New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-15
MUSIC.
A RUSSIAN SYMPHONY.


The last Of the concerts OF the Russian symphony
Society took place in Carnegie Hall last night
1here was largely increased orchestra, for the
sake OF the principal number the programme.
Dut no increase in the size Of the audience. which
raet, taken in connection with the other that there
mas never been sufficient public patronage OF the
concerts to cover their cost. was calculated anew
70 cause vonderment to the source Of support
which these concerts. devoted TO special cult IN
music receive But that Is Of no consequence here.
The feature about which interest centred last nght
was the third symphony Of Alexander scriabine.
Russian composer. whq. II has been said. was
brought 20 this country through the agency OF the
society. whose compositions have played an i'm
portant role IN its lists this and who. be-
Sides mas given recitas. here and there. OF his
piauoforte compositions. At the society's con-
certs We had heard concerto for piano
forte and a symphony before the prOduc-
ton of last night: at his TecItals consider
able number OF less acceptable salon
prices. Last night he put a vastly different
front. with symphony. so called. OF the extreme
" modern and most aggressive kinda programme
| symphony, obviously designed to out-Liszt Liszt
| the father OF the Russian symphonists) and out
Strauss Strauss. the Richard. Neither task IS
easy but. things are going in music nowadays.
NJ Scrtabine went about It in the approved way.
Tho cearest and briefest definition OF this way
| can best be set forth thus: When you have moth
| Ing in particular to say say it as enthusiastically
as possible and call IN the aid Of a volumiuOus
programme. Roll the waters with much bIatherins
or brass and much literary ink: then. at any rate
| II your message fails OF understanding. ycu may
claim relationship with the progresssts In art and
| ran at the conservatives who are blind TO the
/ reckoning light. Mr. Scriabine who has made
| much music with his gloves on. in this. his third
symphony. took them Off and impressed an ex-
traordinary array CT Instruments the most as
sertive OF which to be found in the wind choirs
especially the brass Tho mission OF these instru-
rnents' In general IS 20 keep the harmonic waters
turoh and ever and anon to make stem
torian proclamation Of Musical Thought A
gracious press agent will tell you what ths
thought is-that Is what Il signifies. It. with a few
companion thoughts, less aggressively proclaimed.
| sings the Divine Poem"-for that Is what the
| symphony Is. Together the Instruments with a
| failure 20 come 20 any harmonious agreement
| among themselves. which is amazing. nevertheless
| II the composer and his press agent are correct
| IN their exposition. tell us something OF the
| emotional side Of the composers philosophy OF
| life; for instance that his creed is not
| wholly panthestic nor theosophstic but a
| little Of both. Also IL we may put in a modest
guess. that he Is not wholly agreed with the atomic
theory. has some doubts about Darwinianlsrn. pre-
fers TO look upon the nebular theory as merely
good enough working hypothesis Is skeptical about
| infant damnation. scorns the multiplication table
| as prosaic and matter OF vulgar faith and Is
| prone 10 the belief that humanity might be re-
| deemed ~ II gave eating meat and enigrated
| to the tableands OF Tibet. But would not
insist upon this conjecture so long as the COM
! poser has told himself OF the content OF his
wonderful symphony. Nothing surpass his
official utterance and therefore reproduce it,.
| though II be 60 our own utter confusion:
The composer Of lie Divin Poeme' has sought
20 express therein something OF the emotional land
therefore musIcally communicable side OF his phil
osophy OF life Mr. scriabine Is neither Pantheist
nor a TheOsophist, yet his creed includes IDEAS
somewhat related 20 each OF these schools OF
thought. The three divisions Of this symphony
0hey Joined without pause) are entitled
"Luttes' (struggles) 'Voluptes'' (ecStasies), and
"Jeu Dvin'' Creative force consciously exercised.
The first and third parts marked allegro; the
second Is slow movement A short, slow intro
duct!on proclaims the opening theme. which 20
the composer means the affirmation OF conscious
existence. OF the coexistence OF matter and spirit
IN the Ego. This theme. begun by the bassoons and
BASES. ends with militant ascending interval
In the tr,lmpets that may be the equivalent or Je
suls Il AMI. The spirit that af1rms Is aTrighted
at the audacity OF its thought and sinks into an
abyss OF mysticism A struggle begins between two
forms Of the new allegro theme OF the first move
rent as n a soul confident. now Obsessed by
doubt and fear. The slow movement "Voluptes
IS built upon two contrasting themes. The first.
introduced by the flutes. denotes to the composer
the souls affirmation OF the sublime; the second.
given out by a solo violin, the desire Of the soul
for the ecstatic Joy OF decentralization, OF the
nerging OF the spirit into nature Lovely episodes
mark this slow movement The final allegro, lieu
Div-in brings up In large and triumphant form
| ,ba tben,e OF affirmation OF the introduction
Here we have crystallized and now forever Pre-
served like a fly in amber. the contents OF thls
| composition which. when Mr.. Niktsch produced "
in Paris IN May. 1905 caused public outourst OF
dsapprovaI, but last night was unanimously &C
claimed by an audience whose appearance and at
titude indicated large unfamiiarity with symphony
concerts As has been indicated. the music OF this
| svnphony IS very different from that heretofore
heard Of NIr ScraDine's composition II is indeed
T., some respects different for the good. II has
| ,rdubitable strength As contrasted with Mr. Scri-
abine's first symphony his concerto and his plano
pie,es for salon. II indicates capacity TO ham
die masses for which had not given him credit
INT like the music which It initiates. II betrays
that II was inspired from without rather than from
vthin and like much of that music 1t pursues the
reIv and the painful. II they were things TO be
Irooed instead OF 20 be Stunned In art Its fan
tasttc programme has nothing more to DO with
helm TO an appreciation Of IT, II IS simply the
nroduct Of a fine talent lost in vagares like much
90 the music written by the clsverest composers
| ! to-day.
Besides the symphony. the concert gave rehear-
ing 10 the introduction to NIusOrgskis "khovan-
| selma and GlazounOff's symphonic poem, "Sten-
la Razin' and enabled Mr.. Alvin Schroeder. OF
the Kneisel Quartet. To delight the audience with
the first movement OF Davidonrs third concerto
| for violoncello.
AN HARMONIOUS PAIR.
A, Mr.. Josef Lhevinnes third pianoforte recital
. | h had fh