New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-27
Explains Why Aeolian and
Carnegie Hall Pro-
grammeS Differ
HOPES TO INCREASE
LOVE OF sly iPHONY
Conductor Brings For
ward Work by Rabaud
Well Worth Hearing
RY IL. Z kREHBIEI

in the construction OF his scheme for
the regular subscription concerts OF
the Symphony Society given in Aeolisn
Hall on Friday afternoon Of last week
and yesterday as he was unfortunate
in his programme for the first two
extra concerts at Carnegie Hall on
Thursday afternoon and Saturday
evening. In each case the pair OF con-
oerts had the same programme.
Discussing the concert Of Thursday
we were led to intimate that it failed
70 disclose any definite artistic pur'
pose on the part of the conductor. MI
Damrosch in a courteous note offers an
explanation, which it is a pleasure TO
set forth here. Mr. Damrosch writes /:
81 am very glad to be able to answer
your query in this mornings Tribune
as to what might be the artistic pur-
pose Of the new series Of concerts at
Carnegie Hall.
"First-Our Aeolian Hall concerts
are almost sold out by subscription, so
that Sundays especially many sym
phony lovers are turned away for lack
Of accommodation.
Second The small size of Aeolian
Hall and the consequent excess rever-
berstion prevent me from performing
many works Of larger calibre, or COM
pei me 10 emasculate something OF
their virihty in adapting them to the
acoustics of the hall. The new series
offers me the welcome opportunity 10
do such works as, for instance, the
Brahms symphony No. /, the marvel
lousy orchestrated 'Daphnis and
Chloe Of Ravel. some of the symphonic
poems of Strauss, etc, etc. In other
words, in giving them at Carnegie Hall
| can take breath more deeply ana
naturally.
"Third-The sole object of the Sym
pkony Society is to increase the mum,
Der Of lovers OF symphonic music and
70 crafty such love by as good per
formances as We can possibly give. Our
new series of concerts is, therefore, a
step in the right direction"
Very good, this, as an earnest Of the
future; but the explanation IS general
in its scope and, does not meet the spe-
ciic and concrete case which was IN
mind last Thursday, when the Branms
Symphony in c minor and the "Daphnls
and Chloe" music, compositions wnich
have been heard in Aeolian Hall. were
ccnsorted with two airs of the same
ford pattern and the intermezzo from
Mr.. Damrosch's opera, "Cyrano de
Bergerac." Surely it was not necessary
to Mr.. Damrosch's artistic inhalation
that these pieces should be taken TO
Carnegie Hall They were the ones
that caused the question IN the nina
of the writer whether or not the CON
cert had disclosed any definite artistic
purpose on Mr.. Damrosch's part.
But. after all, il is immaterlal what
a conductor says he is aiming at so
long as he brings down large and IN
teresting artistic game. Mr.. Damrosch
did that in Aeolian Hall yesterday
afternoon, when, repeating the pro,
gramme of Friday. he brought forward
a symphony in + minor composed oy
Henri Rabaud. an opera writer and
conductor 81 the Opera Comlque IN
Pass. The symphony is inscribed o
nv master, Monsieur Msssenet." and
we are inclined TO look upon 1t as a
handsome tribute to the composer who
has represented in his own work every
thing but the rugged spirit eXempll-
fed in this composition. Shallow wits,
deceived as deeper minds have been
bv superfcial seemings, used TO DUP
NJ. Massenot "Mademoiselle Wagner,
hut the evidences are many that there
was nothing nsmby- pamby about the
learning Of the composer or his seri-
GUS excellence as teacher.
II NJ. Rabaud's symphony is fruit
of his teaching it bears witness 10 the
fact that the elegant composer was a
teacher who neither frowned on erudi-
ton nor attempted TO restrict lndiVldu-
ality. II is a reconcile work created IN
large part by heWing to line, but IL
is as spontaneous and original an eK-
pression, TO our mind, as anything that
has come out of France within a dec
ade. In thought and utterance IT ex-
hibits Gothic strength rather than Ha!-
lie grace. Its slow movement, win lls
rugged hymn time and still more rug
ged fermentation OF It, would nave
warmed the Bachian heart OF cesar
Franck; the humor of it's iocose move
ment is the spirit play OF strong ana
happy men; its finale is riot OF tou-
Sled warlocks revealing in their wal
purgis night, but doing no mischief.
So fluent and self-reliant did 1t seem
in all its parts that its employment OF
the device of community Of theme did
not even invite curiosity.
There were other new things on the
programme- broad elegiac song for
strings and organ, "Sospiri," by Sir Ed
ward Elgar, in which the grief of a
strong soul went out, in sighings over
men nobly sacrificed, and pretty
tribe. also for strings somewhat over
wrought, we thought, by Sinigsglia.
called an "Etude Caprici." But the
best of them were the songs by Nous
sorgsky and Rachmaninoff. in which
the gloomy mood Of the Russian mind
and Russian art found expression:
These and a scene from "Achilleus,'
biz Max Bruch one Of Nine. Schumann-
Ueink's war horses), were sung by
Miss Sophie Braslau in a style that
displayed finely the plenitude and love-
L. Il art