New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-25
MTTSIC-THE DRAMA.
yrw-yoRK PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.

III
NETWORK PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY,"
x,..ho least of the arts of good conductor and
,;nae,or is the art of making programme. For
;ous instrumental concert, especially. the choice
IA che pacing of the selections are of the first i'm
o,,ance, There should be variety without destruc-
20 contrasts analogy without monotony, a
.olor progression OF interest from the opening to
.ho close-and withal so speedy an end OF the en-
.ortajpment that the climax may be reached before
.Lo audience are tired For specimen OF such
nroor,mme we may take the bill offered by the
New.York Philharmonic Society last evening
3 3ysn6a, Adasio Gayote ana $ sacn
Piano'o''0 O0''' Mr. Hermann Retze.
D,nat,e symphony .................... Bubnsein
The noble simplicity Of the "Anacreon" overture
voe beautifully expressed in Thomass inteTprcta-
tfon last night the strength, purity and finish OF
the execution corresponding we'll with the clearness
and symmetry of the music. There was
highly sympathetic and spirited performance by
Inc strings alone of The Bach selections and these
were so much enjoyed that the audience seemed
disposed to ask for repetition of the
last pant, az they did in Brooklyn also.
The Suite. if may call 1t so.
is a composite arrangement, by ;. Bachrch, OF
Vienna from two of Bach's violin sonatas. O0Jec-
ton is often made to such transformations of class-
cal works but not always wisely. The old composers
certainly hld no scruple about cutting patching and
turning to account their own pieces, and the pieces
of other people toe. Handel. besides warming over
his own music made pasticcOs out OF miscellaneous
fragments of his predecessors. GlUck borrow ed
airs from one opera to enrich another. Bee
thoyen did not hesitate TO make mel
Ody serve various purposes. Bach used
movements in these very violin sonataS which we
find also in his organ fugues. And with respect TO
much of Bachs instrumental music, 1t must be
remembered that cur choice does not lie between
hearing il just as he wrote it and hearing it with
modern changes for uuless It can be adapted
in some way we are pretty rain not to hear it at
all. He left SIX violin sonstas. They have no ac-
companImenl-eIccpt in the use OF double stops
not even bass; and performer ven
lures at this day to play them publicly
in their archaic state Schumann wrote
Accomplishments for the whole set MendelsSohn
made an accompaniment for the celebrated GA
,ouna which is the finale of the fourth sonata.
Raft has scored the movement for the orchestra
BacLrich has taken the Prelude from the sixth
sonata, the Adagio from the third iBach calls 1t
an Andante) aud for the GlvOtte and Roudo
played as movement. he goes back to the Sixth.
Ia the denomination. cOuntorpolnt and hlug
our he seems to have made liberal and unacknowl-
button of paris-tle observation-disclosures of course all
bis OWL and 1t is most beautifully and effectively
done. The work is quite i'll Bach's spirit. The first
movement is well known as a violin solo. and was
often played here by Wieniawski. and the GavOtte
was made familiar to us by the young Cuban violin
LIST, Joseph White.
Mr.. Hermann Retzel, who made his first public
appearance here as a pianist, Is son OF the well
known first flute player of the Philharmonic So
siey He is about II OF Is years old. pupil of
Spedel in Stutt gart, he shows the characteristic
accomplishments of the celebrated school in
which he has been trained. His touch
IS clear and sympathetic his execution is neat, his
readings are intelligent. In a VOID. by hs very
successful debu, lie has shown himself to be young
artist of such marked talent and much solid ac-
uuirement that there need be nlisgvng as 10 hls
future.
The RubiDstein symphony. which Thomas first
made known IN America nearly five years ago, was
somewhat cOldly received on its init al performance
With every repetition 1t has gained favor, and it is
now generally admitted to be Que of the
greatest and most interesting contemporary
works of its class. 1t had splendid Interpretation
last nIght--the best. so far as the conductors
readings are concerned, that 1t has ever had
within our experience; the eccentric Thythms
were finely accented: the dynamic differences IN
the various AOups of Instruments were so nicely
shaded that effects which 1t would have been easy
And the members of the orchestra deserve great
credit for their execG alton of work which Is one OF
the most difficult aud iatgung oil all the current
symphonies