The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-30
OLDEST ORCHESTRA
OPENS ITS SEASON
The philharmonic Concert
Heard and Applauded by
Good Sized Audience.

For good and sufficient reasons there
cannot he discussion this morning OF
the return OF Igor Stravlnsky to the local
musical platform. London. which did not
meet him til after he had visited New
York. was in a state of mind about Stra-
whisky before wars alarms drowned those
Of future music. Josef Stransky. maxi
ing his bow at tho first evening concert
OF the Philharmonic Society's seventy
third season last night in Carnegie Hall
led gently up to Stravinsky by conducting
first Dvorak's New World" symphony
and then Strauss "Don Juan" After
that came the Russian composers orches-
trail sketch. or moving picture. called
Fireworks" Quite appropriately the
concert reached it's conclusion with the
time honored three excerpts-"Dance OF
the Sylphs," "M!nuet Of VIII O the Wisps'
and "Rackoczy March"--frOm Berhoz's
"Damnation OF Faust"
"Fireworks' IL not one OF Strav!nsky's
extreme utteran,c5. 1t Is accepted as an
early work. albeit the composer was born
10 longer ago than 1882 and his first COM
position. symphony dates from 1907.
The piece heard las; night was composed
for tie marriage of Macmillan Stcinberg
ana the daughter OF Stravinsky's teacher.
Rimsky Korsakov. In 1905. So whatever
revolutionary creations may have come
from the young musicians pen since that
day IL cannot be said that he has not yet
time to bring about a cataciysm.
Conductors speak with bated breath
about this Russian chiefly because OF his
want Of reverence for the major scale
and the fundamental tonalities deduced
| from IT, Indeed. Stravinsky. when he
IL really in earnest, regards tonalities as
matters to he treated In mass and he
makes no hesitation about writing in
several KEYS ut one and the same time.
Yet this is only carrying out In detail
Richard had ALREADY done
In episodes in such works as "Elektra."
However, there is no need to make a great
to do about Fireworks" In the first
place the composition was performed
| here az long ago as December l. 1910.
by the Russian symphony Orchestra. and
I'm the second place II is OF no large i'm
portance 1t Is n clever piece OF orches-
| raj coloring, but IL has nothing particular
| to say either as music or as instrumental
| pyrotechnics.
| The temperance OF the Philharmonic
| in the local realms of music was well
coined by goodly audience. and Mr..
Stransky was applauded for whatever he
did. A printed slim lamentcd the CON
tinued absence Of the concertnaster. Mr..
Kramer, because Of irregularities In
Europe His place was occupied by Maxi
milan Pilzer. a competent violinist
| The orchestra sounded well last eve
ming, and the familiar plenty of aggres-
sive spirit was present in It's playing
The conductors tempt in the Dvorak
symphony were not all strictly in accord
with the traditions. but every man must
be permitted to have II discernible per
sonal equation. There were admirable
| moments in the performance, whicf AS
n whole was worthy of commentator.
The Strauss tone poem was brilliantly
done in all the tutti passages, but the
more exposed parts were less satisfactory
The closing measures were very effective
and the composition once more proved
its right to a position among the com
| poser's finest achievements. Mr.. Stra'
y,nslv's "Fireworks" might perhaps have
ilumined the night more brightly had
they not been set of Immediately after
those of Strauss.