New-York tribune., 1917-12-17
Music
Playing of Jascha Heifetz,
Violinist, in Carnegie Hall,
Seems Near to Perfection

It is really an impertinence to dis
cuss such playing as Jascha Heifetz
gave in the Tchaikowsky Violin Con-
certo yesterday afternoon in Carnegie
Hall. With the ordinary violinist it is
customary to speak OF breadth Of style,
sweep of bowling. richness Of tone. cor
rectness Of intonation, gradation OF
feeling. With Mr.. Heifetz it is useless
to speak of these things. They exist
with him in a measure so complete that
one is no longer unable to recognize
them.
In short. in all that he has so far ac-
complished. Jascha HeifetZ has ap-
preached as near 10 perfection as hu-
man ears are able TO ascertain. If as
fine a performance Of the Tchaikowsky
Concerto has been given in recent years
New York has not heard il. IL only 1T
were an equal impertinence to discuss
Mr.. Stransky's accompaniment, the cup
of JOY would have indeed overfowed!
But. alas. Mr.. Stransky's accompani-
ment was leaden.
Mr.. Stransky's best work OF the af-
Of Tounela." Here he caught the evan
esccnt beauty Of color which shoots
through it. and gave Of II clear yet
mystic performance. which well earned
the applause it received. The conductor
was less successful with Smetanas sym
phonic poem "Vltaya," the orchestra
being at times muddy in its playing:
The symphony was the Fourth OF
Dvorak. and the programme closed WIN
Herbert's Irish Rhapsody.
The concert at the Metropolitan
Cpera House in the evening was de-
voted to a programme Of French music,
the artists participating being Florence
Faston, Louise Homer, Raymonde De
launois. Paul Althouse Mario LAURENT
and Leon Rothier. The orchestra was
under the direction Of Richard Hage-
man.
Mr.. Rothier sang "Si ia rigeur" from
T.a Juive." ""The Marseillaise.' and with
Nine Easton and Mr.. Althouse, the
rio from Faust" and with Nine. Del
aunois, "Leg6res Hirondelles' from
"Mignon"; Nine. Easton gave "Depuls
le Jour" and with Mr.. laurent the duo
from the third act Of "Thais."
Mr.. Althouse sang the Flower Song
from Carmen; Nine Delaunois. the
Habanera from Carmen; Mrs. Homer,
"Mon Cnur s'ouvre Ia voiX' "Comals-
IN le PAYS" and "Le voice dons mon
boudoir." and Mr.. Laurent, vision
Fugitive" from "iIerodiade."
The purely orchestral numbers we're
the overture TO "Lc Roi d'Is' OF La
TO-" and ale Cortege de Bacenus' from
Delibcs's sylvia"
In these days of war, Walter Dam
rosch said, at the concert OF the sym
phony Society, at Aeolian Hall yester-
DAY afternoon. little good music is De-
ing written. Hence, 1t is appropriate
TO revive" the masterpieces OF grand
fathers day.
The masterpiece which he chose was
the Forest" symphony of Ran. an
amiable work, surprisingly agreeable.
except for the protracted last move
ment. and notably we'll played by Mr.
Damrosch's musicians. A few OF these
revivals are welcome. But let the or
chestra leaders beware. There are
modern masterpieces yet unheard, and
audiences will be prone to suspect that
the simple old music is being played
TO avoid the trouble of rehesrsing the
new.
IL was little difficult to see why
John Powell chose the Herculean List
concerto in A for his solo piece. Not
that the work is not splendid or that
Mr.. Powell is technically unequal TO y.
But his peculiar talents are quite dif-
ferent from those which the pompous
List wished his pianists 70 exhibit:
List is liked noisy. just rs List liked
himself; and Mr.. Powell is liked as a
poet OF the piano. n part which he
fills capitally. That Mr.. Powell came
through his muscular drudgery with
credit was all that could be expected.
Cigars "Falstafr," as repeated yester-
day. seemed even less significant than
AZ the previous hearings. Many of its
ierky episodes are the merest tread
mill music. Only the dream and the
march through Gloucestershire arc DIS
in style or content. BESIDES
of it impossible.