New-York tribune., 1902-12-03
MUSIC.
MR.. wErzLER.s SECOND CONCERT.

Mr. wetzier II is pIeasant to record is not above
taking hint from his audience. At his first con-
cert. some ten days ago he tired out his hearers
first by beginning twenty minutes after the adver-
tised time, which was at $50 p. m ap-
parently to accommodate long or late diners.
and setting up unconscionably long programme
Last night. when he gave his second concert IN
Carnegie Hall, he began almost on the minute ana
limited his programme to three numbers. In DONG
this ne also altered his scheme as originally an
nounced, abandoning Cherubinis Anacreoh over
ture, which was to have opened the concert ana d
group of panoforte soil. and substituting the Frel-
schultz overture for Mendelssohns 'Heorides
Weber's overture having been feature OF one
of his cencaZts last season .e thus saved h1nseil
time in the rehearsals. gained it for the
minor symphony by Brahms on which 1t was
spent TO better purpose Even as it was we coulo
have wished that Mr.. Wetzler had not labered so
strenueusIy in the preparation of this delightful,
heart-warming fancy-stirring bit of romantic cas-
sicsm All the time spent in imbuinS the players
with sense of total euphony, precision ana
Elasticity of utterance well bestowed. but
these things gained in the high degree disclosed
by the performance it would have been wiser
not have lahored hard to follow IN the
footsteps of Wagner As a conductor wagner mas
inspired all the vagaries which are threa atening to
kill all the ingenuousness and sane directness that
the old composers put into their music
In 1864 he conducted the ''Freischdtz overture
in Vienna, and stirred the local waters with a
peculiarly vital reading. When later he came 10
account of what he had done with the overture
One of the things to transform an accent mark
at significant place into a diminuenoe As was
his CUSTOM he said, the composer had meant and
written what he thought, and that stupid con-
duetors and editors had changed the text. Now
the marks of sharp accentuatiOn are so many and
consistently applied in the overture that one
would be justified setting the effect which they
were designed to produce one OF the most chdr-
acterisuc features of the work. Moreover, the in
stance upon which Wagner based his argument
was easily shown to be an accent ana not d
al1ninuenoo mark by an appeal to the autograph
score Of the overture. But Mr. Wetzler must needs
follow Wagner and. like all the tribe of latter day
German conductors, give extravasant and gen
eral application a peryersion OF the composer s
wishes. which in one instance happened TO produce
least striking effect. For TINS, however, those
who know and love Weber's overture had to forego
a much beautiful aud striking effeet-tne
poignant cry of the cellos in the glowing meas
which suggest the powers of evil Immediately
after the mellow horns have sung their bosky can
tlele
But It is ungraeious to quarrel with Mr.. Wetzler
after enjoying admirable performance as ne
gave of the Brahms symphony and providing Mr.
Pugno to play the Schumann paneforte concerto
in a manner that has seldom been equalled here
Here strong conception OF the work OF one
who was healthy poet, with all his leaning toward
the fantastic
In his tenderest moods and his most boisterous,
Mr. Pugno played with clarity and buoyancy that
were inspiritng. exciting and emotionally moving
Here was accent. melodic as well rhythmic, 10
make up for the lukewarm faccidity of much OF
the overture The applause which followed was
not perfunctory, not mere compliment prompted
by social amenities II was the voice of honest en-
thusiasm.