional reading), Schubert’s Erlking, played with amazing force and bravoura; two Poemes by Scriabin, a Grieg nocturne and a Tschaikowsky-Grainger waltz. Interesting and emotional music, all of this, and the young Hungarian read into it every bit of his own scholarly emotion and poetic fancy. One does not hesitate to say that Nyiregyhazi is a great pianist. (If only he had a name easier to spell and easier to pronounce 1)
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
The Philharmonic Orchestra gave its ninth Tuesday evening concert at the Metropolitan on February 27, with Willem Mengelberg conducting. The program in its entirety was intensely interesting, and under the masterful baton of Mr. Mengelberg, the musicians played with brilliancy of tone color. There is always one thing which mars a concert held at the Metropolitan Opera House, and that is the use of that hideous setting, with straining, writhing figures above the heads of the musicians; and on last Tuesday during Ravel’s The Waltz, they positively appeared to create a grotesque dance. Mr. Mengelberg had changed the formation of his orchestra over the last time that we heard him there; and it was excellent, if for no other reason than that he had placed our favorite drummer so that an imitation Gobelin tapestry hung at his back instead of his former position in front of two over-muscular figures which seemed to beat time with him.
The program began •with the Freischiitz overture, followed by the above mentioned Waltz, by Ravel, and Ra-baud’s Eclogue. The last half of the program was given over to a superb rendering of Strauss’ tone poem, Ein Held•
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26
MARIA CARRERAS
Maria Carreras was heard in her second recital of the season on Monday afternoon, before a large and very responsive audience. She was accorded a splendid reception, which in the case of Mme. Carreras, being a newcomer to New York this season, reflected the fact that at her previous recital she had made many friends who turned out to hear her in a more varied program. Mme. Carreras is indeed a striking figure. Possessing a refinement and charm of manner that is distinctly felt the moment she appears, her poise and attitude at the piano is also an asset, even before she strikes a single note. But when she does, one realizes at once that she is a mistress of her instrument. Technically she is well equipped; her rhythm is admirable, and being the possessor of abundant• temperament, her playing is delightfully colored. Her conceptions are intellectual yet eloquent. After a superb rendition of the Beethoven sonata, op. 2, No. 3, she was recalled several times by the enthusiastic _ audience. Then she was heard in the Schumann Carnival, op. 9, which was brilliantly rendered and again aroused her hearers to heights of appreciation. Her final group contained Ravel’s Jeux d’eau, Zadora’s Two Kirgisian Sketches, intermezzo (Busoni), valse, La Plus Que Lente (Debussy), Die Forelle (Schubert-Liszt) and the Liszt polonaise in E major.
In commenting upon her playing, the Herald said in part : “At her first hearing Mme. Carrera’s art showed itself as of brilliant and commanding type. Her performance yesterday emphasized and extolled the excellent impression she had heretofore created here. She played with a power intellectually keen and showed, in rich abundance, imagination, dramatic eloquence and technical mastery.”
CLARA MICELI
On February 26 an operatic song recital was given by Clara Miceli, soprano, assisted by Menotti Frascona, tenor. Mme. Miceli sang Caro mio bene, and the Vissi D’arte aria from Tosca; Un bel di vedremo, from Butterfly; Ah fors e^ lui from Traviata, and several other well known selections. Mr. Frascona offered II Fiore, from Carmen; E lucevan le stelle, from Tosca, and Lontana ti condurrò, from Fernanda. In conclusion the two artists sang a duet from Traviata, Parigi o Cara.
In this, her debut recital, Mme. Clara Miceli displayed a voice of good quality, and her interpretations showed careful study of the various roles. The audience, though not a large one,_ was generous in its applause. Achille Auelli accompanied at the piano.
WINNIPEG MALE QUARTET
From Canada came the Winnipeg Male Quartet to make its initial appearance in New York City at Carnegie Hall, Monday evening. Hugh Ross, modern English composer and graduate of the University of Oxford, was the able conductor.
The program showed careful selection and proved an interesting one, choral music of several countries, England predominating, forming the main part of the performance. The choir did splendid work in such numbers as Thomas Morley’s Now Is the Month of Maying, Nicode’s There Rolls the Deep, and The Song of Kullervo by Toivo Kuula. Other selections particularly pleasing were Percy Grainger’s Dollar and a Half a Day, and the Anchor Song, specially written for and dedicated to the Winnipeg Male Quartet, the latter being a Kipling poem in the form of a sea chanty ; Vaughan Williams’ Turtle Dove, Maunder’s Border Ballad, and T. Tertius Noble’s New Life, New Love.
The_ choir consisted of more than sixty members and won sincere plaudits for the vigorous, forceful spirit displayed throughout the program. The quality of the tenor and_ basso voices was excellent and much may be said in praise of the fine tonal_ shadings, ease, flexibility, and careful balance of the chorus in its entirety.
Prior to the second group, Acting Mayor Murray Hulbert extended the city’s greetings to the visiting quartet, and Mr. Ross made courteous reply.
Alberto Salvi offered three harp solos which were exceedingly well rendered, meriting special commendation for his splendid interpretation of Debussy’s Le Fontaine.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27
BERYL RUBINSTEIN
An enjoyable program was excellently rendered by Beryl Rubinstein, pianist, at Aeolian Hall, Tuesday afternoon.
FERENC
The Great Violinist
“His tone Is the most beautiful of which the violin is capable." (New York Globe)
"A mature violinist of the highest ideals." (New York Eve. Post)
“Runs, trills, arpeggios, harmonics all run from the tip of his bow with an apparent ease that is as deceptive as it is satisfying." (New York World)
“A musical painter of graphic skill and imagination." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
“Tone of the richest quality, technique of most brilliant virtuosity, and fine musicianship." (Chicago Eve. Post)
SEASON 1923-24
Management: R. E. Johnston, 1451 Broadway New York (Knabe Piano)