The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-06
THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.
A MEDIOCRE NEW SYMPHONY ny
FELIX WEINGARTNER.
An Old Form In Luxurious Modern Orches.
trail tlOthes-Maud MacCarthy PlayS
Memberships Violin Concerto Like
q . Lady-Beethoven Solemniy Played.

MeOdelssOhn's Violin Concerto Lik'
g . Lady-BeethoNe solemniy Played
The Philharmonic Society revolves on IT.,
axis a. regularly as the earth itself. Con
seqiently its second public rehearsal ar
rived on time yesterday afternoon at Car
negie Hall The entertainment was at.
tended 10y a comparatively small audience
but it was not the kind Of afternoon 10
encourage music lovers 10 travel from the
boroughs OF The Bronx and Brooklyn. The
programme was one Of no little variety and
Interest. The list comprised the -Coriolanus
overture OF Beethoven. Mendelssohns violin
concerto, LISTS symphonic poem. Pest
klange,' the andantino Of Saint Sa ems q
minor violin concerto, and Felix Vein
gartner's second symphony. performed for
the first time in this country.
To the new work belongs the place Of
honor, despite the fact that the soloist Of ,he
entertainment was the Irish violinist Maud
Mccarthy. In ordinary oircumst ances a
symphonst should give way 10 lady. but
when the lady performs familiar music and
the symphonist offers US new creation We
must ask the lady TO accept With HiberLian
grace the second place. Mr.. Weingartner
Ia still young man he was born in 1893
and he may yet do something which will
make us proud that We gave him proper
attention. Up TO yesterday only ono of his
compositions and his extraordinary poly
phonio synthesis Of Weber's Invitation to
the Dance" had been produced here Boston
has heard his first symphony, but not New
York
The tonality OF the composition heard
yesterday is + fat ma jor. which would nat
urally indicate q bright and joyous spirit.
The composer has not asked us to think Of
anything at all while listening to his SYM
phony. This is refreshing In these days,
when 40 much music struggles to explain
things till 1t needs a great deal Of explain
ing itself. Weingartner Is satisfied to
make symphonies on the classic model and
to make them for musics dear sake alone.
The usual four movements are here.
the soherzando being the second. The
FIRST movement IL built after the form Of
the fathers. but not at oil In their style.
There are themes made In the virtuoso
idiom which Richard Strauss speaks. an
idiom which sweeps the orchestra In soaring
language. suggested by the advanced piano
school. and develops q superficial brilliancy
OF melodic sequence beyond the widest
dreams Of Beethoven. But with the advent
Of this brilliancy profundity and austere
artistic serenity depart. 1t Is a Slavic
idiom II suits not with the temperament Of
the fair Anglo.Saxon. A touch Of Orien-
talism. too. one can detect In this first
movement In some Of the subsidiary matter.
The whole il barbarically rich in color.
Il Is like the gold -threaded tapestries OF the
East. Richard Strauss In the Russian
Ghetto-it Is q new environment Of a now
familiar thing
'Sunburnt mirth.' the dance and the folk
song inspired the second movement, which
IL clear and engaging In style. The third
movement 10 elegiac in character, beginning
with q reflective theme for the strings,
and relieving this with q At riking piece Of
writing for the wood wind, punctuated
by no less than three kettle-drum heaters.
This part Of the movement afterward passes
over to the brass, whence It grows Into a
broad tutti and thus reaches the end.
The last movement. made In the lasting
rondo form, reviews much Of the thema,ic
material presented In the preceding three
employed with admirable effect. but it can
not be said that Vein gartner has made
Q solid piso' OF work by II. His last move
ment Is repetition and nothing more, except,
Of course, high-tinted orchestration. The
whole symphony Il scored In that dazzling
thought. A good deal Of our modern music
In like a certain school Of oratory IN which
sonorous phraseology and rare words
dug from the unused mines Of the English
tongue are marshalled 10 jewel lean thoughts
with fat talk.
Weinsartner's symphony Ia not all lean,
though, for the frst three movements
have some merit They will never over
whelm any bearer with that simplicity
Of genius which dwslls in the utterances
OF such masters AZ Brahms. nor with that
passionate melancholy which throbs in the
instrumental tragedies Of Tschaik owsky.
One thinks rather Of the lush music Of
Goldmark and the tonal vagaries OF Strauss
whom listening TO Weingartner, and Of the
Gorgeousness Of Eastern ceremonials But
tho symphony was well worth hearing and
II was well played.
and very slender; and that IL tie way she
plays the violin. She has a small, delicate,
timid tone. like the horns Of Elf1and family
blowing" She ia by no means certain %
her intonation-at least, abe was not yes
terday-and she Ia often inaudible. Her
oerto was not such as we are accustomed
to In New York. even from women. 1t
was swift, swallow-like, eager, nervous
But II had little OF no substance. De-
6cient In style, without depth OF sentiment
In tho cantilena, this performance had only
bowling and the purity Of the dimimltve
tone to recommend it, In the Saint-Saens
endantino the young lady was heard even
TO less advantage. for her intonation was
here even more faulty.
The old guard of orchestral music per-
formed tho Beet hoven overture az II IL were
. solemn function. The List music was
delivered with more spirit But the best
efforts were reserved for the new symphony
Mr. Damrosch conducted with care.