The sun., 1904-12-09
WITH TIE BOSTON ORCHESTRA
YSAYE, the EMINENT VT0LfNIST,
RETURNS HERE. ..
His Playing OF Baeh's Is Fiat Concerto ana
Bruch's ID Minor Concerto Arouses
the Audience TO Enthuslasm-Brahrns's
Third symphony ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


Druch's ID Minor Concerto Arouse'
the Audience 10 oEnthuslasm-Brahms's
Third symphony neautifuiyPcrforin
The Boston Symphony Orchestra gave
its second evening concert last night az
Carnegie Hall. The audience was one
OF great size. and hundreds we're turned
away. The programme consisted ol
Ijranms; symphony In F. No. 8; Bach :
concerto in L hat for violin, orchestra and
organ, LISTS The Sermon Of ST. FRANCIS
Of Assist TO the Birds, Bruch's violin con-
certo and Betlioz's King Lear overture
The soloist was Eugene Ysaye, who returned
after an absence OF six years.
The interest of the audience plainly
enough centred in the yiohn*t. whosa
reputation hes got the start Of the majestic
world There have been narings and
trumpetings enough to make any sensible
person suspect that Mr.. Ysayo was mounte-
bank instead Of a serious artist. but 1t may
he recorded this morning that he Is still a
great violinist and that red and yellow
posters mean nothing, -.--
Ysaye's technic was never perfect and
il Is not so now. but it is better than 1t was
on many occasions when he WHY here be-
fore His intonation still has its moments
Of incertitude. But in all else that goes
to make a master he is most adntra BILE.
His bowing is superb, his style-barrihg a
too generous use of the sliding fnger-is
elegant. and his temperament. rich and
communicative. is controlled by fne
musical intelligence.
His performance Of the Bach concerto
opened the way for the discussion OF moro
matters than would comport with he
purpose OF a morning newspaper review.
Byron said that the road was fine field
for conjecture and snipe shooting. Bach
Is an equally fruitful field for conjecture
and for the exchange Of critical aHerbities
which come perilously nigh the Shooting
stage. .' --....
One authority argues that because Bach
was not a writer for the stage but for the
church, and because the spirit of d ramatist
utterance did not enter bto instiCno ntal
music till after his day that his music should
be played and sung with relentless adher-
ence to temps and with only the most ele-
mentary dynamic nuances.
Another will tell youthat the +ChronIatic
Fantasia and Fugue' and the st, Matthew
Passion are alone sufficient to prove that
Bach was for yesterday, to-day and for
ever, that he is modern Of the moderns.
position that Is to be. played oil. sung; that
is ell. What is the right style for some OF
the clavier fugues or orEan,hopatas, Is not
prop for som, of the concerto and for the
Passion music. Bach wah as fany-slded as
a diamond. He was a univ ersal genius.
Some times he graved musical law upon
tablets ofstone; again be painted sqbhmeft
TRACED es with his hearts blood upon the
open page of human sympathy. ;. 49,
If Mr.. Esaye was able to find in the =
fiat concerto something more than beautiful
patterns of sound, who shall censure him
for il? Certainty ne read the slow move
ment OF the concerto not only with sound
sentiment, but vita souni MI 40 -al,h.p,
with not only tenderness but also breadth
and dignity of stvle, His performance here
made Bach sound alive and human instead
Of dead and scholastic.
Bacnswas and il aive and the humanity
Of his music grips every understanding
to-day as firmly as il must have gripped
those OF century and three-qusrters ago
Mr.. Ysaye's performance, suave and sono-
rous clear and pointed In its treatment
Of the oid-fashioned graces, manly and
sincere in its feeling, moved the audience
nightly. 1t is not often that Bach playing
evokes such enthusiasm.
The Bruch concerto is not field for con-
lecture. Mr.. Ysaye played it with superb
the end with a brilliant burst Of staccato
bowing. This concerto is the less popular
of Bruch's two, but 1t was lightly salts
flying music as Mr. Ysave PLAYED il.
The orchestra and Mr.. Gericke were in
happy mood. Their Offering OF the lovely
Brahms symphony-a mine Of melody and
wisdom-was so Beautiful that Il was a
cause for gratitude rather than mere ap-
proval just why the Felix Mottl orches-
fration of the Ii 1t legend was performed
can only be conjectured II is a highly
rnimportant piano piece in its original
form, and the Transcription serves only to
bring its nakedness into the glare of bril-
liant atmosphere. where there il neither
twiddling Of fingers nor virtuoso worship.