The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-15
MARCELLA CRAFT
IN SALOME MUSIC
Philharmonic Society Gives
Programme Of Works by
Strauss.
CONCERT OF EXCELLENCE

The concerts OF the Philharmonic So
ciety ut Carnegie Hall on Thursday eve
ming and yesterday afternoon. when the
same programme was played. were In
some respects the most satisfying that
the organization has offered In the
course Of the present season. In the
first place It must be recalled that
Richard Strauss has composed an AL
pine symphony. in which according
TO all %accounts) he has undertaken In
strumentally to pile Monte Rosa on
Jungfrau and then set that combine
ton on top Of Mont Blanc. This SYM
phony was TO have been brought to
public consideration in this town At
these two concerts. but owing to war
difficulties II vas impossible to get the
orchestra parts across III ocean.
Hence Mr.. Stransky made a Strauss
programme consisting OF the prelude to
the opera "Guntram.' WI tone poems.
Death and TRANSPORTATION and "A
Hero's Life" and the mi u%tterances Of
Sdlome In h opera OF that title. IL
was r. good programme, not too long.
and defective only In that. like wasner's
"Siegfried." II did not bring the prima
donna on the stage till the last scene.
She was Marcella Craft, who has been
In America long enough to have been
heard in New York sooner.
Nothing ca Alarm.
The temptation to say things about
STRAUSS compositions IL Irresistible. and
this hints that they are worth talking
about. Times ever new broom has
swept the artistic sky clear Of a good
many cobwehs since these creations were
first made known to us, and we can sec
them now with a less INSTRUCTED view.
What was startling In them u few
year~ ago has ceased to alarm. and what
WAS comforting then II comfortlng still.
our perspectives a altered and our
balancing OF the elements In these works
has changed with them, but the ultimate
verdict IL the same.
These are not the products Of a genial
creative force Of the first order, but they
arc the expression OF an extraordinarily
rne talent, which has the misfortune to
dwell side by side with an emphysema-
lou Ego and a philosophy of life and
art thereby distorted. II Mr.. Strauss
were not 80 frequently overwhelmed
with a consciousness of his own Identity
W. should have less Of the bombast Of
his "Hero's Life ana his symphonic
pomestica," and more Of the delicious
humor of his "E~ulensp'egel' and fine
aspiration OF his Death and Transfg-
uration.' But since even in the auto
biographical tone poem about a hero
heard yesterday there are some truly
beautiful pages 'as in the love episode)
let us try to remember them. forget
that bear dance of drums which the
composer calls a battle and from which
he so ingloriously leads us TO review
Of his works Of peace.
The performance of the music on yeg-
terday's programme was one OF the best
achievements OF the Philharmonic So
ciety under the baton OF Mr.. Stransky.
The presentation Of the 'Hero's Life"
was certainly the most admirable thing
done by the orchestra this season. Mr..
pilzer, the concert master. played the
violin solos very beautifully indeed,
and IN the final passage Mr.. Reiter. join
ms with ms horn IN the duet. seconded
him wei.
I'll" closing pages Of "Salome" are
not suited to concert performance. The
and Of the theatrical picture So essen
tial. without Ia" head Of John the
Baptist On a charger. the writing woman
soldering over the dead lips and the
lurking wrath Of Hcrod IN the back
ground the whole thing pales to Il mono
chromatic yellow. 1t is no longer the
piece Of the reeking s~eusuality which
stIns us In The theatre, but "A pltiful and
vain complaint,
Marcelia Graft wae IA much out Of
place as the scene. The woman vas
plainly hanpcred by the banishment
Of action. She has "a thin. rather hard
and worn voice hut she is n dramatic
artist of subtle intelligence and very
influential temperament, II could easily
be seen that In the theatre she would
deliver to an audience the mood that
makes the flesh shudder. In the con-
cert hail she commanded respect for II
well conceived delivery. but that was
all.