El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-01-31
IS
UNRESTRA|NED
Minneapolis Symphony I'm
der Oberhoffer Shows
Amazing Artistic Power.

Emil Oberhoffer scarcely looks at the
scores while conducting; indeed for
many OF the greatest compositions he
has no printed score before him and re-
lies entirely on memory This leaves his
mind and all his faculties free and alert
for unremitting attention to minute de-
tail OF expression. and sustained psyche
logical control over his band and each
musical unit in it.
OF all the train OF vivid impressions
gained in listening to the first concert
by the Minneapolis symphony orchestra
Tuesday night, the most vivid was
sense Of marvel at the perfection OF the
pianissimo. This became manifest dur
ing the opening movement OF the
Tschaikowskv symphony, when oppor-
tunity WAS given TO note the quality OF
the yiOlins and all the string choir play
ing as softly and caressingly as spring
zephyrs kissing the petals OF the ar
butus, and Yet with every instrument
clearly adding its note to the subdued
harmonies. Later in the symphony and
other numbers when the whole orchestra
was playing pianissimo the effect was
that OF full volume without noise, like
a waterfall almost too lar away to be
heard yet seen to be pouring its tor
rents over the brink
Wonderful Pianissimo.
IT, the opening movement o. the
TschaikOwskv number Mr.. Oberhoiter
manner of conducting won the sympa-
thetic admiration of the audience. and
every musician marveled at his control
At times It seemed rs II he were cali
ing the spirits from the Vastly deep
ay. and they came trOoping TO his call,
what was more, and followed the wave
of the conductors hands as compass
needle follows magnet So il was. that
when the orchestra was summoned
from some subdued passage 10 enter
upon a crescendO the sound became in
tensifIed not by adding instruments,
not by little jerks and jumps as more
power was thrown into the work OF
the units, but as gradually yet irreslsti-
bly, as the little wind whispering in the
grass down in the valley swells into q
great roar as il sweeps up to the storm
defying peaks And there was a lyric
quality to all the work of the orches-
ira last night that spoke a universal
In the second movement the pianiss-
limo was sustained with marvellous del
icacy, and at the end the conductor sent
away the little crystal spheres Of har-
TnOny one after another off the tips OF
his fingers exactly as a child losses
rainbow bubbles from his pipe.
The PizzicatO Movement.
Then the third movement, with its
fascinating pizzicato-here the pianis-
=
the brasses whose organ quality was
amazing. The crescendos in the piZzi-
cato movement were mechanically per-
feet IN technic showing infinite pa
was like dances of fairies and dryads;
there was no folk dance about this
it was spirit revels.
In the fourth movement the out
standing factor in surprise was the way
the conductor shut off his band, at the !
height Of a tremendous climax fortis-
simo, as sharply as If the gesture had
invoked q lightning stroke DON'T !
think that sort of thing comes by acci- /
dent" remarked the director afterwardi |
that is one result OF II years con-
slant practice three hours a day" No +,
orchestra on earth ever did II better /
Mr.. Oberhoffer pocketed even the echo |
4 Noted ViOIinist's Work.
The violin concerto played by Rich /
ard Czerwonky with the orchestra won 1
the enthusiastic applause OF the audi
ence, which was graciously responded I
10 when the virtuoso played dainty !
little melody with dripping tlnkling |
harp accompaniment as an encore IN
the concerto the orchestra was duly !
subordinated yet afforded full rein I
forcement. and the precise syncnronisin |
was remarkable
The second movement was 1uil OF
brooding pity. and there was a most !
wonderful passage wherein the whole !
string choir played with muted STRINGS !
filling the air with suppressed emotion
movement gave exquisite poignance 70 /
the soloist'S passionate Interpretation
The crescendos in the final movement
were splendid, but in the piece played /
as an encore the virtuoso best demon
strsted his pure tone and perfect con-
troll
sistible rhythm and mighty sweep, |
with odd Instrumentation as II ahe I
composer had unlocked a box OF tricks
and was giving each instrument IN the
orchestra a chance to show OH
Music from Finland.
No other number was more impress
sive in itself or more perfectly Done
than the seValse Triste' OF Sibelius, ]
wherein the work of the foundation !
strings. and especially the large cello !
section. merited highest praise. with |
its wonderful melody and the mutec
strings of so large an orchestra the
performance was a memorial bic inter
pretation One could have wished that !
the double BASES had not been 50
masked by the unfortunate scene SCI /
ting Of the stage.
The Tone pOem-Finlandia was a
majestic and thrilling II some what |
gloomy picture Of the far north. ana
il Finland ever cried TO her gods for
freedom the brasses in this piece with
their almost cacophonOus scream old !
certainly voice that heartache OF {
whole people.
Tonight Miss Marguerite SUCKER 1s " III
sing and the orchestra plays Bee {
tnoVen's greatest LeonOre overture !
Dvoraks From the New World sym 7
phony. and three splendid Wagnerian z
numbers.
The night performance will begin I
promptly at SIS as the orchestra leaves :
the city after the concert