New-York tribune., 1908-01-05
MUSIC.
ENTERTAINMENTS OF A SATURDAY.

Resides operas theatres. there WAS
concert of chamber music in Mendelssohn Han IN
the afternoon. and concert OF symphonic music
by the Philharmonic Society shared attention with
two operatic representations in the evening
Though five operas performed one OF tneni mao
two performances Il is safe assume that the
u1eropolitan appetite this form OF musical en-
tertainuent satisfied As to how this was oohe
something shall be said in the way of commentary
and record later. One of the interesting coinc'
dences of the day2more interesting than the IN
clusion of "Pag!iacci' in the evening bills or both
opera houses.-was the prevalence OF music usually
denou1na ted archaic at instrumental concerts
At the afternoon concert Miss May Nuke per-
former on the violoncello who comes to us from
England played sonata by Nalentfni While the
audience was still under the charm of her playing
marked bv every excellence which the lovers of the
NOBLE classical style admire. her companion IN art
(and. unfortunately. also in advertisement Mauo
Powell. played Bach's sonata in z major. ana
played it in a manner which disturbed but little TIE
fine reposefu spirit which had prevailed during
the first half of thoroughly artistic and disnineo
concert.
At the concert of the Philharmonic Society at
Carnegie Hall in the evening Mr.. Fritz kreIsier
who his first recital early in the season had dis
closed somewhat Unexpectedly a prediction Tor
of a century and half and two centuries
ago. brought forward violin concerto oy NlVaiol
never heard here before. so far as the records
show. and after ii one of the delightful concertoS
by Mozart which that marvellous genius wrote
for his exploitation when he was still willing
crafty his father by concertizing now and then
/ a violin virtuoso. OF the two works. that OF the
! older master was far and away the more interest
/ ing from historical point of view 1t was one OF
/ many which have long ago dropped into oblivion.
not having been kept in the memory Of music stu
/ dents sixteen of its companions have been. oy
! the circumstance that Bach rewrote them for the
harpsichord. 1t is due Mr.. Kreisler that 1T has
been preserved. and the least interesting fact
J brought home the Philharmonic people last
night that it is capable OF standing at this
late day its merits. II is a charmingly
| fresh composition. with a spenddly wrought first
movement, a broadly meodious cantflena for sec
Ond movement q finale delightfully."- allUring in
its humorous witchery. Mr.. Nreisler. who had
written out the continue of the original score in
discreet for the played this concerto as
he did that of Mozart. which he had provided with
| eadenzas-played them both in a manner which
was. ought to have been. education IN artistic
style fer the many amateurs and professionals who
heard hp1. and with a beauty which permeated
every feature of his playing
1t is pity that the remainder of the Philhar-
monic concert not the plane of Mr.. Kreis-
lers performance. Beethoven's Pastoral sym
phony has seldom given in such uninterest-
ing manner as it was last night and with such palpa
bic disregard of the composers plainly expressed
wishes Never before in arstocratic concert. at
least in city has the music of the Scene by
Brook been turned into an idle waltz measure
for this occasion. played a year ago in
its proper guise the prelude to a suite called
From the Middle Ages by the Russian Sym
phony Society 1t made fine impression then and
a finer and deeper yesterday because of its
greater sorority and warmer passion.
Five operas out of the six performed at the
Metropolitan and the Manhattan were Italian
Such preponderance this recalls the days Of a
| generation ago. when the word Opera connoted
Italian opera. and Italian opera meant Verdi and
/ Bellini and Donzetti To-day Italian opera still
means Verdi oftener than any other composer.
but for the elders who wrote la Sonnambula
and Lucia d Lammermoor' must substitute
Mascagui and LeoncavaIo and Puccini. who.
though now grown ripe years of maturity, are
still grouped collectively under the title of Young
Italy. 1t Verdfs ample portfolio from which
Yesterdays two matinee bills were draw wn Aida
being witnessed by splendid audience at the
Metropolitan. while 'Rigoletto- exercised at the
Manhattan the spell which its best passages still
possess With the frequent repetition of Aida
music lover quarrel. but when ''RigOletto y
I'll Trovatore" La Traviata.' I'm Ballo in
. Maschera' and ''Ernani'' kept in active ser
vice while Verdfs two monumental lyric dramas.
"OteIIo' and ''FaIstaff.' neglected. the as
siduOus pursuit of the earlier works seems beside
the mark II is as though operagoers were to be
asked to return the period when Wagners '-Lo-
hensrfn' and ''Tannhauser" were his CEly widely
accepted operas and when there we're. yet for
the general public. Tristan. Die Meister-
singer" no Ring of the Nbeung-" But if the
day of "OteIIO' ''Falstaff has not yet wholly
come Aida remains at least Verdi opera in
which both the advance guard and the lagsards OF
musical appreciation tread common ground
Acted and sung as it yesterday by Mr. Con-
reds artists gave unfang pleasure especially
as enlisted the best powers of Mine Gadski and
Nine. Kirkby-L Lunn. both of whom were in ex-
ceIIent voice and spirits Mr. CarusO's lack Of the
romantic presence was sadly in evidence. but his
Radames was vocaIIy superb. OF "Rigoletto. at
the Manhattan matinee. the single figure of high
distinction was Mr. Renaud il the ttuar role
The rest were merely competent in varying degree.
Young Italy had its operate innings in the even
ing .Cavaeria Rusticana " sung for the hrs'
, time this season at the Manhattan. garish in
general effect but without certain sweep and
, mower Mr. Dalmores bore the brunt of its artistic
, burden and his Turiddu after the ssrenade
(which every finds excruciatinsly dtHcuIt)
admira Bile as TO voice and potent in action Nine
Rrss-s tremolO marTed her Santuzza- which was
? otherwise acceptable and wholly sincere MI
; ,,rabh6 made a. manly Alto In -'Pasiacci. which
followed the MascaGn work at Mr- Hammerste n
honse as it also did ''HanseI und Gretel at the
NctropoIitan Mr. ZenatelIo a Canio whose
+ voice sounded At first somewhat cramped. but who
, gained in breadth and freedom the opera pro-
; crossed. In Nine. ACostinelH there was a Media
good to the eye and Of spirited personality The
artistic singing of Mr.. Sammarco again made
Tonio's share Of the opera noteworthy There was
some confusion in the chcrus's work in both even
ing operas at the 5tth street house. Mr.. Parelh
/ conducting lacked decision
Mr. Conried's "PagIaccf'' presentation had Nine
Cavalier as its bespangIed heroine and Mr. Martin
as che white robed Can.o There statuesque
beauty in this Nedda's posturns and deal Of
/ energy in her snging-some of ii misapplied. but
fair proportion carrying conviction OF Mr. Mar
tins personation is enough say that ii wanted
virility and IargenessCanios role within It's limits