The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-14
Attic la SS

One of the four great orchestras OF
the country-the st. Louis Symphony
orchestra-gave a classic program at
the Auditorium last night. The first
opera, "RienZi." The piece opens with
the sounding of the keynote by the
trumpet, repeated by the bass viols,
then taken up by the 'cellos and final
ly caught up and Swelled by the viO-
Inns. Wagner's consummate skill in
pronouncfng, verifying and enlarging
his themes was expounded by the or
chestra last night in its first number.
Mr.. Horace V-hitehouse. dean of fine
arts at Washburn college, played
Reinberger's organ concerto in F
major with The full orchestra accom-
paniment. The concerto is in three
parts in contrasting time and feeling
The andante of the second part was
touchingly sweet, and the meditation
of the orch astral accompaniment was
in perfect accord with the touch of the
soloist. The fact that Dean White
house is a Topeka man gave the con-
certo performance a dash of local
color, so to speak, that made it par
ticularly interesting to the audience
The applause was persistent in which
the orchestra conductor, Max Zach,
Joined with the audience The third
number, and the most important thing
of the evening was Tschaikowsky' S
symphony Pathetic his greatest
composition and the GROWING work of
his life. He said of it himself that
it was designed to be a picture of life
of its emptiness and its tragic, IT.
resistible fatality. The symphony con-
sists of four movements. The first an
adagio, the very essence of melan-
choly. 1t is the voice of remembrance
with a sense of the uselessness of life's
events as seen in retrospect. The sec
ond movement is brighter. 1t is the
spirit of reckless revelry: In the
words of Omar Some for the glories
of this world, some for the prophet s
paradise to come-take the cash and
let the credit CO." The symphony is
written in minor, and through all of
it there is the dull undertone of the
drum beat-probably signifying relent-
less and inexorable fate. The same
pulse runs through this second move
ment and turns its gayety to irony.
The third movement is full of life,
contains the grand march and thrills
with vigor. But underneath is the
beat of the drum which tells that this
too is of the charnel and must die.
The last movement is a lament: The
end has come. And the music dies in
a few doleful notes of the trombones
echosed by the bass viols and at the
last the final beat of the drum. The
rhythm of the piece is most unusual
being written in 5-4 time, and the
theme is woven in a hundred delicate,
intricate designs. Whatever we think
of the sentiment of the piece. its mu-
steamship stands above question. The
last number of the program was Cha
brier's rhapsody, "Espana." 1t was
given with an abandon that bright
ened the feeling of depression left by
the symphony.
The orchestra conductor, Max Zach,
has the sixty-f1ve pieces of the or
chestra fully in his control. His lead
ership is excellent, he has no manner
isms, and wields the baton without
making a iumping-jack of himself "as
many of our players do The pro-
gram was long but rot tedious-at
least not to those who know how to
listen to music. There were few seats
taken in the parquet, but the balcony
was we'll filed. and the audience was
appreciative and enthusiastic. D.