New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-06
Symphony Society and
Elena Gerhardt Enthusi-
astically Received.
SOLOIST BREAKS
NO-ENCORE CUSTOM
Rarely Heard Overture Is Re-
vived as Opening Number
of Programme.
BY II. f. KREHBIEL.


Mr.. Walter Damrosch conjured with
the name Of Beethoven with great sue
cess when he gave a festival of thu
great tone-poet's music some years ago
lie has done It repeatedly since. and
nothing has yet happened 10 spell the
charm backward. Yesterday after
moons concert OF the symphony Soci'
ETY. in Aeolian Hall WAS an "All Bee
thoven" one, and though another is to
be given next Tuesday in Carnegie
Hall the house was crowded and the
manifestations of interest and enthusi-
ism were more than generous.
The loudest ortb rst Of applause was
given to the singing by Elena Gerhardt
of group of songs. but the most sig
niiicant was that which followed the
performance Of the three instrumental
movements from the Symphony IN
ID minor. For iss Gerhardt the
custom which prevails at all our con,
certs Of magnitude was set aside and
she was permitted to repeat the song
"Freudvoll und Leidvoll," from the in
cidental music to "Egmont."
Mr.. Damrosch could not repeat the
slow movement of the symphony
which brought the concert to a close
but had he done so extraordinary q
thing he would doubtless have had a
large portion OF the audience with
him, for the performance had taken Q
tremendous hold on the feelings OF
the hearers. II was indeed beauti-
full performance. though not so per
feet as that given the first movement
in which the conductor and his men
were AT their best. The scherzo was
married by an unpardonably rapid
tempo. Beethoven has given it a
metronome mark of ll6 measures ia
the minute. Mr.. Damrosch played il
al the rate Of 200. His men were
firmly seated in the saddle and were
not endorsed. IL was an amazing
piece of virtuoso playing, but the
music suffered sadly.
The concert began with one of the
overtures which is seldom heard and
the one which can be most easily
spared from the Beethoven list. II
was that to Kotzebue's drama. king
Stephan. Hungary's First Benefactor,'
composed, with other incidental music
for the opening of the theatre in Pesth
in February, 1912. 1t figures in an his
toric incident, which is one OF the few
blots in the composers musical es-
cutcheon.
In 1916 the London Philharmonic So
ciety commissioned Beethoven TO COM
pose three overtures. lie accepted the
commission, and sent to the society
the overture to "King stephan that
TO "The Rui ! Of Athens" and the So
call 81. "Namensfrer," OPP. 1l5; also an
Occasional" written for Vienna. lie
demanded IS guiLcas. and the money
was promptly paid. The receipt
for the money, by the way, is IL
the possession of Mr.. Richard Al
drich, of this city, and is in Ger
man, although all the biographers, ever
Thayer, state that il is in English
Neate, a friend and pupil of Bee
thoven's. carried the scores to London
The Philharmonic directors were disap
pointed in the music, and more thar
grieved when they learned that, instead
of the new overtures which they ha
commissioned. Beethoven had sent
them old things out of his desk which
had already been performed. The next
representative Of the society who went
TO Vienna received an energetic ad-
monition:
"For Gods sake don't order anything
from Beethoven"
The composer had reserved the right
to publish the works in two years; the
overture to King Stephen" was not
published till after the composer
death. A year later, i. e., in 1916, Bee
thoven applied to Neate to sell some
works for him in London, task which
that devoted friend found it impossl'
BILE to accomplish. Beethoven wrote
to him:
81 was grieved to hear that the three
oyertures did not please in London.
do not by any means count them among
my best; but they did not displease
here or in Pesth, where the people are
not easily satisfied. Did not the fault
lie with the performance? Or was
there not some party interest IN
yolyed ?"