Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-14
PHILHARMONIC BRINGS
NATIVE FIDDLER HOME
New York's Crack" Orchestra
Under Stransky Stages Met
ropolitan Debut of Sascha
Jacobinoff

just why the legend First Time in
Philadelphia" could accurately be attached
to Anton Dvoraks Fourth symphony, some
quarter of century after it's first per-
formance is not explicable, in view Of the
fact that it is work Of noble proportions
structuraly and pure beauty of content
Thus the legend stood on the program OF
the opening concert of the Philharmonic
Orchestra and stood undisputod Musical
antiquarans said that 1t had really re-
mained for Josef Stranslly 20 Fetch this
rarely beautiful music ninety miles across
Jersey to Philadelphia as novel nd sin-
gularly attractive medium for the eX-
ploitation of his band at once the most
venerable America boasts and one OF the
ireshest The first because 1t is an insti-
tuition OF nearly four score years, surely
something in a young country where ART
has had short and comparatively simple
annals; the second because of its process of
remuneration.
Gustav Mailer ratified the bones of this
organization; he vitalized its moribund
traditions; and though his regime and its
tragedies are sometimes said to have been
responsible for his broken heart he breathed
the life Of the spirit into II. Josef StranslIy
OF course has placed 1t in the ranks of the
orchestras which are great on account Of
absolute merit of performance. He had
moro luck than Mailer at his first concert
uesplte the sort of night that keeps a string
from waiting at the gallery door and the
competition of unfamiliar opera up Broad
street.
Certainly the graciousness of the conduc-
TOR deserves recognition for his providing
| opportunity for a young Philadelphian,
Sascha Jacobinof, to make not only his
local debut with orchestra but also his
American metropolitan bow.
The Dvorak Symphony in G. major is, in
the books, compared to the Pastoral, of
| Beethoven; but IT is not all the bucolic i'm
| preston the translucent Joy, of it's COM
| peer. There is depth Of emotion and pailo-
| sophcal design in the Rdagio a lyric poem
or integrity In itself, by the way, and in the
| finale. Fecundity of invention and skill of
| development mark the symphony and the
| melodies are of haunting beauty, the beauty
| that is for beauty's sake. In structure sew
| eral remarkable things are TO be noted. but
| in the main two, the fact that the first
movement is based on four instead of two
| conventional subjects these being worked in
| pairs. two first" and two second" sub
| iects, and the fact that the finale opens with
| an unashamed trumpet solo. The teeming
| beauties of the work were repletely and
resplendently realized by band and leader.
Their routine was shown 10 admirable ad-
| vantage in the other large work, Max
| Rogers Variations and Fugue on a Theme
| by Mozart, a work infinitely superior in all
| but intricacy 10 the same composers sim
| liar composition on motive by Hitler
| played by the Philadelphia Orchestra some
| weeks ago For one thing il is half dozen
| variations shorter, which would naturally
reduce the monotony II 1t were n monot-
| onous work. But the variations are wa
| ried" and interesting, some of them little
| lyrics or dramas. all compact and individu
| al The fugue is scholarly, but not dry. Mr.
| Stransky kept all the voices moving
| freely, blending them in due proportion and
ever without blur or confusion.
The debutant yioinist made an excellent
| showing with Brahms's ID major concerto
| tie concerto written against the VIOLIN" II
| has no time for mere display and II re-
| auIres grounding of the severest and most
| comprehensive sort. This MIR. Jacobinoff
| evidently has There was boyish aw<-
| wardness about his manner that possessed
| naive charm, but there was nothing juvenile
| about his playing. His tone is broad and
| full though still susceptible OF sweetening
| and mellowing, with the modulatlons OF the
| years; he bows deXterously and he has a
| wonderful left hand coursing through his
double stops at full pace and with full
| yigor Decidedly his twenty years have
been well spent and his future has much
i'm store. w. r, NJ.