New-York tribune., 1906-11-17
MUSIC.
THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.

After three years OF excursions In foreign fields
and dalliance with the experiment OF conductors
who came and went like the songbrds the Philhar-
monic Society yesterday afternoon began it's sixty
NTH season under the leadership OF Mr.. Wassily
Safonof. We now TO have a protracted period
Of subjective and illustrative conducting with the
baton put aside not only useless, but cumber-
some Whether not conductor stick is
a matter between himself and his orchestra The
public ought to have no concern in II so long ss
artistic ends are pursued. A dozen sticks would
have added nothing 10 the essential value OF yes
terdays concert. Mr.. Safonof, whose Ideals
are familiar from former meetings. entered
upon his task If his heart were enlisted in It,
together with a masterful mind and a massive body,
and his men followed him through the melee Of
Tschaikowskyan symphony like soldiers storraing
a fort. The excitement communicated also
to the listeners, who left the hall after more than
two hours OF music with intellects and emotions
all atinge. But all the music was not OF the
tonic kind There gracious half hour
when g winsome bit OF string music by Mozart
brought a quiet delight that warmed the heart
without setting II to beating a wild tattoo MY.
safonof seems to have a love for the 'nno-
cent beauties Of the old master whose Rsthet-
&c creed could not tolerate the notion that
there were ugly things which belonged 10 me
field Of art and which could and should be ex-
pressed by compages OF uncouth sounds. So he
took out OF the dust the "Kleine Nachtmusik
for strings and with the colossal apparatus at MS
command invited II to extend its gentle ministra-
tions to a public rapidly being seduced into wor-
ship Of the ugly FOR the sake of new sensations
supposed to be proper to the hour Inc little
serenade worked a surprising charm. 1t throbbed
with Its own buoyant happiness and the audience
went into the land Of pure delight with 1t with IN
genuous eagerness. No vexing questions there;
only simple beauty gushing out of its melodies,
harmonies and rhythms ingratiating contours, and
the exquisite shading which Mr.. Safonof invoked
to I'LL them with exuberant vitality. How strong,
self-reliant and uplifting the old-fashioned music
sounded
The change into the new world OF Tschaikow-
skys fifth symphony would have been bewflder-
ingly abrupt II IL had not been prepared by
performance OF Rubinsteins D minor concerto
for pianoforte, played by Lhevinne. A Russian
conductor, Russian pianist and Russian com
positionl Something stressful might have been
expected, for It IS possible to do violence to this
concerto for the sake of sensationalisn. But the
beautiful music especially the beautiful slow
movement permitted to retain its charm. Not
in the fnalb the claws of the bear
visible. There might indeed, have been greater
dash, more abandon, larger reach for brilliancy
than there without harm-perhaps even to the
betterment of the general effect. But the audience
still under the spell of the serene and genial
Mozart, and II accepted Mr.. Bhevnne's beautiful
clearness and the luscousness of his cantena with
gladness that developed into enthusiasm at the
close and brought him back to the stage
balf dozen times to bow his thanks All the
garish. famboyant colors which could possibly be
placed upon the palette were reserved IOF
phony When last Il played by the Phtlhar-
monio Society. Mr. Henry J. Wood OF London. con-
Quoted X. Tsct akowsky is hts speciality, and this
symphony favorite medium for exploitation He
presented It with amazing force ana pcturesqueness,
but all it's glories they lived in memory paled in
the presence Of yesterdays reading. II began with
q funeral march. Mr.. SafonoT transliteratlng the
Introductory andante into lugubHous largissimo
This was evidently a preparation for the series
Of startling contrasts that we're to follow They
came almost with the entrance OF the allegro and
thereafter they trod each others heels from
phrase phrase almost from measure to measure.
What had been wondering curiosity was
transformed into excited interest and at the last
almost into a delirium. II drama OF pas
sion that played itself out in the four movements,
drama of fateful portent lurid. tumultuous. unin
terrupted in its flow, a resistless lava stream. It
was marvellous how II all hung together. with the
billows dashing about they did. Verify. Tschai-
kowsky's symphonies what the conductor
chooses to make them; wonder they are so
fondly cultivated. And orchestras always sound
well In them when melted TO produce the tonal
phantasmagorias. The Philharmonic played with
glorious sweep yesterday; tonight when the con-
cert will be repeated. It is likely to be ire
sisuble. The regime opened ausplciously;
the hall sold out yesterday.