New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-10
Musicians Show Signs
That They Have Been
OverWorked.
PLAY BALLET MUSIC
FROM "PROMETHEUS"
History of Novelty Recalls
Rivalry That Split Vienna
Court Opera.
BY II. L. kREHBlEL.

SNeIN. lie ala tue Sdine thlhH yS'AS'
day at a concert belonging to has phe-
nomenaly successful master Com
posers'" series. Less than fortnight
ago Mt a concert Of the Young Peoples
Symphony Society he included the
Piaroforte Concerto in G major IN MA
scheme. and so he did again yesterday
Otherwise the programmes were dif-
ferent one from another .
Mr.. Berwick played the solo part or
the G major concerto and also that OF
the concerto in C. minor. and his per-
formances were the most satisfactory
features of the afternoon. In the A
major symphony, which opened the
concert. it seemed as if Mr. D1mrosch
and his men showed signs o. weaIi-
ness Mr.. Damrosch did. beyond all
question. for he conducted the SLOW
movements of the cOncertos seated,
and though he strove hard 10 lead the
band 80 worthy achievement In tn"
symphony the reading was perfunctory
and the performance lacked distinction.
That both OF our permanent orches-
tras have been overworked is obvious.
Ii is also a pity. More could be done
for the art IL the Symphony and Phil
harmonic societies gave only half as
many concerts as they are giving, aban-
doned their tours and devoted more
time TO rehearsals. No city IN the
world needs l25 symphony concerts in
q season.
Mr.. Berwick found il difficult task
70 make the first movement of the 1
minor concerto effective. His confluence
Of tone. contrasted with that of the
large orchestra conductors have aban-
doned the wise custom which they used
10 follow Of reducing the number OF
PLAYERS in concertos), thoroughly ad-
mirable in purpose, robbed the music of
some OF its vitality and made it sound
more old-fashioned than was really
necessary. Only in the cadenzas and IN
the exquisite slow movement Zone OF
the most devout OF Beethovens plous
canticles) did the pianoforte come into
its rights as the solo instrument. The
greater sorority of the G major con-
= certo offered better opportunity 10
: Mr.. Berwick, and after the sclntlllant
/ first cadenza and the profoundly poetic
/ dialogue between strings and planoforte
he made the finale ring out with great
! briliancy.
The two concertos were separated by
one of the movements from the music
which Beethoven composed In 1900
I
ures"-"Men" in the original English
publication "Of Prometheus. or the
Power Of Music and the Dance" 1t
was the Addoio. unique among Bee
thoven's compositions as the only one
in which he made use Of the harp-an
instrument which now seems lndis-
pensabe to the composer of orchestral
music.
Mr.. Damrosch preiaced this number
with a short speech, in which he called
attention TO the fact just noted, and
added that he thought it was novelty
in New York. He would not say that
it had never been played here lest
somebody write TO newspaper and
point out that il had been on a pro-
gramme in 1885 or thereabouts; but he
would say that it had not been played
since he had been in New York. IL IS
indeed long time since the piece mad
a hearing here, twenty-five years IN
fact. but Mr.. Damrosch was not only
in New York but was conducting the
symphony Society when it was played,
not once but several times.
Mr.. Theodore Thomas seems TO have
felt a fondness for the thing OF gentle
beauty and it used to figure on his
popular programmes. II was feature,
too. OF the concert of Beethoven's
music given In Steinway Hall, on De-
cember Is, 1889, for the Beethovenhaus
Verein in Bonn, TO help that society
/ 70 purchase the house in which the
composer was born. Still nobody Dut
n music reviewer ought to be expected
TO remember the concert-happenlngs OF
a quarter Of a century ago.
| II would have added considerably TO
] L., MI
it's violoncello song If Mr. Damrosch
had added few words about the oalie'
/ of "Prometheus," and especially the
scene which the Addqi0 accompanies
! Beethoven was commissioned 10 com
pose the music by Salvatore Nlgano
1 who wrote the scenario Of the BALLET.
= at a time when there was rivalry at
/ the Court Opera of Vienna as keen as
ever one between two prima donnas, a
rivalry. moreover, which split the low
, ers OF the theatres into two factions:
Vigano was O dancer as well as ballet
master and ballet writer, and he mad n
maryellously beautiful Spanish wl1e'
who was also dancer. lie was en-
gagged as second ballet master at time
when another Italian, long IN once
named Nuzarelli, was at the height
of his popularity. But Muzarelli rep
resented old traditions. and Nigano
/ came with new ideas, with notions OF
/ natural instead of artificial poses, OF
unconstrained movements, lively ara.
matte action and expressive play OF
features. The situation has something
near a parallel in New York at the
present time. Vigano triumphed over
/ his rival. and planned the "Prometheus
halIet as a tribute to the Empress Ma
! ria Theresa, or 10 curry favor with ner'
The story, based on the old Greek
myth. told how Prometheus made MN
self two youthful images and gave them
4 life with the fire which he had brought
/ 70 h.av But they remained brutlSn
and intellectually lifeless until he TOOK
! them TO Parnsssus, where Amphioh'
| Orpheus, Euterpe, Melpomene; me
Bacchantes, Arion, and hnaiiy fneVus
( Apollo himself, displayed their arts pc
| fore them and aroused human ieeIings
and appreciation of the beautiful IN
| them. =
The Adaoio accompanies the scene IN
! which Euterpe and Amphlon, Arlon ana
( Orpheus and finally the god play their
} kitharas and quicken the souls OF
Prometheus's creatures. Nlgnano
/ hook has been lost, but Mr.. Thayer un-
covered much of the history of the
ballet. Even he was compelled TO say
| like Mr.. Damrosch. that nobody was
permitted to hear the lovely music OF
/ the Adngio in his. time. "Prometheus
;s also historically interesting from the
/ fact that the melody of it's final num-
nor il the theme which. with variations
forms the last movement Of the He
roic" Symphony. Beethoven used this
melody four times-in set of contra
dances. in "Prometheus," in the Piano
forte Variations, Op. 35, and in the
"Eroica."