New-York tribune., 1911-12-18
MUSIC
Something About a Sundays
Entertainments.
New Compositions and Old-Wagner in
the Concert Room-A Russian
Song Recital.


Song Recital.
old music and new. with episodes quite
unusual in n Philharmonic concert, marked
the third Of the Sunday afternoon subscrip-
ton series which took place i'm Carnegie
Hall yesterday. The old music was Men
delssohn's Scotch symphony and LISTS
"Tasso'--the latter obviously one Of Mr..
Stransky's battle horses. With IT he said
farewell TO Berlin and gave greeting to New
York He has also played II in the Borough
Of Brooklyn. Perhaps now that It has been
repeated by request we are through with 1t
for this season but there Is no telling. II is
LISTS year, and "Tasso" and Les Pre-
ludes' are the two OF his compositions which
appeal most eloquently to the popular ear.
Moreover. Mr.. Stransky has succeeded In
keeping up the enthusiasm which Mr..
Mailer created with "NIazeppa" and 'Tas-
So" although he does not make II sound
quite 80 sensational as did that conductor,
Of whom IL might he said (possibly without
offence where none Is intended though that
is doubtfu) that II was his lament and
triumph as we'll az the poets. If there were
more patience with thoughtful analysis Of
LISTS works in a period which ought to
Invite IT, instead OF impudently sneerng at
it, It would he entertaining. to say the least,
perhaps even interesting, to inquire little
curiously into the principal subject of this
composition. Liszt says he heard the mel
odv sung by gondolers I'm Venice to the
opening lines of the "Gerusalemma lib
erata":
Canto rarmi pietose y Capitano
Che ! gran Sepolcro libero III Cristo.
He was luckler than Byron, who wrote in
1917:
| In Venice Tasso's echoes are no more.
And silent rows the songless gondolier
LISTS statement must not he impeaChed,
or even questioned. I'm this centennial year,
Of course, but II there were a student of
! folksong brave enough to do So he might
ask the question how II came that Bszt
gondoiers sang a phrase the most marked
feature Of which Is the interval of an aug
merted or "Superfuous, second tB-A nat
-C). which never appears I'm italian folk
song. hut is most pervasive element or
Hungarian? Perhaps the Bsztian pundits
will answer the question even after so
tmid a suggestion. It could do no harm
either TO Lszt or his gondoliers and might
stimulate thought. To the best OF our
knowledge and information, It has never
before been asked
Mendelssohn's Scotch symphony came
at the end Of an overlong programme, but
the audience waited for it and most obvi-
ously enjoyed II, although Mr.. Stransky by
adhertng to the composers instructions
played the work without pauses between
the movements and so made II impossible
for the listeners to show their appreciation
in the customary manner But they had 80
spent themselves applauding "Tasso" and
Nine. Nordica that their rapture would
probably have been OF the kind described by
Mr.. Gilbert as modified" Yet the beautl
full old music was played for the greater
part with splendid effect-especially the
scherzo.
Nine Nordica sang a group Of songs,
some we'll some i'll (all with dramatic pose
and gesture extremely disturbing, to piano
forte accompaniment and added a new
number 10 the Wagnerian concert list. This
was Isolde's recital TO Brangane Of her
first meeting with Tristan when he came
to Ireland to he healed of the wound which
he had received I'm combat with Morold-a
familiar passage from the first act OF
Wagner's love tragedy. very effective on
the stage, but wholly out Of place on the
concert platform 1t is II fair surmise that
the singer. who has made some of her
finest triumphs r Tristan und Isolde"
would have sung the finale had II not al
ready been sung this season at Phlhar-
monc concerts by Nine. Gadski but this
scarcely serves to excuse the effort 10 make
a concert number out Of the excerpt which
she has wrenched from the score and which
has none of the lyrical qualities which
alone Justify the putting Of fragments of
Wagner's dramas on concert programmes.
The novelties i'm yesterdays scheme were
two symphonic sketches. so called, entitled
Autumn" and Spring" by young Dutch
composer brought up in ST. Petersburg,
named Leopold van der Pals They had
their first public performance on this oc-
casion. but had been tried once in private
at Rostock. They are efforts at musical
impressonlsm a Ia Debussy, and disclose
more than ordinary skill I'm orchestra and
more than ordinary erraticism I'm harmoni-
zation. They describe the moods which
the composer found evoked I'm him by the
dying and reviving year, but monotony
rests heavily upon them because Of their
naucltv of pregnant musical thought.
Mime. Nina Dimtrieff, a singer who came
TO the metropolis practically unheralded,
gave a recital of songs by Russian COM
posers in the Carnegie Lyceum yesterday
afternoon. She sang in Russian, and was
heard bv an audience which seemed to he
composed entirely of her country people.
Her programme was extremely interesting
and so was her singing, which was full of
Intelligence and temperamental warmth; at
times a bit rude, i'll balanced and extrava-
cant. not always finished from the vocal
teachers point of view. and not always IN
harmony with the merits OF her voice "rich
in its higher register was large full and OF
splendid dramatic calibre. II. y. h'
unuD .11IArr pOcTpONES TRIP