The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-12-06
one witnessing the work for the first

| Pinex Co., Ft. Wayne, IND.
| one witnessing the work for the first
| time.
| The man of evil mind who came
! prepared to enjoy an orgy of sensual
| suggestiveness found the cold and
| unhesitating statement of the revolt
| ing fact as far removed from his ex-
pectations as the anatomist's study
| Of the body is distant from the I'M
clean visions that nudity inspires in
the immature or the prudish.
Climax Is Shocking.
| Miss Garden, around whose figure
this type of anticipation centered,
was guilty of little that was sugges-
! tive and nothing that was absolutely
unrefined until she came to the final
climax and she assumed the task that
the composer imposed. Then, surely,
she made up for lost opportunities.
! The dance on the other hand so
far from being an immodest display,
was remarkable for it's grace, beauty
and simplicity. She was more chas-
| tely CARRIED than Paviowa and Nor
! dikin. whose art never has aroused
| a hint of protest. indeed. her cos
tune was merely historically correct
in its suggestion of nudity. Also, it
| was beautiful She was, however,
| true to the distortured, insane phase
of life that she sought TO portray, and
her Interpretation of the role may
be liAened to the skill of the surgeon.
| save that it was diseased soul that
Miss Garden exposed to view.
Measure Of the Music's Beauty.
Those who expected a revelation
of surprising musical beauty found
only partial satisfaction. Those who
were prepared TO accept a master.
piece of realistic art. viewed either
| as drama, as music, as the union OF
the two, Or as an example of act
ing that matched it's eloquence with
its restraint, or singing that could be
beautiful. though always declana+o"'
and never melodious, were satisfied
And that rare person. the expert
| enced student of the modern music
drama, who knew exactly what to
expect. reveled in the unfolding OF
an orchestral score that must be de
clared the most impressive, viewed
from any angle save that of poetry
ard pure musical beauty, which the
subject itself excludes, that the world
OF tone knows today.
The musician can with difficulty
resist the temptation to pause here
and there and discuss at length the
mastery achievements of AR Cam
panini and his wonderful orchestra
But that would present most biased
view of the performance.
Impression Of Horror.
To the average listener the tota
impression was the one Oscar Wilde
sought to create in his drama. He
has projected mood of horror anC
madness with such skill and power
that it penetrates the tonal veil which
Strauss has interposed and seems tc
envelop and Cypress the nearer.
Like the beauty of vast wings ii
the air." it throbs through the stated,
rythm of his verse like prose. Thi:
mood. which is but the portent o
death in terrible form, Wilde ha:
created as the sum of a truly won
de rful OPPOSITION of contrasts Lus
is it's keynote and its consummate
but lust in varying manifestations
Against the Unholy desires of the
drunken, half mad Herod and the
incestuous denominations" of his con
sort, Herodias, mathematical will
such care and particularly by tn,
prophet, John the Baptist, or Joka
|
the cruel. nameless. and implacablt
lust of Salome seems a thing apart
a thing abhorent
Her beauty of person, like a mar
cissus trembling in the wind-like
silver flower" to her lover, the youn;
Assyrian captain, Narraboth, serve
to heighten the enormity of her dis
| torted nature.
, The pitiful. futile love of Nara
both is the one note of pathos. Tn
hard brutality of the Roman soldiers
f the meaningless disputes Of the Jews
) the sense cloud Of pagan superstition
/ are parts of this atmosphere, lik
the sultry. oppressive beauty of tn
tropical night and the oriental rich
ness of the stage setting-they ar
: not essential to it. 1t is an integrs
: part of the wonderful Wilde text
But they complete the picture whic
the words suggest.
Through this world of brutality
| hardness, crime, and insanity the fis
ure of Jokanaan moves with dignit
almost sacred. He is untouched b
:, it, apart, remote, living with his v
sions and his prophesies. Salome'
sudden passion seems a PROCLAMATION
Indeed. when she lays her amorou
| HduOS upon HIS OOuS. Ne Giles Out
.ITouch me not PTofane not tn
f | temple of the Lord
v Strauss, with that clairvoyant gil
, that has enabled him to discover TO
| any mood or event it's exact tona
symbolism. has reserved all the NJ
bility Of musical utterance which tn
score develops for the musical delin'
= alton of Jokanaan. That he has boz
e | rowed from a former noble concel
; ton, his symphonic poem, Death an
a Transformation is a circumstanc
;; which will interest the musician onl.
j Certainly it does not detract froi