The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-04
ORCHESTRA And A PIANO
SECOND CONCERT OF MIR. THOMAs's
MEMS SEASON HERE.
Oliver willard Pierce, indianapolis
Pianist, I'm Concerto by His
Teacher, MOszkOwski.

Oliver Willard Pierce, the Indianapolis
pianist played for the first time with the
Chicago orchestra last evening in Tomlin-
son Hall. The big auditorium was full of
people. The musicians of the city had
turned out en- masse TO hear a colleague
play with the greatest of symphony or
chestras. Ee had been heard at a May
festival and in recital; he had played else
where-and with the Cincinnati orchestra
successfully, but this, il was felt was
further test. He was greeted with a round
of applause when he came to the piano.
The work was Maurice Moszkowski's con-
certo. written a few years ago, about the
time Mr.. Pierce was under Moszkowskis
tutelage. He was thoroughly familiar with
the composers intention and method. This
was an advantage, but an extrinsic one;
the authority with which he played and
which very apparently impressed his audi
ence was his own strictly, the result of
years of hard, intelligent study and prac-
tice of his art
To play worthily a concerto with a grand
orchestra requires generalship, often the
ability of domination, or the solo instru-
ment will be swept ruthlessly aside; more,
the pianists tone must have fullness of
color. when it energies from the maze it
Will be poor and palid by contrast though
II may nave seemed rich enough in a cham
Der. That Mr. Pierce won proved him to
have control of the technical niceties and
strength that produce big harmonies The
phrases in the high notes rang purely and
he played the melody fluently. The con-
certo was new to most of the audience 1t
is dlfhcmt OF performance and has much
| beauty. At its end Mr.. Pierce was called
back several times and played an encore
SchUmanns "Romanza' with a sorority or
| tone that had not been excelled by any
pianist that had been heard here during
the season. Mr.. Stock conducted the con-
oerto carefully.
The orchestra's and Mr.. Thomas's work
began with an unfamiliar suite, "Scheher-
azade." by a Russian. Rimsky-Korsakow
1t was entirely descriptive and in this was
/ unusual for almost all of the Slav music
/ which is attracting more and more atten-
/ tion Is abstract This attempt at musical
/ Interpretation of the tArabian Nights"
might have been sensuous. The Arabian
/ Nights, so often handed down from the
platform around the Sunday Christ
/ mas tree by the superintendent, is by no
means the same as the beautiful, de luxe
edition set away on an obscure shelf of the
| library alongside of "Peregrine Pickle, >
! Tristan Shandy," Frederick Random"
| Rabelais and the Balzac "Droll Stories"
| This breathes the occidental spirit, the con-
| fidence that paradise is the last refinement
| of sensuality-the spirit that a Christian
! language cannot convey without grossness.
| NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. might have told some
| thing of this in his music, but he did not
| The first movement of his suite, THE Sea
and Sindbads Ship" was merely graphic
| and suggested the Strauss Ion the Shores
| of Sorrento" without having the fneness
| of that tOne-poem. In the last movement a
/ ship went to pieces in storm and here the
| volume was imposing and was exploited to
Mr. Thomas.F Scheherazade that foxy
! Sutana that wheeded Schariar into letting
! her live was represented by Mr. Kramer 5
] violin gracefully. At one period the tenor
drum, the tambourine and the cymbals
were used uniquely, but one looks for fresh
ness and going back to first principles in
| the work of a Slav and this novelty was
not remarkable. The suite was Interesting
and well-worth hearing, but at few points
was it more than realistic-like the novel of
a writer that has passion for nature but
lacks the ability of artistic selection.
The overture Of HdnE erdinck's beautiful
opera, "Hansel and Gretel," reminds one
of the simplicity and gentleness of the in
! troductory of Hans Andersens tales
Listen. my child once upon a time"
1t was beautifully played, but it's effect
was not so great as was that of Haydn S
Kaiser Franz theme and variations by
the strings alone. The audience demanded
| that a part of this be given twice. The
| melody is familiar in every home, and it
| has a reverential spirit Writers of pro-
grammes often are carried into romancing
! by their ardor. but one commentator says
| that when Vienna was bOmbarded by the
! French a cannon ball fell into Haydn S
| garden. He was not alarmed, but requested
| to be led to his piano, and played three
! times this Hymn TO the Emperor with
an emotion that overpowered him and his
| hearers.
! A composition that Is not often heard is
/ Bizet's Roma" which he wrote after re-
| turning to France from Italy. The concert
| ended with the overture TO Wagner's Ri
emf" The firm-ntentiOned Carl Arm
! bruster. who lectu cd about Wagner in this
! CITY this winter was careful, when in the
pleasurable task of eXpounding the philos-
| Ophy of the supernatural dramas, to say
| that Wagner regarded 'Rienzi' as an error
| of his youth. Ii was written, it seems,
| before he began TO see things heavenly
! and was still inclined earthward The Ri
emf" overture was played by Mr.. Thomas
| and his men with an eXhiliarating dash,
ence was grateful for Mr.. Thomas's offense
/ in putting the thing on the programme.
/ Those that liked 1t have one excuse to fall
back on, and that is stubbornness.
! The orchestra will go to Louisville to-
day and tomorrow evening Mr.. Pierce will
play the Moszkowsk concerto there. The
| next concerts here will be on March 81 and
| April L.