New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-08
STRANSKY AND THE
c MINOR SYMPHONY
A Sundays Music Which
Raised Many Questions
for Musicians.
Bv II. T.. kREHBIEL.

purpose TO attend all OF the concerts 1
he might have found a question worth /.
discussion in every one OF them. In
whichever direction he might have .
turned he would have found himself .
confronted with a large and momen- /
tous query: Why did Mr.. Walter Dam ,
rosch devote all OF the afternoon sym +
phony concert at Aeolian Hall to
Brahms's music when he had given an 4
all-Brahms concert only last Thursday ?
Why did Mr.. Altschuler devote nearly /
all of the first Of the series OF concerts /
which have been planned in connection !
with the Pavlowa season at the Cen !
fury Opera House TO excerpts from ,
Boris Godunow" when that opera is
receiving admirable representations in (
"the original package" Ito speak COM
mercially) at the Metropolitan Opera /.
House? Why did Mr.. Stransky put /,
Beethoven's fifth symphony on his pro-
grammc for the third time this season /,
or was it the fourth. counting in a
Brooklyn concert? Why did Mr. Mar T,
tucci, who at least has name of hon /
orable sound in the musical world to
uphold, though not originally his own.
choose to play for the first time at a
Sunday night popular" in the Metro !
politan Opera House, where all the /
conditions are against recognition OF |
a pianoforte players good qualities?
Why did young Mr.. Ornstein persist in !
prejudicing many persons who would
be glad to pay tribute TO his talent s. ,
a virtuoso by mixing the good in lat !
ter-day French music with the bad IN |
his own and that Of some others for
the sake, apparently, of playing the /
part of prophet of futurism? Why. !
finally. did Mr.. Stransky depart from
h.. ~ Tho nnonipU
measures Of the c minor symphony and
give out the motto theme in allegro |
time?
Why Did They Do It!
This last question was really the
most interesting one from an artistic |
point Of view raised b. the many incl /
dents OF he day. Mr.. Damrosch prob /
ably gave a programme Of Brahms
music because his solo performer, Mr.
| Fritz Kreisler. wanted to play the
Brahms concerto. having already 3
played the Merdelssohn, Tschaikowsky /
Beethoven and Vivaldi concertos, be- f,
sides Bruchs Scotch Fantasia. at pre-
vious concerts. End so dignitied work !
as that BY Brahms must be paired with .
equally dignfed music; besides, Mr..
Damrosch has Brahms in hand just
now. Mr.. Altschuler is an enthusiast
tic pronagardist for Russian music.
and Boris Godunow" is successful
st the opera, though perhaps not yet
familiar to the many. Concerts Of Wag-
rer's music are extremely popular de-
spite the fact that performances of his
operas are manifold. Why not try the
experiment with Moussorgsky?
The other questions, save tie last, |
are really OF little consequence. To
be as wholly frank as a reviewer who
wishes TO comment on il ought to be. it
must be said TO begin with that Mr..
Stransky's readings OF Beethoven have
seldom offered what seemed to Us food
for thought. The Philharmonic So
ciety has an admirable band. but it is
, playing too much to play well; conven-
tion too often controls its perform
ances of the classics, and sensational
ism of the noisy, clap-trap order its
performances Of modern music-espe-
cially that OF List and Strauss.
The manner in which the finale OF
the symphony was reeled Off yesterday
was anything but inspiring. 1t lacked
breadth and strength. dignity and elo-
quence. II disclosed no evidences OF
devotion or study. Had tradition not
long ago fixed the conventional treat
ment of the opening measures Of the
first movement, it might havet been
thought that here, too, Mr.. Stransky
was merely careless. But he has evil
IDENTIFY given those measures some
thought and reached the conclusion
that 10 make sort Of introduction IN
moderate tempo out of them is false
reading Of Beethoven both in letter and
spirit; and herein we are inclined TO
think he is right. The convention
which distinguishes the first FIVE meas
ures in tempo from the rest OF the
movement except in their repetition.
where il is customary TO still further
exaggerate their breadth is an old
one; but there is nothing TO sanction
it on Beethoven's page. SCHNEIDER was
answerable for il originally, but he
! could cite no better authority than the
statement that the composer when once
asked the meaning of the theme re-
piled: "Thus fate raps at the portals!
Now, knockings at the door are not
! necessarily made more impressive or
fatalistic by deliberatiOn. On the con- .
trary. a quick incisiveness would seem
TO be demanded by the dramatic scene
or the poetic conceit suggested in
| Beethoven's remark.
Liberties with Beethoven.
Besides. had Beethoven desired q
contrast in tempo between the first
proclamation of the theme ard the
movement which is developed out of it
he would have indicated the TACT, as
he so plainly did in the parallel case
Of the first movement of the piano
forte sonata in ID minor, OPP. 81, No. z.
No doubt much mischief has been done
by Wagner's strenuous advocacy OF @
long and powerful adherence to the
final note of the theme with its hold,
out Of which he wanted the last drop
Of sound squeezed, and Enthusiastically
quoted Beethoven's command as II ~
were that Of voice from the COM
posers grave. But il Is not Necessary
10 distort the tempo of the allegro TO
do Justice to the fermate. We can
fancy a more powerful effect than tnat
achieved by Mr.. Stransky yesterday, !
but. at any rate, he is to be commend,
ed for adhering to the page, instead
of following the maunderlngs Oh SO
many Of his predecessors.
Miss Culp sang some songs AZ ,he
Philharmonic concert, including ScAu-
bert's familiar serenade. meretrlciousiy
decked out by Arnold Schonberg with
orchestral effects, Of which the most
impertinent were the trills intended 20
initiate the voice of the nightlngales. I,
Schubert got along without the eaten
penny device, though II was easily
within the reach or the pianoforte;
Sch6nberg could not, having a flute at
his disposal. There was also some new
music by Mr.. Arthur Hinton, in the
shape Of three movements Of suite
designed TO illustrate as many scenes
or incidents in Kests's "Endymlon. 7
Pretty music, graceful in melodic con-
tour. pleasant in all respects TO the ear
mildly stimulating 20 the fancy also,
.. -caI,, r,rnsic which should l