The sun., 1901-12-13
FIELD DAY FOR STRAUSS.
BOSTON symphony Orchestra George
HamIin's Strauss Recital.

some wonderfully fresh, DcautlluI songs
of his were heard at a recital given by
George Hamlin, and in the evening the
symphonic poem. "A Hero's Life, was
played under Mr.. Gericke's baton at con-
cert OF tho Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Decidedly the great man of Munich ana
the Berlin conductor Is prophet in other
lands besides his own. Mr.. Hamlin is a
tenor from Chicago, though he does not
sing in the least like one. He sings artis-
tically and his programme proves that
out of the Na2arenc Philistia good may
come. Mendelssohn Hall was well filed
by sympathetic audience. That Mr..
Hamlin sang was surprising, for his nerves
had been sadly shaken by news at the
eleventh hour OF a grievous family calamity.
SO his bravery in facing well-nigh intol-
erable and unacceptable position must not
be forgotten.
His selections were from op. 10. II,
10, 2i, and2 81. To the student these excerpt.
will be recognized as the earlier, the more
lyric Strauss, for his revolutionary Heder
begin In the thirties and run as high as
op. a. He patterned at that time much
after Schubert Schumann, Franz, Brahms,
Where the curve becomes Straussian,
where color and tonality abruptly leave
familiar planes, the results are never caca-
phonic; the characteristic has not become
the ugly-of course, using the word IN lts
conventional sense But surprises there
were in this youthful Strauss. Swift tonal
transitions, unresolved modulations
rhythms that refuse to answer the metric
reins-above all, the joy Of the expected
unexpected!
embraces In its categories all variants OF
the elements OF surprise is mastered by
Strauss. And yet-mark the Significance
of the fact-and yet he never JugRles with
tone for tones sake. He follows his verbal
text as relentlessly as he does the ideal
librettos OF his operas without words.
Not a song delivered by Mr.. Hamlin could
have withstood the divorce of speech
and music. SO closely woven is he texture,
so logical granting the Straussian 9sthet-
ic premises at the outset-the treatment
Some are more melodious than others;
some were better sung by the tenor who
failed TO make as much OF the ~SereHade,
for example, as one e1pectod. 1h"y all
carry conviction, do these Strauss songs,
and there are greater ones still unsung.
Mr. Hamlin's mezsO rOco singing was
Of a charm. II cannot be recorded that
his upper tones used in forte had pleasing
character, they were too often white ard
open. He resorts freely to the so-callcd
nasal resonance. But, this said, criticism
ceases; his utterances are musical, enuncia-
his control Of dynnmics from medium power
shading down 10 piali,simo uutoTced.
The second group OF 10 ard the more
elegaic numbers were given with intimat
feeling. Mr. Hamlin was warmly received
He win be welcome here whenever he elects
to return.
Al Carnegie Hall the other Strauss stalked
the stage In heroic buskin. Mr. GeTiCke
and his Boston band played Elm Helden-
lebcn" for the first time here COMPARISONS
thxAnalI hn tar "
heard the symphony four times last season,
conducted by Emil Paur. Let il be said
without further preamble that both read
ings were interesting Mr.. Paur's were
more heroic and synthetic; Mr. Gericke,s
moro analytic, and with surfaces exqui-
sitsly polished. The conductor of the
Philharmonic Society CAV" US a version
nearer the heart of the composer SO those
aver who have listened to the work IN
Berlin. But for rayi-l1ng tone color, per-
feet adjust ment Of the Intricate polyphony,
balance of the various orchestral choirs.
the performance last night would be difficult
to excel.
There was not the epical breath, the
note Of grandeur in the big fiat opening
phrases; these Mr.. Paur seemed 10 push
over the very edge of the world and send
them tumbling into vasty eternities, but
our home orchestra did not, could not play
with such precision the critical estimate
of the Hero's adveTsaries Those cynical
crlrlycues, that booming of empty tiths
croaking, malcvolent did not the
wonderful wood wind do with them on this
occasiunf Mr. Franz kuri-els made OF
the Hero's spouse a more aniabIe ptrson-
age than did Mr.. Richard Arnold Yet
no violin, he II never 20 potent. can trans
pose the lady's temper into an amiahle
key. She is the Woman Who StS Up Late.
She wranglcs, and when defeated IA ile 1
marital duel retreats tu wal..ns double I
notes The composer must have been
4 a N#H.a ..HF..