Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-14
MUSIC
Yesterdays Concert

Mr. stokowslt and his men have sure
~ been fortunate this year SO far since
the first concert, each Friday afternoon
has brought cheerful sunlit skies. keen
and zestful weather, which have IN turn
brought the concert-goers to the Acad-
cmv In n fine, apprcciative spirit. II
would take a very hard head, indeed, to
have been hypercritlcnl yesterday. When
ono has the leisure nnd rhe inclination e.
70 to the Friday afternoon concerts one
Is predisposed 10 pleasure.
This is. perhaps. the explanation Of the
even desrec of satisfaction the orches-
trn elves Apart from It's splendid mo-
ments, it's high spots OF feeling and eN-
ecution, there Is firm and solid and un-
varying pleasure which the audience re-
ceives. 1t may not be good for tho or
chcstra after all, because, with the sense
that they are giving that soft warm
glow, the players may become content;
which would be deadly. They ought to
inspire at more frequent intervals. Even
tually they should rise to the height
where their inspiration Is continuous.
That was not the case yesterday. and the
distressing truth Is that this is the only
criticism that can be made The orches-
ira did nothing badly, but It did not do
everything superbly we'll 1t satisfied,
but It did not exalt
Excepting, to be sure, the Saint-Saons
number. Why this piece should have
been so we'll done Is q, mystery. lie
Rouet d'Omphale" Is one OF the most
terrifying pieces ever written. A theme
perfectly suitable to musical treatment
Snint-SRcns found in the triumphant
struggle Of weakness The whole poem
is an elaboration OF that terrible French
phrase, "tenlr de peau," In which every
torturous and degrading element OF love
Is summed UP. The lovelness of its
seduction and the stern bravery OF the
heroic song In the basses (Which falls In
tho event before the strength-in-wenk-
ness Of amorous attraction are the iron
ic turn of the screw. Once given the
legend OF Hercules and Omphale. and the
composers own note. some such inter-
probation of the music is inevitable. But
II is shockingly unpleasant.
Mr. Stokowski. fortunately, did not be-
gin his program with this. The "Armi-
Mus" overture. brave and healthy and
sCrorous, made n much better beginning,
and was played with some, but hardly
enough, robustness. For tho first Beet
hoVen symphony of the season Mr. Sto-
kowslil chose the eighth and. without
prejudice to what the future may bring,
1t may be snid that for it's Eaiety and
lishtness OF spirit the conductor dis
played O special and remarkable 'apti-
tude.
Madame Louise Homer was the sooist
of the afternoon. II was grateful to hear
Bach so sung again. in spite of the in
felicity of the English In the first song.
Madame Homer's singing is hardly easy.
and in such song as the ecclesiastical
My Heart Ever Faithful II was hardly
happy. But the ut Is Finished" In
more soberly exalted mode, was sung
with such warmth of voice that the
question of production seemed hardly to
enter In. But even that did not prepare
for Madame Homer's superb singing of
tho air from III Profeto." In this the
tone-colorlng was so varied and the ex-
preston SO opulent and so just. that the
songs own coloratura seemed impert-
mont, 1t made one believe that the sum
OF feminine emotions which are uni
vcrsally human. apart from being fem-
nino. can never be expressed except In
the contralto range. That is why colora-
tura. which is beautiful only when its
artihce is unmixed with emotion, should
be left for SOPRANOS