MUSICAL COURIER
12
March 22, 1923
and even the livelier middle section, with its Scotch dance theme, is not free from a certain melancholy vein. Yet it _ is never monotonous, and, in spite of its harmonic simplicity, most attractively colored by its subtle and interesting orchestration. Alexander Barjansky, the Russian cellist chosen to give this première of an English composition in a Vienna hall—indeed an international combination —ydid not always keep true to pitch, but reconciled by his big tone and by the fervor of his rendition.
Barjansky’s own concert gave one an opportunity of hearing Ildebrando Pizzetti’s cello sonata in F major, which had never been played here before. According to a long program note, this sonata was inspired by the death of the composer’s wife and, comparing it to his violin sonata, it appears that the depressive influence of this event must have severely impaired Pizzetti’s creative powers. The piece may be interesting as a human document ; f rom a musical viewpoint it was a disappointment. It- is largely Puccini applied to chamber music, which is not a happy mixture, and it is too uniformly sentimental throughout to arrest interest.
New Czech Songs.
Contrast is the very spice of composition, and the secret of success. Judging by a program of modern Czech songs presented here by Andula Pecirkova (who attracted attention with songs by her Czech compatriots at the Salzburg Chamber Music Festival), the younger composers of Czechoslovakia have not learned this lesson yet. We heard־ songs by Vitezslav Novak, Josef B. Forster, Kricka, Vomacka, Vycpalek and Jaroslav Novotny. The quality common to most of these songs is their lack of strength. They are all curiously pale and almost morbidly plaintive; they lack vivid colors and a little of the spice and temperament heretofore considered a racial inheritance of the Czech nation. Think of the swing and “go” of a Smetana and Dvorak and you will be astonished to find little or none of it in the songs of their followers. Even Slav national color is strangely absent from these songs, which are more akin though far inferior to the German school—say, to Brahms or Hugo Wolf.
Songs by Hugo Wolf occupied a broad space in the program of Felicie Hiini-Mihacsek, who is quickly coming to the front at the Staatsoper and in the concert field. Unlike Berta Kiurina, Vera Schwarz and Lucy Weidt, whose recent concerts were sample specimens of the typical “operatic recital,” Mme. Mihacsek has chosen the opposite route, from the concert platform to the operatic stage. Her singing of German lieder is highly artistic.
Ruzena Herlinger, another Czech soprano, sang at one of the subscription concerts of the Gottesmann Quartet, for the first time in Central Europe, three Japanese songs by Stravinsky for string quartet, piano and three woodwinds. They are short mood pictures, gliding by like the winds and clouds which they paint, and they are actually chamber music in which the instruments each lead their own individual life (somewhat like those of Schonberg’s Pierrot Lunaire),^ regardless of the others and equally regardless of the voice part which is merely a part of the ensemble.
. It. still remains to record the advent of a young English violinist, Victor Olof, with a large tone of uneven qualities and an orchestral concert by Editha Braham, of London, who handled her violin in a somewhat sober and uninspired wav. And a Beethoven recital by that strong pianist and Schonberg disciple, Eduard Steuermann, whose treatment of the classics is decidedly original and individual without ever overstepping the demands of their style. Paul Bechert
Richmond Liked Marguerita Sylva
. When Marguerita Sylva gave a recital in Richmond, Va in February, some tickets were mailed to the president of the Little Theater League of Richmond, who wrote this letter to Annie Friedberg, Mme. Sylva’s manager:
My dear Miss Friedberg:
,, As President of the Little Theater League of Richmond, I received through the mail a few tickets to the concert recently given in Richmond by that wonderful artist, Marguerita Sylva. The courtesy thus extended to our organization was very highly appreciated, not only as a courtesy, but for the very intense pleasure it gave to the members whom I selected to represent the League on that notable occasion i do not recall ever having seen a concert audience in Richmond T10™ g,e״ul״celji aPPi?clatlve than the one that gave its hearty applause to Madame Sylva. Her personality attracted as much as her delightful voice, and this, I assure you, is intended as high praise for both.
Please accept this tardy thanks for the tickets with the explanation ot the delay, and see that they reach the source from which the tickets came, if that is not yourself.
Trusting that Madame Sylva’s tour may have the success which it deserves. am
Very sincerely yours,
(Signed) John B. Lightfoot, Jr., President, Little Theater League.
Schumann Heink “Thrills Immense Crowd” in St. Louis
Ernestine Schumann Heink, still America’s greatest contralto^ regaled a beyond-capacity audience at the Odeon last night by the rendition of a program that none of her ,0¿■. the concert stage would dare attempt,” wrote Richard Spamer, music critic of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, on February 20, after the famous artist had sung again in that city the preceding evening. And the other papers were equally as enthusiastic!
Jessie Fenner Hill to Teach All Summer
Jessie Fenner Hill, well known singing teacher, will con-duct 3. special course in vocal art during the coming sum-mer at her New York studio (Metropolitan Opera House Building).
Mme. Hill has heretofore spent the heated term in rest and recreation at her summer home in Averill Park, N. Y., but owing to the fact that she has been prevailed upon by a large number of her artist-pupils to continue pedagogical work this summer, she has decided to remain in New York
Kathryn Meisle Features Dreamin’ Time
Kathryn Meisle, contralto, has met with unusual success in her interpretation of Lily Strickland’s Dreamin’ Time from the collection of Creole melodies called Bayou Songs’ Mme Meisle recently sang Dreamin’ Time at the Young People s Subscription Concerts in New Rochelle, on the presented by the Williamsport Consistory Choir m Williamsport, Ind.; also at the Trenton Teachers’ Chorus! Inc., m Trenton, N. J., and on the program with the London String Quartet in recital at Manchester, N. H.
HIGH CZECH EXCHANGE MAKES
VIENNA A SUBURB OF PRAGUE
Conductor Makes Debut—Czech Singers Bring New Songs
desks, and a handful of boys filling the brass parts with more ardor than accuracy. But young Weber did wonders with this amateur orchestra, and conducted with a circumspection and an Italian fire which was admirable in view of his many handicaps. On the whole, the performance did honor to the Conservatory, though it would be unjust to measure it by professional standards. Nevertheless, it was at one of these productions that Bruno Walter discovered Ivogiin about twelve years ago, and it is the little Akademietheater whence Felicie Mihacsek, Marie Rajdl and other principal singers of the Staatsoper took their sudden leap into prominence. And at least two or three of the young debutants the other night gave promise of a future career.
New Talent to the Fore.
Young talent, after all, is what interests us most of all, and the paucity of “sensational” concerts has offered a welcome opportunity of attending some of the smaller and more instructive concerts. We’ve had two new child prodigies who have somewhat weakened our prejudice against such exhibitions: Robert Goldsand, from Vienna, and Ludwig Kentner, from Budapest, pianists both, and both very young. Goldsand is the more talented of the two, but both were decidedly worth hearing and mature beyond their years. Lubka Kolessa, of course, has outgrown the Wunderkind age, and is an established favorite by now. She had the benefit of Furtwängler’s plastic accompaniment for the Liszt A major concerto, at the last Tonkünstler concert; in her own recital she acquainted us with an Improvisation on an Ukrainian folksong, by her Ukrainian fellow-countryman, Nestor Nizankowsky, who furnished evidence to the effect that the musical independence of his native country has not as yet caught up with its newly-won political independence. Erich Stekel, until two years ago a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra and now first conductor at the Lübeck Opera, also was one of the young-newcomers, and he more than made good with the Berlioz Fantastic symphony. His conducting, like that of Clemens Krauss, is pleasant to behold, and free from mannerism. The times of “showy” conducting are over.
Piccaver a Favorite.
Alfred Piccaver, the Staatsoper’s American tenor and long a favorite at that house, has lately become more than that— a popular idol. His voice, despite a nasal twang, is remarkably beautiful and the most Caruso-like I’ve ever heard. He is miles removed from Caruso’s greatness, both in singing and especially in acting, but his name alone suffices to fill any Vienna hall. It was he who infused life and vigor into a performance of Rossini’s Stabat Mater, conducted by Edoardo Granelli, whose typically Italian manner of directing is more appreciated here than in his native Italy. The brilliant Rossini work is hardly ever performed here, and therefore had the effect almost of a novelty. Handel, all but neglected here in recent years, is suddenly being patronized by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, which gave a performance of Joshua under Reich-wein, and a flawless production of Saul under Furtwängler, who otherwise is anything but a pioneer in his Vienna programs.
New Cello Music.
The Konzertverein concerts, under Ferdinand Löwe, had a real full-fledged novelty the other night, namely Frederick Delius’ cello concerto, which had its very first performance in honor of the composer’s sixtieth birthday. It is a fine piece of “atmospheric” music, immensely effective (though abounding with difficulties) for the soloist. The whole piece, in one movement, is in a rather subdued mood,
But Artists Still Get “Rating” at Vienna—Young American
Vienna, February IS.—The last two weeks have been singularly devoid of “sensational” soloist concerts. The “sure-fire guns” of the concert stage have stayed away, probably on account of the comparatively poor patronage of some of the recent star recitals. This is surprising in view of the fact that the Austrian crown has lately developed into good and valuable money, when compared to the battered German mark. The Valuta paradise of Central Europe, however, is the small Czecho-Slovak republic just now, and the small city of Pressburg, just across the Czecho-Slovak border, is in truth the barometer for Vienna’s soloist concerts. Most of the big artists now sandwich their Vienna concerts in between their Czecho-Slovak appearances, and Vienna, the once mighty capital of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy that was, is, musically speaking, becoming a suburb of Prague.
Vienna Still the Musical Stock Exchange.
Still, while Austria is no longer a field of financial profits for visiting artists, yet as a market for musical reputations Vienna is even now second to no European metropolis save Paris and Berlin. The Vienna stamp of approval is still a most important asset for any artist, and favorable Vienna verdict is still paving the way for many a conductor and soloist. _ Furtwängler, who came here unknown, rose to international fame within one single year of Vienna activity. Vasa Prihoda, in spite of a good American record, was a European debutant at the time of his first Vienna concert three^ months ago; and now, after six sold-out Vienna concerts, is a big drawing card all over Central and Southern Europe.
The most forcible illustration perhaps is Clemens Krauss, the young conductor of the Staatsoper, whose name has been previously mentioned in these columns and who is disclosing more fascinating qualities with each successive appearance as a symphonic conductor, aside from his growing success at the Staatsoper. His most recent symphony concert has brought this young fellow ovations such as seldom fall to any but the big world-famous artists. People went wild after his authoritative reading of the Reger Mozart Variations, and the frenzy knew no bounds after the brilliantly sweeping Italia Rhapsody of Casella. This piece has been played here previously, even under Italian conductors, but it was more new than ever this time. There is no such thing as bad orchestras, there are only bad conductors—and good ones. The men went into their work heart and soul this time. Krauss is not one of your “fussy” conductors; he is all quietness and energy, and concentrated will. And he has both orchestra and audience at his fingers’ tips.
A Compliment to America.
In spite of his youth, Krauss was made head of the conductors’ class at the State Conservatory last fall, and I was curious to see his results there. It was for this and for another very good reason that I decided to attend a performance of The Masked Ball, given by the advanced pupils of the State Conservatory in the beautiful little Akademietheater, which is an ideal scene for operatic and dramatic productions on a smaller and more intimate scale. Generally the heads of the master class themselves appear as conductors of these performances, and men like Schalk, Reichwein and Krauss have frequently presided at the desk of the little bandbox theater.
The distinction of being the first pupil of the Conservatory permitted to direct one of these productions, has fallen to a young American musician, Henry G. Weber, and he was worthy of the honor. The little orchestra, composed of pupils, was a quaint sight, with a few long-haired girls at the violin
Dramatic Soprano
Scores as Soloist with the
MINNEAPOLIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
AT MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
WITH
WALTER DAMROSCH
Guest Conductor
“The soloist was Leone Kruse, a young New York soprano, who with her voice and singing gave far more satisfaction than any vocalist heard in the popular concerts in a long time. Her singing of the aria from ‘Marriage of Figaro’ was among the finest Mozart singing heard here for some time. Also the aria from ‘II Trovatore’ was beautifully done, enthusiastic recalls bringing her back to give Campbell-Tipton’s ‘Spirit Flower, with the orchestra, very pleasingly.”—Victor Nilsson in Minneapolis Journal, Jan. IS, 1923.
Management: CONCERT DIRECTION M. H. HANSON, 437 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK