New-York tribune., 1875-11-15
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
FIRST SYMPHONY CONCERT.

ever upon the attendance at stenway Hall. Thomas ia
short has made brilliant and auspicious opening How
tastes and opinions differ ~ to the last piece
the programme every must admit that the following
bill was one OF extraordinary interest and impOrtance
PART
Overture, "Iphigenia in Aulis"
rast9Iae, "Christmas Oratorio "..........J g. Bach
e' Nine Antoinette Sterling
hsgo no ySsda y e e1P & BRIO 3 Aiiccrctto
scherzando. 3. Tempo di menuctto. d.
Allegro yiVace
D'' D'''' Nine Anionctte Sterling
A Symphony to Dantcs "Divina commedIs" s".....Lis,t
L. Inferno. z. PurgatOri0.
These selections illustrated, many Of Thomas,
best concerts do progressive development OF musical
art Guck be occupies place In the procession
which does not belong 10 him, but the noble Grecan
simplicity OF his familiar overture lmagni1cently played
on this occasion with Wagners endngl acc0rds
fectly with the spirit OF what comes aferward
that We are not conscious OF any logical disorder when
back generation to the scores Of Bach The
simplicity of Gluck is in the harmonic structure; the
simplicity OF Bach is in the employed to give ex'
preston 10 his thought exquisite Pastoral calls for
very few Instruments there are the strings, the haut
boy, the bassOon, while the flute stands out In bold ren
but the harmony IL poyphonc, and when we listen care
fully to the gentle music OF this primitive band
hardly more than the skeleton OF the modern orches
trae soon realize that the apparent naiyete s in truth
the result of the most elaborate In music OF thb sort
all the instruments must handled with the utmost del
icacy and precision the effect is lost Every little
fault will show like huge blot. The execution on Sat
urday seemed perfection as orchestral play
ing be- not only precise and refined but thor
oughy sympathetic The "Cradle SOng,' so fun OF gen.
uno tenderness and Of deep ous feeling equally
well rendered Mme Antouette Sterling, whose reyerent
devotion TO what is highest in art we can never praise
too warmly, cooperating faithfully in the interpretation
The Beethoven symphony marked an enormous stride IN
advance alike OF the elegant fornaliiy OF Baohs or
chestral writing and the stateness Of Gluck. while it
exhibited in marked degree the spendOr attained by
orchestral combinations in what the world agrees to con-
slider as the elimination OF the classical period The
Eighth Symphony is not popularity regarded az one Of the
greatest the SERIES but the impression OF its ineroriy
probably comes from the fact that 1t Is thoroughly
cheerful and profound emotion is thought incompatible
with cheerful mind This however, believe TO bo
wrong The cheerlness the Eighth symphony Is that
Of lofty and perfectly serene SOUL which has risen
above tho troubled world into calmer and brighter
atmosphere. There is no hint of sorrow in any pars
Of it, hardly a suggestion OF the in'
definite and pathetic longing so CHARACTERISTIC
OF the composer It is If in the period Of complete
deafness to which this symphony belongs Beethoven
had passed into a bright ideal existence IN which grief
was forgotten and aspiration realized The performance
was remarkable that it almost gave new character
to the familiar music The opening chord was sounded
with such perfect precision OF attack and such beauty Of
but oyery page gave fresh delight and surprise The
Aegreto and the trio of the Mnue will recur to every
one who fortunate enough to be present "a excer
tionay good pieces of work. but 1t was perhaps IN ths
Finale that orchestra distinguished itself most by the
strong light which it threw upon beauties too often
obscred I'm the closing rush. Tho applause enthus
atc aer every movement and redoubled VI course
at the close.
In schuberts grand song Nine. Sterling made so good
an impression that she recalled and obliged to repeat
t. The accompaniment arranged for the orchestra by
Theodore Thomas and making very ingenious use Of the
VIOLA cello, and English horn in novel combinations
contributed greatly to the general effect
1t the last part Of the programme that excited tho
most curiosity if it did not give the most pleasure
LISTS Dante" symphony is one OF the most splendid
monuments OF Tho modern romantic school, and even
those who do like it must have been interested in
Judging whether it really marks any progress in the
management of the orchestra or the development Of
musical thoughts the classical school reached It's
highest point in Beethoven. 1t is programme music"
in the strictest sense OF the word and can hardly
be understood. certainly not appreciated without
an explanatory text. That fortunately was
supplied in four well-wrten pages accompanying the
bills with musical examples reduced from the score BY
the accomplished hand of Mr. Dudley Buck. The most
obvious objection the symphony that it deals with
two subjects hardly susceptible Of musical treatment,
and we have able to regard satisfactory
either Of the spirit Of Dante or Of the popular
and theological ideas OF Hell and Purgatory second
objection which applies equally to all or nearly all
LISTS greater orchestral works namely that he does
not reach an expression of his ideal without somewhat
painful and constantly conspicuous art His poetic
cepon Is extraordinary, but he does not convey thu
poem at once to emotional faculties. Wagner does
he taxes our intellect and keeps attention
strained, that it is not until the performance Is
ended and go away and think about II
that We really feel its power. On the other
hand the symphony grows upon one enormously. We
81, it kvf fba
Philharmonic Society, between six and years ago.
il was barely tolerated Three years and half ago t
was played again, and met with little more favor.
Thomas gave it Saturday night with beauty OF ex"
preston ana magnifcence Of effect which the Philhar
monc Society very far indeed from attaining. and
his audience listened with profound stiffness moro
eloquent than any applause. Probably the majority, 10
whom List is still barbarous, did not really enjoy it,
but we have met with OF the audience yet upon
whom it did not produce profound impression. with
ont attempting a description OF this tone pOenl-a task
which has twice already been undertaken IN THE TRIu
uNE and was well performed Saturday in the illus
tratiye prOgramme-we may mention a few passages
in tho work which seem TO us particu-
larly nne These are, first the appalling introduction.
where the trOmbones tuba bass-sirings &c, thunder
forth the inscription the gates OF Hell, and the
curse 'Iascate ogni speranza Vol ch curae," which
Immediately pcals from the horns and trmpets, recur-
ring ut intervals all through the first part OF the SYM
phony; second, the vivid Allegro freneticO which repre-
scnts the s1reks and blaspheies 0f the damncd third.
the so-caicd dialogue between the bass-carinet aud
English horn. and the Andante amor0sO, indicative 0t
grief over lost happiness Interrupted In the dra
matic manner by the dersye laughter OF the devils,
expressed by carinets and vi0as fourth, the immense
climax the Inferno where the curse IS repeated IN tho
midst OF q crescondo OF uneXampled power; nfth the
famous fugle the Purgatoro, which has well been
described as OF the finest modern specimens
civ A