Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-26

habI night Tor the third time this son
son the New York Symphony Society.
led by Walter Damrosch, played at the
Academy. The assisting artist on this oo-
casion was Josef Hofmann Because this
Is the final appearance OF the orchestra
and the first appearance OF the pianist in
this year of musical grace, a separate
consideration Of their virtues becomes inn
perative
The Orchestra
A judgment based on the three con-
certs led here by Mr.. Damrosoh Is nec-
| essarily limited, but the general line Of
development can be easily traced The
first concert, at which Mr.. Riccardo Mar
tin sang, was, except for his singing, very
very bad. The second concert, bringing
Miss Maggie Teyte, was a workaday per-
formance. undistinguished, but not un-
bearable The concert last night was
faulty, but II was in two separate in
stances graced with positive inspiration,
and, since this Is precisely the quality
which Mr.. Damrosch and his men have
previously lacked the year may be put
down as a period Of achievement for
them.
1t would be q dire disastrous thing II
Mr.. Damrosch were persuaded, by any
praise, that his orchestra is good It is
not. Ragged playing, weakness of tone,
dulness OF spirit prevail in all the choirs
and prevail against the virtuosity OF
few Of his musicians. And the efforts of
Mr.. Damrosch, strenuous as they may be,
cannot overcome these defects. Mr.. Dam
rosch is n versatile and appreciative
musician; he has to his credit discoveries
and explorations OF no mean merit. But
he has still to make OF his now happily
endowed orchestra an instrument OF
pleasure.
The (flrst) Brahms symphony, hailed as
"at last a tenth" by Won Bulow, was
played last night to display all the vir-
tues and almost an the vices of the band.
The first movement was incoherent-even
in Brahms. The finale, which made one
wonder why Won Bulow had not said "at
last the NINTH" was run through with
more gusto than discrimination, an un-
meaning medley of sound. Between these
stood the grace of the third movement.
and the exquisite tenderness of the
second. It was in this last. as later In the
larghetto of the Chopin concerto. that Mr..
Damrosch's concertmaster and Mr.. Bar
rere, always excellent musicians, found
themselves not alone in playing great
music greatly And II is noticeable that
in these movements Mr. Damrosch, too,
found 1t possible to woo from his orchestra
a fineness of production without the ex-
cessive endeavors he generally devotes to
his work.
Mr.. HOfmann
1t is said that de Pachmann once cried
out, after he had finished playing a
Chopin composition, There! You hear?
That is great genius attempting the i'm
possible!' I do not know If the story Is
true, but certainly 1t is not hard to
understand the despair, and the exulta-
tion, of genius in the presence OF the
work of that pale youth to whom the |
whole world was a sounding vision of
passion and of pain. To that work Mr..
Holman last night addressed himself in
spirit of love and reverence; out of 1t |
timental beauty.
II is impossible, with the memory of his |
playing still fresh, to consider the meth
ods by which Mr.. Hofmann achieves his
illusion. Memories of other concerts sug-
gest his delicacy of touch, his fine
rhythmic sense. his unerring accent, and
the clean, clear expression OF the music
he is playing. But for Chopin these things
became forgotten trities beside the elo-
quence of utterance and the depth or
poetic feeling which the pianist gave in
service to the composer of his choice
in the tragic majesty of the
first movement, lovely beyond ali telling
in the Romance and Larghetto, and en-
dowed with pathetic bravery In the
Rondo. the Chopin concerto as he played
II, seemed the exfoliation of twin souls
the composers and his own.
1t is idle to speak of the function of
music. 1t is the tragic muse OF art. and
our vain words are always petty and
crude when We attempt to speak of 1t.
But of it's wonders. at least, we know this.
That 1t can afreot us as tragedy Affects. in
the catharsis of pity and terror. It can
make us forget our days OF small things;
Il can make us remember the future So,
as much for the visions 1t can destroy,
as for the visions 1t can create. Mr.. Hof-
mann's playing is unique and wonderful
IN our experience.