New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-24
MUSIC
The Philharmonic SoCiety-A
Mailer Memorial" Goetter-
daemmerung" at the Opera.

bUStdN Manner. WHO was It's conductor l'i
two seasons It might have been better
had a differentiation been made between
the part of the programme which was oh
viously lin memoriam'' and the rest be
cause the rest had nothing TO do with the
artist whose memory il was purposed TO
honor Moreover. tho part Of the pro
gramme after the first number raised ques-
lions Of artistic taste and ethics which
ought TO be discussed and sometimes are.
Yet always the result is heartburninss
and therefore these questions are most
frequently avoided in the interest OF peace
and amity. To be specific in this instance,
why was il necessary 20 presage the com
ing Of "Pars fal" at the Metropolitan Opera
House next week with two large excerpts
from the drama and produce the "Eroica
symphony "a fortnight after the Boston
Orchestra had played II? Mr. Stransky and
his orchestra played the excerpts from
Wagncr's drama most admira5ly-so admir-
ably. indeed. that he greatly increased the
conviction that it Will bc his good fortune.
the societys and the public's to rehabili-
tate the noblest musical institution i'm the
country. Yet ii was. after all. concert
room performance without voices. without
the elements which Wagner thought ought
10 be associated with music in the compost
ton Of the lyric drama. with which his
name is associated more intimately and
largely than that Of any other creative
artist that ever lived. Excerpts Of Wag-
ners dramas arc old features of our con-
certs. and they had high sanction some
thirty years ago. but the question now is
whether they arc justified iu cities like
New York. where all the dramas. including
"Parsifal," are regular features of the
operate season. As for the "Eroica SYM
phony the thought that its performance
was an invitation 10 a comparison OF read
ings and performances is so unpleasant
that IL must be dismissed. But so must
also the comparison. We can only repeat
the old wish. so often expressed, that where
II is known that a number Of orchestras
are to give concerts in New York i'm the
same season. the conductors might prop
erly and easily arrange II among them
selves not 10 play the same compositions;
or n they are bent on doing so, let the
public know that comparison is the purpose
and is invited. This might add TO the hi
larity II not the amenities Of criticism.
But the amenities Of criticism, it is 10 be
feared, are things Of the past.
\ little more than a fortnight a@o the
first Of the Philharmonic concerts of vi
emma. the beginnings Of whiCl were con-
temDoraneous with those Of our Philhar-
monte Society also devoted the first part
Of it's programme ~ its crstwhile conGuc-
tor, Mailer playing al Of his fifth sym
pnony Of which only the FIST moSen en-.
was put on the programme by Mr.. Strau-
sky last night. When the memory Of Theo-
dore Thomas and Anton Seidl was thus hon
ored, other and greater funeral r,arches
were played; but Thomas and Seidi were
not composers. The action of NJ. Strar-
Sky was, therefore. cOmmendablc, rs was
also the fine intelligent, and, above all
temperate reading Of the music, which
might easily he so exaggerated as 70 deaf
en- listeners 10 what is good in IT, When
Mr. Mahlers fifth symphony was first
performed here by the Boston Orchestra,
in ebrusry. 1906. it created a mixed i'm
preston. the strongest element ir which
seemed 20 be that the composer would
have been more eloquent had he been less
tombastic. less inclined TO give eXtrays-
giant expression TO his naturally ingenious
melodic ideas or the value Of congruity
7 etween thought and utterance. less ford
cf Grass color where it was. az the Least,
on artistic impertinence. more Considerate
Ct the ears Of his listeners. Mr.. Strain
Sky did not force these thoughts upon his
audience last night any more than he
could help. yet he conducted the FUNERAL
march afectionately and as if he believed
in its essential beauty.
The eighth performance Of opera for this
season at the Metropolitan Opera House
took place last night and was the fourth
devoted 10 the German lyric drama. OBJ
viously the Teutonic element among the
patrons Of the institution can have no COM
plant thus far against Signor Gatti on the
score Of Partially Tor the products Of his
native land-neither as TO the number Of
works performed nor their character. Let
them set off "K5uigskinder. Tristan
und Isolde" "Lobetanz" and "G0tterdam-
merung" Oast nights production against
Aida" La Fanciulla del West and
Madame Butterfly" Faust" might also
be included in the list but despite the mis-
givings Of the devotees of Goethe) Faust
is as dear TO the German heart as IL is to
the Italian. We are proud Of the fact that
our great operate institution gives all its
works in the tongues used by the authors.
but really we do not know how much bet
ter Faust" sung i'm French by people who
are not French is than Faust sung in
Italian. or as il used 90 sound in the day
when Americans learned TO love it, A
frivolous critic might indeed be reminded
Of the Hon Bardwell Slotes retort 20 the
remark that "pommes de terre" sounded so
much better than potatoes that the veg
etable itself tasted the same in all Ian
guages. II j. so with Faust "Salut
demeure. chaste of pure" may sound par
ticularly allurpg coming from a throat
trained % refined French dction. but there
was no gainsaying It's charm when IL came
as "Salve. dimOra. casta pura' from the
throat Of ItalO Campanini But German
operas OF the Wagner type are German in
more respects than their language and il
was on this account that "GOtterddm-
mermg" made a potent appeal to a fine au-
dience last night The Wagnerian spirit per
vaded it-peryaded the conducting Of Hertz.
the singing Of Gadsld Cwho was particularly
excellent last nighD and The performance
as a whole.
There should be gratitude in the mention
OF two Of the newcomers iu the cast-tne
Hagen OF Putnam Griswold and the Wal
traute Of Nine. Margaret Matzenauer. II
was Mr.. Griswolds debut az the MetropoN-
tan and Mr.. Gatti-Casazza is TO be- con-
graduated upon securing a singer Of such
fine artistic stature. Mr.. Griswold dis
closed voice of something Ike baytone
quality. resonant. well poised, and well
controlled. His dict.on was clear and crisp.
and his stage presence am impressive one.
New York last night gave "a cordial well