Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-26
MUSICAL SEASON
HIGHLY PLEASING
And SATISFACTORY
Fears Of Disorganization
Disseminated by Variety
of Productions and Artistic
Equality of Artists.

Equality or Artlsts.
i. Fears of musical dlsorsanization, due
a. 20 the war we're freely expressed before
! the beginning OF the present season.
and were quickly suppressed when the
season was once we'll under way Except
: for the unnecessary disappearance Of the
local opera company the city has not
s. suffered in the slightest on the con-
trary, the season has been particularly
rich in recitals. tho orchestra season 0or
the Philadelphia, Boston and New York
organizatons) has been artIstically sue
cessful, and the amateur enterprises Of
E the city have Hourished magnincently
Already there have been two occasions
when the music lover could not take in
everything offered to him by reason of
conflicting dates, and once. the week of
November 30. Philadelphia had the ex-
e perIence OF having eight musical enter
tainments in one week.
The pre-emlnent musical organization
OF this city is its orchestra With grow
Ing familiarity MIR. StokopssN has ac-
dured greater control ot5r his men, the
men have acquired a swifter response
both to him and to their music and, as a
result, the first third OF the orchestra's
season has been appreciably more artls-
tic and more satisfying than the same
: period last year. The solosts chosen for
the orchestra concerts have been excel
Il lent; the list. up to January I, 1915, in
cludes Mines. Homer, Gluck, Schumann-
Heink Cheatham and Satnaroff, and
Messrs, Gittelson, Zlmbalist, Berwick and
Bauer The programs have been ell-em-
bracing; Beethoven and Brahms have
come with Sibelus and Bruckner; the
~. great symphonies have been or will be
played new works were tried out and
with a careful understanding of what the
orchestra public desires has gone a nota-
. BILE intention of Offering IL the best of un-
80 familiar things.
THE OTHER oRCHBSTRAS.
Two other orchestras have been heard
= here this season. The Boston Symphony,
superb as ever, with it's conductor more
proud more sensitfVely intelligent, played
first program of noble numbers, played
It with all perfection, and so promised
wonderful year. The second appearance
was dull; the conductors virtues and the
virtrosity of his men seemed both wasted.
as far as such talents can be.
The New York Orchestra, under Walter
Damrosch, began at the opposite extreme,
playing a beautiful program wretchedly
?. In the two programs scheduled to follow
OPERA HAS BEEN sCANT.
In opera the year has been scant, but
in operate singing rich beyond the meas
ure of Philadelphia years Never. not
y even in the old days of the Metropolitan
at the Academy, or of the Manhattan at
the Hammerstein house, nor In the time
of the Philadelphia Chicago Company.
have such wonderful singers been heard
here so often, 30 swiftly following each
other. Caruso and Amato have sung
twice, Scotti and Farrar once, Destinn
and Matenauer, Urlus and Gadskl have
all appeared at the Metropolitan. The
one misgiving Philadelphians have felt
has been in regard to their operas The
choice has been neither iattering nor dis
Greet, but 1t has been popular The OPP
eras have been, In their order: "Tosca,"
La Gioconda," "Lohengrin," Aida"
z 1.-The Magic Flute" and Madame Butter
n.y. To supplement these, amateurs have
produced Martha" (the Behrens Opera
CLUB. and Carmen" (the PHILADELPHIA
Operate Society. These and the amateur
performances still TO be given will stand,
with the Metropolitan's nine operas, in
place of the 46 offered last year.
AMATEURS GOOD WORK.
Amateurs in performance and eompo-
sitlon have otherwise appeared this sea-
son, The Boys and Girls Orchestra has
: played once and at the Musical Art Clubs
concert three Philadelphia composers
were represented. Local soIoists nave
been Mr., Gittelson with the orchestra
and in recital; Mr. Kornheld and Mr..
/ Dubinsky.
SEASON HIGHLY PLEASING,
The serious business OF the musical
year is. of course. In the symphony or
ehestras and the operas, but its decora-
tive effects, the gems OF recitals, are as
pleasing, and this year have been finely
cut diamonds indeed. Except for Mr.
Mecormack's unfortunate recital, there
have been no notable deficiencies paraded
before the public
Nine. Alma Gluck, Nine Sehumann-
Helm and Fritz Kreisler, In Individual
recitals, and the first two with Pasquale
Amato and Riecardo Martin, have been
the high lights OF Individual effort
Godowsky and Nine, Homer, David
Blspham and Paul Draper and Leonard
Berwick We're others OF high rank ana
nne performance.
The Flonzaleys and Kneissls. equally
wonderful organizations, played chamber
music each introducing novelty 10
Philadelphia.
A sense OF satisfaction remains when
the season is analysed.