The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-30
AN EXCITED AUDIENCE.
Sembrich's Trlumph-Mr. Van Yorx's
Song Tschaikowski's Great Sym
phony

song ScnalkoWSklS Great sym
phony.
The afternoon concerts this year have
been Of unusually high merit, but that
Of Yesterday must be allowed prece-
dence over them ALL OF course, Nine.
Sembrich was sufficient guarantee of
a large house and Astounding enthusi-
assn, but commanding as the singer
was she was not the whole concert.
The magnificent Tschaikowski sym
phony deserves to be reckoned as the
most important addition to the festi-
val repertoire since the production Of
the same composers sixth. two years
ago.
Its themes haunt the memory, wheth-
er they be the rugged melodies of the
first and last movements or the lovely
song Of the andante. In all of the great
Russians later works one may be sure
Of finding a broad cantilena for the
violins, and the resistless sweep of the
strings was among the moving features
Of this symphony. Some portion of it's
fascination is no doubt due to it's
strangeness of the music, but that
might not prove a satisfactory recon-
mendation, unless the bizarre and the
coarse are avoided, as they are in this
instance. 1t is strenuous, restless mu-
sic, In which the voice Of melancholy
sings leading part, yet the effect is
not depressing but impressive in the
extreme. The third movement a waltz,
is the least absorbing of the four, and
the one least intimately bound to the
whole, both in sentiment and contents,
for all the others are firmly knit in kim
ship by the repetition of thematic mate
rial from the first movement. Nothing
in the orchestral repertory of the fes-
tival has made so profound an impress
sion as this symphony.
! The semi-religious and mildly drama
tic "Athalie" is the one of the least
| interesting of all Mendelssohn's over
lures, and is not often heard in con-
cert except when his other music to
Racine's tragedy is given, Weber or
almost any other Mendelssohn would
have been more inspiring,
But what shall now be said of Mime.
1 Sembrich? Words are utterly inada-
quate to describe the sensations excited
by her exquisite vocalism. She sang with
even less effort than on Thursday eve
ming, but her notes were of the same
bird-like quality, the same delicious
elearness, no matter how involved the
score, and her technique was above sus-
| picion. The excitement of the audience
has seldom been paralleled at any pre-
vious festival. The plaudits were inn
petuous and deafening, and encoYes
were necessities. Nine. Sembrich re-
peated a portion Of "Ah, fors' e lui,'
which was her first number, and after
the Strauss waltz, "Fruhlingstimmen ("
which she sang most delightfully."-, not
in her native tongue, but in Italian, she
reproduced All, non giunge," the
"Sonnambula" waltz song, which she
gave the preceding evening.
It was in one Of these encores that
she demonstrated her great musician
ship. Before Mr. Kneisel and the or
chestra could find their places for the
struck out for herself, without waiting
for the pitch, and sang several bars
before the orchestra Joined in with the
accompaniment. She hit the key exact
| ly and the whole performance was a
very pretty piece of work, for soloist,
conductor and orchestra, for both were
soon moving on together in perfect
agreement Nine. 6e.nbrichs must
cianship is universal, and to the
| breadth Of her accomplishments she
must, of course, owe much of her Won
| derful success. Her training as pianist
and violinist was by no means wasted
when she turned to singing, for she
gained understanding and knowledge.
| Melody comes from her as naturally as
breath, and when she had passed II
was as the ceasing of exquisite music. .
There could be nothing beyond
Mr.. Van YORK was placed in an en-
lbarrassing position between Nine Sem
| prich's two numbers, but he held his
ground manfully. His tenor voice is
sweet and sympathetic, having some
what OF baritone quality, and his