Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-01-27
POETIC FRENCH MUSIC
Some Prose Strays Into the orchestra's
Program, Also

Poetry of various sorts and styles
reigned at the Academy yesterday after
noon. Some of II was inherent in the texts
and notices OF the French works which
the Philadelphia Orchestra played Some
was in the music itself. And a great deal
Of that mystic essence came from the in
depreciation. It is possible to raise rhyth-
mic legends and lift the senses TO far hori-
IONS with little black stick as well as a
pen.
Not all of this poetry was of the highest
sort. Part of It was a sweeping dsap-
pontment But other parts were magnlh-
cent in spirit and reading All things con-
sldered, the big moments of Mr.. Stokow-
skis matinee made atonement for some tre-
mendous trities that had in them more of
tryiality than Of tremendousness. Strangely
enough, the chief regret came with the play
ing OF Debussy's THE Blessed DamozeI,"
written in the form of a lyric poem for
soprano, womens chorus and orchestra.
This novelty, based on part of the text of
Dante Rossetti'S delicate spiritual essay
composed before he was twenty had
been awaited with paTdonable anxiety and
some premature Joy on the part of those
who like their arts blended. Surely no
lbretto more aptly suited to the unearthly
talent of the French musician could be
imagined, And yet one began TO want to
yawn before II was half over How much
of this boredom was due TO the difficulty
OF writing up" to undoubted insplration
and how much 10 the necessary monotone
of the score is hard to say Intelligence
'characterizes the piece throughout-melodlc
intelligence, that is (for Debussy has some
queer ideas as to the allotment of lines in
his modern cantata) The color, the idom
of the music are perfectly in touch with
the color and idom of the text II Is
orchestrated with a skill that is both sim
pie and subtle 1t does, indeed reach "the
gold bar of heaven" at moments Rut n
Go
Gounod, for Loeffler for any devils disci-
pie with little healthy red FIRE about him
All this despite a very pleasant reading Of
THE Damozel" by the conductor and very
pretty singing Of 1t by the ladies OF the Or
chestra chorus and Miss Mabel Garrison
the solOist.
If there was not too much rapturs IN
what she and her assistants did, there was
beauty and to spare IN the rest OF tbe
program The Rabaud symphony is heard
oIteher mere every year and not once too
often, at that. The temptation TO bracket
II with, the FranclS symphony. label tbep,
lovely music, and dismiss the matter is an
easy but lazy way out OF criticism like
the Franck, the Rabaud towers up into
the clouds through its passion ana its
ecstasy. Unlike the former 1t has a strong
ly marked masculine note, and. again nm
like, It makes its design understood al a
first hearing. II is this combination Of clean
pattern with nobility of content that makes
IL so fascinating; ana how much more fas-
chatting it is when played with the rap
turous frenzy and fine serenity that Mr.
Stokowski gives IL
His realization OF this detached ana ex-
duIsite thing helps one to an understand
ing Of why his method OF looking al The
aFaun" and the "Soreerer's Apprentice" is
not quite the perfect method. HIS 'Faun"
seems 10 have strayed into dreamy para
disc he Is not a sensual and spicy animal
His "Apprentiee" falls just an inch short
Of ths hnarisg that 4 madness. =, "a