New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-16
New Work by Igor Stra-
whisky Played by Rus
sian Society.
FIRST CONCERT OF
IT'S 18TH SEASON
Old Familiar Pieces on Pro-
gramme Please Carnegie
Hall Audience.
BY II. r. kREHBEIL.

season in Carnegie Hall last night.
True to its traditions. it brought
forward a novelty by a Russian COM
poser, one upon whom popular and
critical interest has been focused with
greater intensity during the last lus-
trum than upon any contemporanious
musician. The new work was Igor
Stravinsky's symphony in E-hat. There
were other works by Russian com
posers on the programme. but curiosity
was centred upon the novelty, which
provided surprise to the audience,
not by reason of its revelation of new
artistic notions, but because OF It's al
most extreme conservatism. About
this something more shall be said
presently.
The other pieces in the list were
familiar to the patrons of the society
from hearings in past seasons. There
were Liadoff's "The Enchanted Lake."
Glazounoff's violin concerto and ippo-
litor- Ivanoh's Caucasian Sketches"
The Liadoff composition was played by
the Russian Symphony Society less
than a year ago.
Last night Mr. Altschuler attempted
to give il adventurous interest by con-
sorting il with color effects produced
by the apparatus constructed and used
last season in connection with Scria-
bins "Prometheus" symphony. Il was
az impossible to establish any congru-
ous relationship between the peepshow
and the music of Liadoff's tone-poem
as il was when Mr.. Altschuler made his
heroic attempt 10 carry out the fan
taStic and futile cOnceIt which Scrla-
bin consorted with his equally fantastic
and futile music. As matter OF fact,
the attempt 20 heighten the effect of
the music lowered the dignity OF con.
cert which was intrlnslcally worthy or
the most serious attention.
The play OF colors on a screen while
music is sounding might interest chill
dren unconcerned about the music; 1t
is not likely TO engage the attention
Of serious lovers of the musical art.
II may be said however. that the
scheme was made a little more con-
gruous than IL was last year by max
ing the change of tints and blended
colors synchronOus with changes OF Key,
with sforzandos, crescendos and dimln-
uendos, having them grow with the de-
velopment of the climaXes and fade
away as the music sank into tran
guilty. The device seemed 70 interest
the public, though it was more anus
ing than editying.
There was nothing In the new sym
phcnv TO disclose the extremely radical
tendencies of Stravinsky, the youngest
and foremost of the musical revolu-
tionaries OF to-day. On the contrary, 1t
h. al q mn G
academical composition. which by rea-
son of its contrast with his later COM
positions suggested parallel with
Richard Strauss, whose symphony IN +
minor. when it was brought forward by
Theodore Thomas in December, 1884,
made US think that a devoted and high
~ gifted disciple OF Brahms had arisen
in Germany.
II seems to have taken as few years
to free the young Russian from the
trammels Of classicsm as II did the
young German. Strauss was twenty
one wears old when he wrote his sym
phony. Stravinsky twenty-four; but the
latter could look back upon longer
period of progress Of that be the cor
rect word than the former. and
Strauss development Or that be the
correct word, again was no more rapid
than that Of his Russian colleague. 1t
has been characteristic of the Russian
composers of the last half century that,
despite their protestations Of a desire
to cut loose from conventions, they
have generally plodded along we'll trod-
den paths until near the close of their
careers, and IN some cases, Moussorg-
sky and Borodin, for instance, have
died leaving unfinished the works into
which they were seeking TO infuse a
large measure Of individuality and ma
tionalism.
Glinka is said to have desisted from
writing a symphonic poem because ne
discovered that in spite of himself he
was writing in German" But
Glinka's acknowledged masterpiece. the
opera "A Life for the Car" If per
formed now would sound more Tuscan
to us than the sentimental parts OF
prince Igor" in which, as Mr.. Yer
non remarked in his review OF la
opera in this journal, the composers
soul drifted across the Alps INTO the
vineyards and gardens of Italy"
The symphony which was heard last
night, and which was received with
genuine pleasure. though ten years Old.
brought no dsparagement TO the in.
far the greater part OF il is beautiful
music, virile; not dramatic from a the
atrical point OF view, but lyrically i'm
rassioned sonorously, euphoniously
and eloquently scored; fluent from be-
ginning to end; full of vigorously
pulsing rhythmical blood; not strik-
inely original nor particularly national
in thematic material, yet compelling,
convincing. We can imagine that II
must have delighted the soul of the
Young composers master, Rlmsky-Kor-
sakoff, and inspired high hopes for his
Il does not attempt TO juggle with the
senses. like the Fireworks" written a
couple of years later, but is frankly
music for the ears, the fancy and the
emotions; good music which. now that
it has been heard here, we are sure VIII
hold its place in our concert schemes
for long time 70 come. There are
ideas in this coat" said Helne's tailor
So there are ideas in this work. and
thew are fashioned to the symphonic
form in a mastery manner. While not
strongly tinctured with Russiansm, the
symphony has so much individualism
mat were Stravinsky's name not at
tached to il we would be at loss 20
whom TO attribute il. Only one thing
is certain: it would have to be SLAVIC
composer
Giazounoff's violin concerto has re
peatedly been heard in our concert
rooms. With it Zimbalist introduced
himself here in November, 1871;
Mischa Elman has played il, and so
have Maurice Warner and others: Last
night IL was played without spirit and
without distinction by Miss Evelyn
Starr. a Canadian violinist.