The sun., 1918-11-20
VISITING ORCHESTRA
DELIGHTS HEARERS
Philadelphia Band Plays
Tschaikowsky's Fourth
Symphony Excellently.
STOKOwsKI CONDUCTS
Madame Matzenauer Sings and
Audience Ignores Her
Lapses.

The Philadelphia Orchestra gave the
FIRST of it's series Of Ave local concerts In
Carnegie Hall yesterday afternoon. The
programme contained TschaikowBky's
Fourth Symphony and Svendsens Car
nival in Paris'' for the orchestra. The
remainder Of the entertainment was con-
tributed by Nine. Matxenauer, who sang
three songs by Tschaikowsky, with
orchestration by Leopold Stokowski,
conductor OF the orchestra. and Chaus-
sons "Poeme de fAmour ct de Ia Mer.'
At the foot Of the programme in italics
was the statement that Mime. Matte
nauer uses the - piano" mo mortal
newspaper writer dares to name Il
piano. No piano took part In the con-
cert and the songs written with plano
accompaniment had been orchestrated.
But the mysteries OF the commercial
preservation OF the soulful art Of music
will always be impenetrable to the COM
mon mind. One would suppose that In
such circumstances It would have been
less suggestive to say nothing at all
about the plano.
An Excellent Performance.
Let Il pass. The Philadelphia Or
chestra used to be brought to US either
by the untiring Friends OF Music or by
some other agency outside Itself. But 1t
has become an independent force and
challenges our admiration with a series
OF concerts OF its vary own. II II will
always throw itself into the lake OF local
music with such q big splash as II made
yesterday we shall all be glad II Is here.
Tschaikowsky's Fourth symphony is
admirably adapted to display Of vir-
tuoso conducting and playing. Usually
the composition gets scant consideration
Nil a
much effort is bestowed on the andan-
tino and the pizzicato estimate. Mr..
Stokowski had prepared the whole work.
He caused 1t to be performed with tech
meal excellence OF q very high order.
That pizEicato estimate, that modern
transformation Of the orchestra into a
big guitar more resembling and various
than any conceived by the cheerful
Donizetti, has always been medium
of glory for orchestral bodies, and Mr.
Stokowski's men played 1t with all the
GREATNESS swiftness and glittering pre-
cIsion OF company OF Essentials.
But in the searching analysis OF
phrase and nuRnce revealed by the
performance OF the slow movement and
the opening allegro Mr.. Stokowsh dem
onstrated most convincingty his f1ne
feeling for the essential nature Of or
chestral song. He is a conductor whose
temperamental traits are energy, deci-
sion and compression.
Balance IL Retained
He gets much out OF his orchestra. bu,
without any approach to destruction
of proportions. Balance there Is at all
times. while the nicely adjusted scale OF
dynamics develops some exquisite
touches OF shading. especially In the
mela ncholy sighings OF some of Tschai-
kowsky's wood wind phrases. In the
wider domain OF the general plan the
conductor shows a view of large per-
spectives and "A grasp OF design.
Nine. Matzenauer is familiar figure
on the local stage. She is ardentiy wor-
shipped by all such as believe opera "a
be the loftlest form OF musical art
Those who are sceptical about this are
wont 10 take note that Nine. Matte
nauer Is given to offences against good
taste and demolitons OF the laws OF
beautiful tone that are commoner In the
lyric theatre than on the concert plat
form.
Her singing yesterday delighted the
audience. This IL record of fact But
the hardened recorder must add that
singing always appears TO delight au-
diences. Nine. Matzenauer did not sing
WELL but that is Il matter OF no i'm
porTance whatever. She sang. The
voice was head. That was enough.