New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-14
OPERA ARTISTS
IN SYMPHONY
Toscanini's Triumph in Music
by Wagner, Strauss and
Beethoven.

| the direction OF SlSnOf IoScdllinl. bee
! thoven's symphony I'm - minor, with final
chorus on Schiler's flynn to Joy'-the
Ninth SYMPHONY" in popular phrase
was the principal business Of the even
ing. but to til out the scheme it was
| preceded by two purely instrumental
works. namely, ~ Faust Overture" by
Wagner. and Till Owlglass' Merry
! Franks" by Richard Strauss. The name
of Till Owlglass is a strange one TO our
programmes. but il part Of the title, TIL
Eulenspiegcl Lustige Streiche." is to he
| given i'm English. why not all Of it? All
of this music was conducted by Arturo
Toscanini. and is his work without the
| help of the scores--a circumstance much
more noteworthy i'm his case than ii would
/ be i'm the case Of conductors who devote
themselves entirely 10 symphonic music.
| But the manner i'm which he interpreted
/ the compositions was much more remark
/ able than the fact that he had the scores
i'm his mead instead Of his head i'm the
scores as Dr Won Bulow once remarked.
| Another remarkable thing was the
manner i'm which the operate forces. vo-
cal and instrumental. performed the mu-
|
with which they are familiar But most
remarkable of all. perhaps. was the popu-
/ lar interest i'm the concert and the en-
/ thusasm which it aroused week ago.
! on the first day of the ticket sale. every
seat and all tho standing room allowed
by law were sold. and at least a thous-
and men and women must have been
| turned away from the doors. Fortunate
/ ~. the concert is TO be repeated next
| Friday. and since it will be a weekday
and an afternoon concert. many who were
disappointed last night may find comfort.
1t is likely. it may be said here, that
they will hear better performance
than that of last night. excellent a. 70
was. FOR there was more than suspicion
| i'm the minds OF some whose interest in
the affair led them 10 attend some Of the
| last rehearsals-that of yesterday fore
noon. for nstance-that Signor Toscanni
put little too much strain not only upon
his performers but also upon himself.
| Ills tempt. 100 the symphony, ~ Least,
! seemed to indicate that he was laDorng
| under a somewhat abnormal nervous
| strain But this H. anticipating the crit
! teal portion of this notice which ought to
7 wait upon complete recital of the facts.
As to the forces: they were the orches-
! ira Of the Metropolitan opera. with a
| few substitutes brought in to replace men
I who were il-the cOncer'mastcr, for n
stance. The solo singers in the finale %
; the symphony were rrdulein Hempcl
Nine Homer Nir Jorn and Mr Griswold;
the choir. which numbered two hundred
OF more. was made up Of HE opera
I chorus recruited by some Of the junior
artists and squad of amateurs from the
Oratorio Society.
! Concerts OF more ambitious and diGnl-
| fed character than the regular Sunday
evening affairs have frequently been
/ given al th. Metropolitan opera House.
IN the long ago. back as Far As the con
( sulship - Mapleson at the Academy OF
3 Music. Rossinis "Stabat Mater used 10
/ he trotted out 10 make tire special holt
DAY Then Nerdis Requiem had IL
I turn. within recent years pages no nc
/ record We're made luminous by the pro-
duction OF Wolf Fcrraris VITA NOVA
and Monteyerdc's "Orfeo. When NJ.
! Conried took the helm he tempted Herr
Mottl away from his German home WIKI
! the promise that le should bee privileged
/ 10 give symphony concerts on sunday
nights 10 was thus that Herr Motif be
gan his American career. but after the
! first concert. al which he produced
/ Beethoyen's Fifth symphony. he was
summoned to Nj COnrieds room
and told that me first symphonic was
I also to- be- the last. Mr. Toscanini has
Iheld aloof from the Sunday nisht enter
! tainments but ol late ne seems TO have
nourished large ambition ~ Ia Scala
/ IN Milan. his orchestral concerts were all
Of large scope and he decided TO Try the
| experiment here. so he chose the Ninth
/ SYMPHONY as his battle horse and went
| 10 work To show what an Italian cOnduc-
tor could do with 1t and the works which
he associated with IL. He Gid won
derful things indeed. more wonderful
in the Strauss stUpendously difficult
piece Of musical humor than in any part
of the symphony except the finale. There
he inspired his singers TO "A feat which
was without parallel. We make bold TO
say. IN the history Of the work in America.
| From beginning to end that all but i'm
possible composition was sung. II was
/ sung with precision. volume. an at
| tention 10 nuance. a distiuctness Of utter
ance Ghe original German text was used e,
an unfalternS jpstness of intonation
! which held veteran concertgOers spell
bound Everybody was letter perfect
| The solo singers were thrice admirable
Miss Hempel disclosed vocal resources
of which nothing that she had done i'm
| opera had led her hearers TO expect.
Nine IIomers voice had unusual breadth
and Iusciousness. and Messrs. J0rn and
Griswold were worthy companions At
the rehearsals Signor Toscanini's tempt
| seemed admirably chosen. and of his ar
bitrary nuances only one seemed III
advised So IL seemed again last
night. The broadening OF the tempo
on the words ALE Menschen' in
the dVeqro ma non tdHfo weakened
The beautiful effect of the POGO
odaoio which the words quoted usher
in The scherZo last night was
taken al "A quicker speed than Beethoven
prescribed. and the effectiveness of the
trio IN particular. was marred and some
Messages were blurred. Nor was the
! flight TO the empyrean IN the variations
ouite 80 TRANSPORTING Ak II might have
hoen But the music held the listeners
in an irresistible grip, nevertheless. AS
| for It'll Eulenspiegel" II is doubtful il
q, was ever so brilliantly read in New
! York. though the Boston Orchestra has
noured more euphony into II. II. F.. Is.