The San Francisco call., 1908-05-20
DAMROSCH MAKES
BEETHOVEN VIVID
Great CIassicist's Overtures
Strike Poetic Chord in
Hearts of Hearers
By Waiter Anthony

Beethoven. whose music is the sum
of all the classicists-B Handel.
Mozart-and the projection of all the
romantieists = Schubert, Schumann.
Tschaikowsky - Beethoven had his
night last evening at Dreamland rink.
when the New York symphony orches-
ira gave its fourth concert with Wal
ter Damrosch directing.
To get all the fault finding over at
once. be il said that the greatest of all
the greatest symphonist's compositions
The Seventhg-was not represented
on the program and that there was an
arrangement from his '-Serenade.'
substituted for a seldom heard but
English horn Director Damrosch an
nounced the illness OF the inconsiderate
artist whose English horn was there
fore mute.
The "Eroica" symphony. Beethoyen-s
third. was the first number on the pro-
gram. The composers awakening TO
the possibilities OF the form handed
down 20 him intact by his classic prede-
cessors was very evident in Damrosch's 5
skillful direction of the heroic music
There were a vivid presentation Of a
positive emotional scheme and poetic
insight into the inner beauties of the
harmonic web which made the sym
phony as fortnight and intelligible as
a foiksong.
To those who like to read while they
listen the program provided an expla-
nation 10 the symphony. Ia fact it
supplied two, and each one different,
but each no doubt equally satisfactory
TO the ina ginations which conceived
them. To others the fact that the first
movement meant life and death of a
hero" or a phantom picture OF -an ideal
battle as the purport OF a hero's life
seemed puerile when compared with
the realms 10 which the imagination
unha mpered was led by Beethoven s
music without a guide.
The futility OF such program expla-
nations in the face of the absolute nlu-
sic which Beethoven penned in this
score becomes piGifully apparent in
view OF the composers own experience.
When he liked Napoleon and believed
him TO be the champion of liberty he
wrote the symphony and dedicated it
TO his hero But poor Napoleon couldn't
live up TO the nusic's ideal any more
than the average man could struggle
with the batteries OF his own epitaph.
and so Beethoven. changing his mind
about Napoleon. gave up his program
and called IL just Eroica," which il
surely is.
The funeral march movement ana the
best played. The sadness of the funeral
movement was the grief of man. Wig
orous and profound There were no
Chopin cantabile tears There was
great beauty disclosed in the final
movement when the horns. admirably
played. sang the choral theme with the
strings above in a wayering accompa-
nimens
Nine Mary Hissem de Moss sang two
selections from -Egmonts: Die from
mel Geruhret'' and ..Freundroil md
Leidyoll'' The latter was better. il
being more within the singers range
Of emotional expressiyeness The
former was too dramatic. She was still
better in her encore number. NY
Mother Bids Ne BIND Ny Hair that
song OF Haydns which time does not
wither nor repetition stale. She old il
with sweetness and purity OF style quite
within the spirit OF the naive melody.
The complaint against the substi-
tuted serenade for strings was afidee:
TO by it's bre~ity, for which the string
choir OF the orchestra graciousiv
atoned by playing Bach's gayofte in E.
The Bach music was not oat of Dlaee
on the Beethoven program. After that
the -Larghetto" from the second SYM
phony was given This 1e0 year old
composition is as beautiful today as
ever 1t has no alloy, and its preseuta-
iion won. but didn't get, an encore
The final number was third overture
TO --F'idelio. written in 1906 1t proved
tho most popular piece OF the evening.
and the large audience was 10th 10 20
until its demands for another hearing
were Needed. But there was a rehearsal
on hand for next Sundays appearance
OF the Calvary choral society with the
orchestra. and the demands were de-
MED
Judging from the showing made bs
the 200 voices last night the choral
program for next Sunday afternoon in
conjunction with Damrosch's men viii
! be a rare and inspiring one.