New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-10
THE BOSTON ORCHESTRA
Some New and Unexpected
Music in the Programme.

The illness of Nine Mstzenauer who
was expected TO sing at the concerts Of
the Boston Symphony Orchestra outside
of its home city this week, compelled a
change in the programme of the third
concert, which took place in Carnegie
nan last night. Frauleln Gerhardt
CHANGED tn be available however. and
was secured. thus giving her New York
admirers an earlier opportunity to hear
her than was expected, and also enabling
them 10 hear her under extremely graft
fying conditions The substitution spared
the public a repetition OF two airs which
have become something OF an obsess,on
at concerts in which large voiced singers
take part-the air with clarinet ohblgato
from Mozarts "Clemenza di Tito" and
the scena "Abscheulcher" from "Fi-
dcio. In place of these very admira ne
but somewhat too persistent pieces Miss
Gerhardt sang an old air by Benedetto
Marcello or milo bel fuoco'). with which
she made no very profound effect. a more
familiar aria tina; gem OF priest ray
serene from Gluck's 20 del milo duIce
ardor.' in which beautiful feeling was
Iditu WIN OF style ana VOICE,
and three Of Richard Strauss songs. in
which nearly all the merits in the singers
catalogue were united and enhanced by
exquisite orchestral accompd niments writ
ten by the composer himself The songs
were "Morgen," "Wiegenlicd'' and Ca
ellie" and in the first the principal violin
Mr.. Wick. fairly divided the honors with
the singer by his performance Of the OBJ
bligato.
There was a-plenty OF unfamiliar music
in The orchestral list The opening num-
her. by Max Roger. a Concerto In tho
Ancient style was about rs startliue an
example OF new vine in old bottles as
that revolutionary with archaic tondcn-
cies could well have been expected 10 pro-
vide. In form IL leaned on that Of the old
concerto crosse though the ripeno band
had a vastly different constitution than
that known in the v orks OF Bach and Han
del, and the old manner was also observ-
able in the structure OF the themes But
there the likeness stopped. the harmonic
proGressions going so far afeld that when
the first movement came TO an end the
listeners We're SO lost in a maze that
they sat in silence and stared at Or
Muck as II wondering why he had stopped
beating time. The slow movement made
nearer appeal. however. and from it's
opening 70 the end Of the finale the music
was followed with curious interest il not
with unalloyed delight quicker re-
spouse Ct popular spprecia ton was won
by Glszounows really fine and stirring
Overture Solennellc." which. PLAYED with
such brilliancy as is heard only from the
Bostonians created lively feeling Of
delight.
Set apar, BY itself rs the closing por-
ton of the programme was Rorodine's
symphony in minor. his second. There
were probably score or more OF persons
In the audience who recalled that this
work had been previously heard In New
York. II wa. sixteen years $50. however
February and s, 1897 AT Philharmonic
concerts directed by Anton SeidD. and
those who remembered the incident at all
probably could not recall much more than
that IL gave them hearing or the most
cLaracteristically Russian symphony ever
PLAYED in New York. Long wears ago,
when TsChsikowsky was a newcomer IN
our concert room. The Tribune's reviewer
Uttered tne warning. "I.ook out for tie
Muscovite." uttered II ~ spirit OF adj
u iratlon which has endured ever since.
But when this symphony came IL brought
with II the discovery. that. compared with
Borodine Tschsikowsky was genial con-
sentative. and that Kubinstein. whom
cine used to think a Russian. was hope
lessly Teutonic and academic. This sym
rhony is all Slav. lts ideas are all drawn
from Russian folk sons or folk dances.
and ara treated with true RUSSIAN
desperation aud wildness. OF ehtenied
n elody there is not shadow except
in the SLOW moyement-the thiId-dn1
again. except in this slow movement. there
Is nothing which by any stretch OF the
Imagination can be looked upon a. the
matte deyelopment-sup pOsedly the first
principle Of symphonic composition. The
first second and fourth movements are
all built up out OF short phrases. which
are reiterated over and over again with
seemingly infinite variation OF harmonic
and instrumental color. but with stup-
born persistence which must seem mad
6enint 10 all deNotees OF old-fashloned
notions Of musical development. II was
ALI most revolutionary. but perfect re-
Election Of the spirit OF Russian folksons'
and to imaglnations properly attuned
must have called up pictures Of the bar
baric splendor OF ancient Russian life. The
music was driven home by the tremendous
impetuosity and relentless power OF Or.
Nuck's reading. II. f.. X.