New-York tribune., 1912-02-26
MUSICAL COMMENT
KubeIik and Bachaus in Con.
cert.
The Boston Orchestra-0ther
Prospective Visitors-Wag-
ner Redivivus-0pera
in the 0lden Time.


in the Olden Time.
What was obviously planned as a sem
sational concert for a Sunday afternoon,
| but proved less so than might have been
expected. took place in Carnegie Hall yes
terdav afternoon. Kubelik, the Bohemian
yiolinist. and Bachaus, the German pianist,
united their forces and gave a concert of
| violin and pianoforte music They played
together only once, and (as the judicious
might have expected) this performance
was the least satisfactory feature from
an artistic point Of view OF the after
noon. The work was Beethoven's sonata
in A, named after Kreutzer. Virtuosi
unless they have put their heads to-
gether and come TO an agreement seldom
achieve satisfactory results in ensemble
music: and so IL was yesterday. The dis
! eliminating portion Of the audience had
| TO discover Kubelik's greater genius IN
his performance of Bachs Chaconne
| (for violin alone) and the arrangement
| of the air from the same composers Suite
| I'm D major. Later came more ear tickling
music by Sarasate. Hubay and VIE
niawski, but It was noteworthy that the
solid musicianship Of Bachaus as dis
plaved in schumann's "Aufschwang," Ru-
binsteins Study In c and the Tausig
Arrangement Of Schubert's "Narche Mill
taire" brought him the artistic honors OF
the afternoon.
Though Mr.. Fielder and his excellent
musicians from Boston seemed rather moro
considerate OF New York's symphony loV-
ers than usual last week. in so far as they
did not indulge excessively In vain repeu-
tlons. Il can scarcely he said that the solo
| performers were felt TO he greatly needed.
| Miss Farrar we have with us always az the
opera, and Of her talents as a singer Of
songs We I'm the latitude and longitude OF
New York, do not think quite so highly
as those who are under the spell OF Mel
rose, Mass. Also while we retain our old
admiration for Alvin Schroeder. we cannot
wax enthusiastic over Tschaikowsky's vari-
ations on rOcoco theme. But perhaps
these are trtling things compared with the
beautiful euphony and the comforting san
ity Of the Beethoven and Schumann SYM
phonies Ohe formers IN r fat, tho latter :
in c major), and the dash and brillancy
of two compositions by Richard Strauss
death and TRANSPORTATION" and TIL
Fulenspiegel's Merry Franks" We had
had Beethovens fourth symphony twice
before from Mr. Walter Damrosch and tho
Symphony Society (and beautifully played.
too), but II is not often heard. and a repe-
tition in the same season by the Boston
musicians was more tolerable than Il would
have been from any other band. As for
Strauss's musical delineation Of man IN
the agonies of mortal dissolution, though
we may not like the subject. we must rec
ognize that ii contains many flashes of his
inspiration when IL was at its freshest,
and Till Euenspiegel" is still unmatched
as a symphonic humoresque even If we re-
fuse TO believe that Strauss meant one-half
Of the things which his commentators have
put into II with their literary essays.
The one significant fact in connection
with this monthly visit Of Mr.. Fielder and
his men is that they have been accepted NJ
an integral part OF New York's musical
life. and that though there seems to he an
opera mad public which can not only stom-
ach but apparently relish from eight to
ten performances a week at the Metropoli-
tan Opera House the circumstance does
not interfere with the triumphal procession
Of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It
would be gratifying to local pride. consider
ing how unselhsh devotion is bestowed
upon our own orchestral organizations by
their particular patrons, IL the same thing
could be said Of them.
No matter how overwhelming the local
musical surge. however. the fact works no
estoppal on the admirable foreign. .invaslons.
The Theodore Thomas Orchestra. OF Chi
cago, though II has been here this season.
is coming twice again this week in COM
pany with the thrice excellent Mendelssohn
Choir, of Toronto-coming, too, on Tuesday,
when, after two song recitals in the after
noon TO say nothing OF an organ recitaD,
there will be a concert OF chamber music
and the first performance I'm New York Of
Wolf-Fcrrari' latest opera, Il Glojelli della
Madonna" in the evening. 1t is TO be hoped
that New York will be equal 10 the strain
and that COntentment will be general. Phil
adelphia's orchestra has looked lOngingly
toward the American metropolis this sea-
son, but has exercised a wise discretion in
staying away. Perhaps the old incident is
not forgotten when our noighbors came
and asked a. musical surfeited community to
listen to (was It not?) two concertos and
symphonies, or their equivalent, In a single
evening. And yet we were glad to hear
them.
And now Minneapolis is coming with such
amiable mien, such agreeable countenance,
that who will have the heart to galnsay
her? Read:
The directors Of the Orchestral Associa-
tion Of Minneapolis beg to direct attention