New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-07
M USIC.
THE BOSTON SYMPHONY QUARTET.

me 6oston Symphony Quartet did not provide
an unquahhedly pleasurabe evening with It's second
concert In Mendessohn Hall yesterday. There was
mueh that boisterous. and i'll balanced as
"eH' IN ITS playing. and. for an incomprehensibIs
IeisoE Qhe meteorological conditions being favor
anie and Mr.. Hess musician OF fine skin and
large experence) the information was frequently
raise almost persstentiy, indeed. in the sec
ohu trlo or the second movement of the
best known and most popular OF Schumann's
- that In A major - which closed last
nights programme Some roughness OF. tone was
TO have been expected In the quartet by TaneIew
in fiat minor. which opened the concert as a
concession TO the effort which IL exacts il some
thing like emotion is 10 be Injected into H. bur
after the first concert Of this season we were
scarcely prepared for reversOn TO the manner
OF pay which marked the beginning OF the clubs
playing last year. When the Names Ouarrer
played the work four seasons ago II seennad as ~
all passion had been sacrificed 10 a desire
u preserve purity of intonation Last night
'ne music sounded fresher. more vigorous
ana In some degree more spontaneous than it
ana before but the first impressions were recalled
The least satisfactory movement is the first
winch might have been produced. we should say
by any OF Mr.. TaneIew's colleagues among the Rus
sian conservatory professors. Much more filling
were the second and third movements. a Largo and
Presto, which in character and purpose fulfil the
classical design requiring grave and sustained
slow section and loosely spirited in the mid
die of quartet The Intermezzo. which follows
ana IS LearIeG4y made and full OF ingenious effects
OF color, seemed less interloper than before
cause played with finer appreciation of it's effect
upon the general scheme; but the finale again
sounded like the work Of q modern obsessed at once
by the spirit of Haydn and the demands OF the
latter day. In spite of ALL however it was pleas
ant to hear the work again. and there would be no
reason for regret If it establish itself firmly
IN the lists or our best opponents OF chamber music
Between the two quartets Miss Susan Metcalfe
provided a vocal intermezzo, singing a group OF
songs in a style which has become a grief and al
most irritation TO those who two or three years
ago were enlisted a band of admirers because OF
her exhibition Of peculiarly refined and Intellectual
ly refreshing art. Since then she has lost none OF
her command of the technics OF singing, has
her voice (never extraordinary IN sensuous charm,
but singularly fascinating Of it's individu
atty and adapta bility to the purposes Of its mis-
tress) deteriorated in any respect. But the frank
Unaffected. ingratiating style Of the earlier day
has now given place TO mannertsns OF tonal ennis
sion and erraticisms OF reading TO such degree
that the pleasure which her vocalizaton is
always mixed with vexation- She is become explo-
sive; alterations OF loud and almost inaudible
phrases. coupled with breathesS precpitancy In all
allegros rob her singing OF the fine quality OF re-
pose which II used to have, and all this, combined
with vicious pronunciation of her German texts,
makes her unsatisfactory interpreter OF such
songs upon last nights programme. All
the defects were heard in Mozarts 'Veilchen'' and
Schubert's 'Ungeduld.' though they reached their
climax in Brahms's 20 HebIiche Wangen." which
was gasped out pitifully On the other hand. she
sang "Onbra mai fu' from HandePs 'Serse." in
a most noble and beautiful manner.