New-York tribune., 1905-11-11
MUSIC.
The Philharmonic Society.

1ile fnlInaImonlc society began It's
season at Carnegie Hall yesterday afternoon with
the public rehearsal to the first concert. which is
set down for tonight. The opening was not alto
sether suspicious. The solo performer was dis
tinctly inadequate, and the desire TO exploit the
visiting conductor in mis- speciality led to the set
ting up of an Unbalanced and incongruous pro-
gramne. The solo performer Miss Otie Chew.
young English violnist, whose ambition seems
greatly to have overstepped her capacities she
essayed the Brahms concerto-a work of pre-
eminent greatness. which demands the highest
qualifications of acknowledgements mastery
Of the mechanics Of playing. broad artistic intelli-
gence, profound feeling. II Is not concerto to be
toyed or experimental with. 1t is strong meat
for strong men. A vrtuoso might overcome all
its nerve narrowing difficulties, and still
leave its lofty beauties unprecedented. A poetical
musician might penetrate to its noble heart,
and yet fail TO make the pulses of that
heart felt because Of incapacity of utterance.
There are men able to do justice to it's letter and
body forth its SPIRIT Hugo Hermann is such one.
as New-York music lovers know from lovely ex-
perience. There may also be women but Miss Chew
Is not of them. OF the three requirement.
technic, intelligence and emotionaity-Miss CheW
gave some evidence of possessing the second; Dut
her intelligence lacks the high imagnativeness |
called for by the concerto and, such as IL was 1t
stood alone in her unfortunate effort which was
faulty the technical side 10 be pitiful II
deplorable bringing humiliation ooth 10
Brahms's work and the Philharmonic Society
The socetv's poIicy of importing conductors has
lis merits and compensatons. but it is an obstacle
to the selection of homogeneous and well balanced
programmes The star conductors Of Europe are
mostly specialists or. if not, they have hobbies
which they have ridden so often and well that they
are possessed by desire to trot them out in for
eign parts to insure favorable reception
One does not like to cross the English Channel or
the Atlantic Ocean and be set down at the end as
OF special consequence significance MI
Colonne rode the French horse: Mr.. Safonof and
Mr.. Wood the Russian; Mr.. Wiengartner preached
the evangel OF Beethoven. Mr.. Kogel alone covered
the general field, and Mr.. kogel, though winning
the respect of his musical listeners and the musi-
clans themselves Gas proved by his Encouragement
last season to take the place of Theodore Thomasl
failed TO excite the special wonder of the public
When the engagement of Mr.. Mengelberg was
announced, it assumed at once by the knowing
that gravamen in his concert would lie in some
music by Richard Strauss; for Mr.. Mengelberg,
though an admirable musician and one who in his
day strongly under the healthy influence OF
Brahms has devoted himself with overwhelm-
ing devotion TO the music Of the Munich revou-
zionist. AN anarch in art" is Mr.. Hunekers
phrase, and what artistic anarchism means was
made plain yesterday when Mr.. Mengelberg opened
the hoodgates Of noise in the climax of Elm Hell
denleben." Upon this work he had obviously spent
the greater part of his work Of preparation, and IN
it he made a fine and deep impression, but it was
somewhat at the expense Of Schumann's ID minor
symphony with which the concert opened Here
there opportunity to display the souho
conventional qualities good conductorship by
a clear, strong reading of obvious and un-
strained text as exists in symphonic literature A
sensational effect could only have been attained by
sensational means which would have raised ques-
tions of legitimacy and yet we recall Mr. Nlkschs
reading of the work perhaps the finest achieve
ment which he put to his credit in all his Amer
lean career. There were few individual conceits
in Mr.. MengeIberg's reading but they were open
at least to question To US they seemed neither
valid nor conducive TO effectiveness. His tempt
were sluggish, especially in the scherzo which
moved with a heavy. If energetic stride Equally
questionable the illogical Tor, let us say,
seemingly iIlogicaD employment of ritordandi IN
places where they efaced the natural and gracefui
flow of the music,-the little cadentiai chronnatic
passages In the trio, for instance And so nothlns
remained in the familiar old work which was at
once noteworthy and praiseworthy, except the fine
sane muscuarfty which has always been present IN
the society's performances of it.
Like all conductors of the modern and masterful
kind Che certainly is that. Mr. Mengeloers com
manded precision and elasticity of utterance at all
times though he was hard put to it all through the
concerto through no fault of his, but because OF
the inadequacy of the solo performer He Is d
man of intense earnestness. and makes MS "lshes
felt as well as understood. without spectacular
antics or extravaganza of gesture. He is at home
in his scores; the printed page does not hamper
him. for. as said of another long ago. ne mas
the score in his head, not his head in the score
In the Strauss symphonic poem, which Is SYM
nbonic hut not poetical except in extraneous
sense he displayed a splendid realization OF the
value of song Whenever it was possible In that
wild, whirling phantasmagoria of sound ne nade
the choirs of his band sing The men might blow
blood out of eyes, but they were not permitted
to forget continuity and Conference OF phrase
Whatever of sense nonsense there was In the
score was brought to the CONSCIOUSNESS OF every
listener gifted with modcum of analytical dis
cernment Everything which goes to make up elo-
ouence of utterance to be found IN the playing
of the orchestra The Philharmonicians have never
rlaved better than they did in Elm Heldeneben'
YESTERDAY Was it worth while 10 bring man
from Amsterdam to raise the question whether or
not that excellence was employed in good Gauge?
W. b,va neither patience nor inclination to dis
cuss that question The deeper artistic one under
Wing II has so often been studied In these columns
,bat il were waste of time and trial of patience
- org,7a Il anew When chaos is come again Elm
IIe1denleben' may loom up as a very example Of
orio1,e and beautiful musical art We cannot yet
conceive how it shall before then