New-York tribune., 1905-02-15
MUSIC.
a Special Philharmonic Concert.

The first of two special concerts by the Phil
harmonic Society took place in Carnegie Hail yes
terday; the second will be given tonight. doubt
less with all the striking merits of yesterdays
ahair raised to a higher power That is the rule
81 concerts or this character. in which the gala
spirit that lives at night drives away whatever
trihlng incubus may have rested upon the after
noon affair. Some features of yesterdays meeting
1t will be difficult duplicate A thrill
ing performance OF the choral orchestral por-
tons of the finale of Beethoven's Ninth symphony
can scarcely be expected. nor is likely to see
and hear such demonstration of glad
thusiasm greeted Mr.. Weingartner afte
he had conducted what was in every
spect a notable performance OF that stupendous
work Our usually staid and decorous Philharmonic
audience has had frequent occasions OF late to
show that Ii respond to an appeal to its emo
tions. but it has seldom been whrled into
boisterousy gladstone mood yesterdays concert
plunged IL into The incident the strik
ing from the fact that it warmed only to the
crowning achievements of the day. the climax of
the Scherzo and the elimination Of the gories OF
the finale In the Beethoven work; the meritricious
beauties-they are scarcely than prettnesses-
of Beriozs symphony. Harold in Italy" did not
stir it, and the first movement did not seem to
satisfy all the expectations which many fine per-
formances In the part had created. The Philhar-
monic Society has made it a pous duty TO
produce the choral symphony bienniaIly. and has
usually accomplished than creditabe things
with It, in spite of the difficulties offered
occasions, Mr.. Chapman called on to enlist
and prepare the choir. and was more than usually
spccessfuL There deplorable weaknesses in
the solo quartet but them called for leniency
in judgment. Mr.. Edward Strong was expected
sing the tenor part. He ILL., and Mr.. Edward
Barrow took his place. He labored through the
all but impossible music with strident voice. His
companions (they Miss Anna Bussert, Mrs.
Carl Alves and Mr.. Julian Walker) labored also.
and there little euphony from that quarter of
Mr. YET fTlar'S fOrPa hut
oftener felt grateful that disaster has not over
whelmed the daring souls who essay BeethoVens
music than delighted with their achievement.
To take up the details of Mr.. Weingartners
reading of the Ninth symphony would lead into
regions which only professional listeners would
traverse with pleasure More plastic. more ele
mentally forceful and compelling performances of
the first movement which surely marks the cul-
mination of the creative power of the greatest of
all symphonists. have been heard here. There
were moments when a sort of academic reserve
on the part of the conductor held back the surg
ing elements that seemed 10 beat against the bar
riers which his iron will had set: but in nearly
every instance when musicians and listeners felt
a need of greater elasticity Of tempo greater
propulsive eagerness. retardation. there came
compensation in the incisiveness of the rhythms
and the clarity with which inner voices came to
the fore So that. after all, few of the
great climaxes missed The Scherzo
was taken at bewildering speed. which
hardly relaxed iota in the trio; but the
mad humor possessed every player in the band and
mona were carried off their feet in the whir After
this movement Mr.. Weingartner called all his sing
ers to the stage Then disaster seemed surely
impending for the platform inadequate in size
and the two hundred men and women were crowd
ed against the wall at both sides and rear. 1t
did not seem likely that they would keep together
separated by vast space But there was in
spiration in every movement Of Mr. Vein
gartner's arms and head; his glance transfxed
every individual. and when he called upon
the singers to strike they struck like thun-
derbolt- The conductor used book; he had
the entire score in his head and therefore (as an
old German pun has it) did not have to have his
head in the His colossal energy went out in
every direction and transhgured his performers,
singers and instrumentalsts alike. Nothing that
he has yet done comparable with the mastery
Of his art disclosed in the last movement. No
academic reserve here yet as firm hold on the
technique which is necessary to insure unanimity
of action as an emancipation of his soul that
it might bear the souls OF all along with 1t In its
flight
BY bringing the singers upon the platform before
the Adagio Mr. Weingartner did the best that
could be done under the circumstances 10 conserve
the large poetical purpose which is at the bottom
of the symphony. That purpose has generally been
overlooked hitherto in American performances.
Even at great festivals in which the choir occu-
pied the stage from the beginning it has been
customary to make pause after the slow move
ment so that the solo singers might enter. In spite
critical protest conductors have persisted in dis
rupting the continuity of the composers plan and
ignoring his wishes That dissonant shrek Of the
chestra which moves the basses to attempt articu-
late speech must follow Immediately upon the last
chord of the slow movement, in which the soul of
the tone-poet has scared heaven as it is
possible for artists soul to reach. Only thus is
made plain what follows-the reorganization of
themes which tell of heroic but desparing struggle
of search for happiness In the frenetic whirl of
pleasure OF hope and longing in serene contempla-
ton OF celestial things, the dismissal of all as in
efficient and the invocation of a song and the
employment of words and voices. Mr. Weingart-
rer's device only compromise, but still some
thing TO be profoundly grateful for.
There is recapituIation of themes also in the
finale of the Berloz symphony. which might as
easily have been forgotten by the reviewer of yes
terday's concert 1t was after Beethoven had
ended his proclamation What shallow device
in Berlioz how eloquent IN his great exemplar:
Harold in Italy" beautifully played yester-
day and for the second time this season Mr..
Kovarik (who played the solo viola) showed us
how fine artist he is; but it is doubtful If there
will be a speedy call for a repetition from the
patrons of the Philharmonic Society. The first
and also the last. time previous to yesterday
that it was given place a Phil
harmonic programme was in November. 1880.
when the late Theodore Thomas produced 1t.
Since then it has been performed under
Mr. Walter Damrosch Mr.. Niktsch and Mr.. Paur
Max Schwarz. Nahan Franko, Franz Knelssl and
Ottokar Novacek have played the solo: but the
symphony is still rated lower than its companions
the Fantastic and Dramatic Like the former. IL is
programme music of the kind that answers patty
label and is therefore blessing to the pro-
granine annotator and the simple souls who like to
sentimentalize on music These dear ones have
easy sailing in Harold in Italy With the aid
of the label they know that the slow intro
duction speaks Of melancholy: the following
rapid movement of joy and happiness; that
the Turkish patrol effect of the march
pictures the passing of pilgrims chanting pious