New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-05
MIrSIC AND THE DRAMA
TIE SYMPHONY SOCIETY.

- s,ovv.storm. which piled deep drifts on
an sidewalks and sent the hard haNeS W."
,ttipc force against tie faces ol -,
.r,orS was well calculated to set o""" va
Mos Of musical enthusiasm last hs"'' .1,o
benco the audience at the fourth concert VI
SYMPHONY society in Steinway Hall was Nv 80
. ,,erops ~, usual But all who had the '''lo ~
brave the storm found a reward III in' I.ot o,r.
Damrosch followed the fashion SCI az ~, ,u,r,.,io
certsof the Ncw-Yor and BroohIyh -
Societies aud presented a pioei",'''.' NJ Thcso
two symphonies separated ny SUN
were the pieces Mozart
svupnoliy in G Minor -.'-'''''''''''''' Snohr
Concerto in a Aoi for S Mishac Banner.
e,'ionV ................... Rubnstem
Tho ,laD. which looks something Ike D"S'poo
Inv a. tbe musical dyspeptics who are conln'
',a1iv CRYING for light pabuIum, was shown
nm the former occasions to have nothing terri
fcipg in it, and last night It was again effective.
II might be urged with some show of reason, that
last nights scheme did not show smooth and gen.
,,o progression as that of the last Brooklyn
concert. which ambled along through the naive
measures of Haydn and Mozart to those of
Beethoven as yet VOID Of the deeper import
found by bottom-scraPing philosophers
in his latter day works but If had rarity,
though of sharp contrast, and the violin
concerto was no more antiquated than
the pianoforte concerto of two weeks
ago Besides. and this is the principal thing, 1t
was good music and well performed. Mozan'S G
minor symphony the orchestra players of New York
have at their fingers ends they can always give 1t
an eloquent reading because its printed page does
not weigh upon them.
As for the Ocean symphony there is still
with them an aft ctionate enthusiasm over II
which began with its first performance here and
l..~ fl.. fff1TD
when they studied and performed it under bin. 1t
Ina, never worn out ITS welcome and is not likely 10
SO long ~ appreciation lasts for fresh, vigorous.
buoyaut music. full to the brim of character
and impressive beauty. An invigOrating breeze
blows from il, and the iuX and rchuX OF ITS
swells there is a delicious sensation of COM
mingled delight and awe. 1t is doubtful
whether RubinStein will ever again touch
the heigh, which ne reached when he wrote the
first movement of the Ocean Symphony. None OF
lis work since shows grand mood, nor so bloom
ing an invention. We arc glad that he
did not burden it with IA programme, ana
douby Glad that the hand that wrote
for the printed sheet distributed in the hall last
night, This symphony had originally been writ
ten in four movements; later three movements have
been adj led to it, dld not attempt TO supply one
Five OF the movements were PLAYED, but not the
las one which is said to be picture Of a storm.
of the performer of the violin concerto much
might Dee said. He Is a delicate limbcd lad OF lhir-
teen. who after studying half dozen years ii his
native city of Sacramento, CAL. was for a year and
half the pupil of MI : L Jacobsohn in Cincinnati
lie is certainly a prodigy but lust now IN that
state which makes it extremely difficult 10 say
whether hi> talent is not more cNiraor lnaTY lian
excellent. lie gives the i'm 'rcsslOn OF containing
prndi gouS possibilities, for young aS hc Is he Is Al
ready "a master o, nearly every mechanical element
in VIohu PLAYING. So tar as the style
of nj, howmg and STOPPING Is concerned,
it has the freedom and correctness OF
veteran The product. however, viewed from Its III
I Ilccfuul side is of course. immature. This docs
not DENY ii great merit; within Its limits II Is an
astonishing accomplishment, and only needs to be
magni' cd 10y greater power and Nltallzed by ORG
inal feeling 10 rank as a great ar work. One VINO
knows the style of his teacher can perceive Il
conscious imitation of II in all that he
does, bat the effects are all on tiny
scale. The purity of his intonatIOn, which
is really remarkable and the breadth of his canta-
bile PLAYING both shown 70 perfection IN the Bach
Air which he PLAYED after enthusiastic calil |
howcycr, show that besides skill in manipulation
he has a correct ear We cOnld wish that such cX-
traOrdinauK gifted children night be ken, of |
lng of good music and intercourse with able mus
clans would keep their talents so employed that
they would develop the beautiful fruit which now
They promise. I'm the majority OF cases an early
public career is fatal to such Developments