The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-13
BOSTON ORCHESTRA MUSIC
MME. .MELBA SOLOIST Ar AZ.
TERNOON CONCERT.
Gusiase ssrviDe's New 'Puck'' Overture
Played for the First Time Here the
Audience One of ENtraordlnar, sire
The Performance was Excellent.

The frst afternoon concert Of the
Boston symphony Orchestra. which took
place yesterday at Carneg gle Hall. was
attended by an audience Of extraor-
binary size. Every seat was occupied.
the box holders crowded all the friends
they could into their space. tho stand
ing room az the rear was uncomfortably
packed and people also stood in the side
aisies The programme consisted OF
Schumsnn's Manfred overture,
Brahms's + major symphony. Mozart's
Dove sono' air from the Marriage Of
Figaro a new overture called Puck
by Stribe. the mad scene from Am
bros- Thomas's Hamlet and Sibelius's
tone poem -Finlanciia
II would he futile To seek IN This array
Of musical delights for m. secret Of the
unusual crowd One thing more must
he added. the name Of the soloist. the
magic name of Nelha That explains
everything OF course there il a large
subscription for thes. afternoon CON
c"rts. and there would have been good
house. IN any case. hut the addition Of
those who went merely to hear Melba
made the difference between that and
what il popularity christaned a record
breaker
Nine Melba was in splendid voic.
Perhaps that single statement 10 all that
~ essential to- an account Of her con-
iTibutIon TO the afternoon proceed
ings. hut the passing comment may he
added that her delivery Of the Mozart
air was not one To give profound salts
faction to those who place a higher a-ti.
mate on the composer than on a popular
singer. nor was her sin ging of VI Thomass
setting Of the fair OPP elias illusions
nawless in iis coIorature or its style
But these are matters which have never
concerned Mime Nlsiha's admirers She
has frequently sung much better than
she did yesterday without aroising
any more enthusiasm Her adorers ap-
pear To b- content Just to hear tn. sound
Of her voice and they thus often do her
art injustice
Gustavs Strube. the composer Of tho
new Puck overture, H. - some music
lovers know. one of tn" first violinIsts
Of rh" Boston symphony Orchestra.
from which estate has already graduated
that other distinguished Boston maker
OF tone poems, Charles Martin Loeffler
New York has already heard several
of Mr. Srrubes compositions. on. Of
the most notable Of them being a tine
concert piece for violin beautifully played
her. by that same Loefiier
The new Puck overture was COM
posed in the winter Of 1905 and 10 ded-
Gated 10 Conductor Max Fielder. IL 10
not an attempt 10 furnish new prelude
TO Shake~peare's Midsummer Nights
Dream" but as the composer has said
In only an cndeavor tn portray in tones
some sylvan moods. with Puck A. a frolic
figure. The composition is in what il
technically called the first movement
form. the first movement here being that
Of tho classic sonata II Is therefore pre-
pared to satisfy the requirements OF tho
orthodox who eIpeci certain fashions 10
accompany the title Overture"
This Ia not "a pretentious work and in
therefore not profound. IL is Inaiyect-
eddy tunefll in thematic matter. clearly
and agreeabiy developed and scored with
n firm grasp OF the idiom Of the orchestra.
IL IL an ingratiating competition in a
small genre and will serve 90 please other
audiences than that which received IL
with 40 many evidences Of favor yestsr-
day. Mr.. Str,ibe was liberally appla,Ided
and several times Obliged 10 ack now ledge
the approval ~ his hearers.
The. performance 81 the Schumann
overture was ons Of the most artistic
that have been heard in this town. II
was entirely Lee from straining after
foreign effects. from that eagerness In
thrust upon SrhiiDanna music n manner
Of expression which in tho circumstances
must always b~ abnormal. SchIimann 10
not Strauss and there N no 'Ise trying to !
read him as n he were. vet This city has
heard the effort mad. and has even sseTned
To think that 1t was " iza
The performance ~ the Brahms sym |
ebony was very beautiful IL was 40 |