New-York tribune., 1911-12-14
MUSIC
VISITORS FROM CHICAGO
Concert by the Theodore Thomas
Orchestra.

Three orchestral concerts were given IN
New York last Sunday; there will be TIVE
| to-day one tomorrow and one on SatuT-
day afternoon. All of these concerts ar,
given by admirable bands-bands such as
one might expect TO find I'm the metropolis
| OF the country. where there is enough goina
on TO give permanency of employment to the
men who must supply orchestral music e
the Philharmonic and symphony societies
| and the Metropolitan Opera House. Last
week the local list was sweled by d visit
for two days by tho Boston symphony Or
chestra. This record applies only to the
Borough OF Manhattan; Brooklyn is n part
only OF our civil, not OF our artistic, or
ganism- and therefore may be treated
as a negligible quantity so far as the pres
ent survey is concerned.
Despite this plethora OF orchestral music
! the Theodore Thomas Orchestra, of Chi
| cago, paid the city visit yesterday giving
a concert I'm Carnegie Hall. in the Borough
| OF Manhattan, in the afternoon. and one IN
| the Borough OF Brooklyn in the evening. a
close survey OF the small audience discov-
! cred score or so of faces familiar in our
| concert rooms when q Theodore Thomas
orchestra was a local organization. Careful
scrutiny of the men upon the platform
| disclosed three or four. not more, VINO went
with Mr.. Thomas TO Chicago. where he
sought fresher fields and newer pastures
! I'm 1891 For music lovers there was some
charm In the name of the man who stood
! for high ideals so many years i'm the mo
! tropolis: but II was not potent enough ia
attract such an audience as the concert de-
/ f.v.r
! II was interesting To observe that. though
! there has been so radical change in the
personnel, from the conductor down 10 III"
man at the remotest desk, much Of the
| Thomas tradition in manner or interprcta-
! ton has been preserved. Mr.. Frederick
| Stock, the conductor. who sat in the or
! chestra when Mr. Thomas was its con
| ductor. has not thought IL necessary to e.
| In pursuit of popularity by Notwithstanding
| the compositions of either classicists OF
moderns or by indulging I'm ecccntricitie'
! of 'interpretat tion"-so called. He seems tt
! be content with the text of Richard Straus.
and Brahms, and even with that Of Bee
thoven And for this as well for mucl
else. he deserved the hearty approval will
which his performances We're rewarded
yesterday.
II the purpose OF tho visit vas TO le
| New York know that Chicago has an or
| chestra deserving OF being ranked with th'
principal local organzations-the Philhar
monic, the Symphony and the Metropolitan
Opera orchestras--it was brilliantly accom-
plished II is not likely that Mr.. STOCK
expected to do more lie gave a fine read
| ing 10 tho "Coriolan' overture by Zee
| thoven. albeit one that fell short I'm poet
! cal cloaucnce of what IS possible withou
stralning the text. and he did the same
with Brahms's Second symphony; he alsC
/ poured out a glorious volume Of tone anr
a marvellous brilliancy In STRAUSS dor
Juan" 20 display the virtuosoship OF hi
| men, and for all this he and the Orches
ira were generously rewarded with ap
plauao. But there was no revelation to th'
most kindly disposed among the hearers
because there could not be.
IL is very likely that a large part Of thu
purpose Of the visit was to exploit Mr.
| Albert Spalding and the now violin con
corto by Sir Edward Elgar. Tho work fl
a year old, and it is a pretty open sccrc
/ that its absence from our concert list
/ thus far has been due chiefly to the fe
| demanded by its publishers for the right o
| performance. The same reason has operat
ed "a an estoppcl in Great Britain, .vhor
patriotism put a keener edge on curiosit,
| than could be felt here. There Mr.. Kreislc
has practically had monopoly on it eve
since he performed il for the first time, OF
November 10 OF last year, and ii Is no
long ago since Mr.. Ysaye cancelled a con
| tract for a concert in London because o
! A disagreement I'm which the Performance
fee playcd a part The attitude OF com
/ posers and publishers on this question Is n'
concern of ours. though the Indifference 0
all our violin virtuosi 20 the piece nigh
serve TO give point 10 tho old story Of tn
young woman who put 50 high a lalu
upon herself In the marriage market tina
she was left on the shelf whom the markc
was closed. Mr.. Spaldug gave a most eX
ceIlcnt accounting OF himself, and did jus
ticc to the concerto. the difficulties o
/ which arc. it is TO be feared, somewha
out of proportion 10 its beauties. Ther
were many moments in it when its strong
! yirile loveliness, it's uncompromising lott
ness OF sentiment made il sound like
valuable and permanent contribution to
department which is sadly in need OF ell
richment: but there were more when. "a
in the symphony heard last Sunday. tin
ear and fancy found less pleasurabe occu
patton than the intellect in following III
development. An episode at once novel ant
charming was the accompanied rhapsodi
cal cadenza near the close of the last move
mcnt. with it's strumming on half Of tn
strlnged instruments in the orchestra. ]
would be "A good thing for the work If /
could be heard again. II. T.. IS.
WOULD KEEP CARUSO LONGEI