The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-16

1itOn and Russian Music Last Night.
-ranIJe I~alnt-Saans, the famous French
,omnoser, appeared in Carnegie Hall wit b
,hs New York symphony Orchestra yes ter
dsv afternoon az the first OF two special
concerts designed TO afford opportunity
% hear some of the musician r works under
.be inspiration OF his presence and in some
oases with himself as a performer. The
,l.n of the concert was altogether more
dioni6ed than hat at which he made his
Assault before an American audience, and
,,ble the reprehensible weather kept many
~ homo. there was an audience Of tolerable
she and abundant enthusiasm. The plau-
dts were chiefly for NJ. Saint-Saens, the
rianist. and they were honorably earned.
A. soloist the eminent composer was
heard in his q minor piano concerto and his
caprice on ballet airs from Gluck's "Alceste."
Roth these compositions are well known
\, all music lovers and have been played
here over and over again by- pianists in
numerable. out OF the crowd Of recollec-
lions arises distinctly that OF Harold Bauer's
vondprfully beautiful treatment OF the con-
,s-,o. II ought to mean a good deal to
those who know whea it is said that NJ.
. S,nt.Saers's own performance will in the
future be rec ilied together with Mr.. Bauer's.
The composer is far from being a young
m n; bat his finger and wrist technic has
all the elasticity of youth. Fluency of
manner and beauty Of tone were the charac-
teistlcs Of his performances on the piano
yeste,diy The dainty c~rispness Of his
touch in the ballet music was particularly
notable. while the elegance and confluence
l.. ..-I. A...Il H. "
forded a valuable lesson to young pianists.
Twice also the composer played the
organ, once in an insignificant trihe Of
chamber music Ga serenade for violin,
VIOLA, piano and organ), and again in his
symphony for orchestra n organ with
incidental piano part. In the serenade
Walter Damrosch took the piano Tpart;
in the symphony it was played by Mrs.
Mennes and Elliot Schenck. The symphony
u. like all the other large works Of NJ. Saint
Ssens except his operas, an old friend.
II is i~nfrequently performed, however,
and il was therefore interesting to hear
il again. IL was in this composition that
the members OF h symphony orchestra
acquitted themselves with the greatest
credit. Their playing in the concerto
was by no means precise or noble in tone.
The first number of the generous pro-
gramme was the ballet music from NJ.
Ssint-Saens's opera Henry VIII" This
delightful weaving OF Scotch tunes into
dance music for a pictorial scene is always
welcome n the audience yesterday after
noon enjoyed it TO the fun measure. On
Sunday. at 3 p. NJ, M. Saint-Saens and the
symphony Orchestra will appear in the SEC
ond special concert devoted wholly to the
writings of this master.
The first concert OF the Russian SYM
phony Society took place in Carnegie Hall
last night. The programme consisted OF
Tschaikowsky's Pathetic" symphony, a
new Dance Scene" by G~lazounof, Tschai-
kowsky's violin concerto and two sketches
from Hyppolitoff- ~Ivanoff's Caucasian
Suite The soloist was Alexander Pet
schnikof, the Russian violinist, who was in
this country in 1899. The chief Characters
tics Of Mr.. Petschnikoh's playing remain
the same as they were then, but he shows
growth of his art. His one is still distin-
guished by sweetness and penetration rather
than by breadth or nobility, and his bowling
by nervous vigor rather than by ~eleganance,
but there is more general finish in his style.
His finger technic is remarkable in it's
agility and certainty. Dash and elan
we're prominent in his performance last
night, u there was not a great deal OF
sentim ent. The Tsehaikowsky concerto
il formidably difficult n its pitfalls were
taken in brilliant leaps by the player.
There is a small theatrical history ep-
pended to the new Glazounof piece, but il
ndTuly SteiIlh ncoueu. lu0 JcAIuTe OI LIIS
composition is slight. 1t is a pretty inter-
mezzo for a serious programme and it is
scored to perfection.
Modest Altschuler is hekconductor OF
the Russian symphony Society, m last
night he had his inning with the Pathetic"
Given an orchestra that can play this work
at all. and with an audience Of ordinary
taste, the conductors success is assured
The two middle movements Of the work
play themselves. The scherzo in bound to
create popular excitement. no matter how
II is performed. In the first and last move
ments the conductor u be something
more than a mere f~igurehead.
Mr.. Altschuler deserves praise for mode
ration in the first movement. That is all.
He let loose everything in the third; and
IN the fourth there was nothing left, not
even a general agreement about balance
Of tone or unanimity of phrasing. The
performance in it's entirety was marked
by rude vigor rather than by emotional
.ensibility. But il ia hard to make a
fail,ira with thia svmphonv