Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-07
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
Weekly Comment on Things
Musical in Discriminating
Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA music-lovers have
had an unusual opportunity thus
early in the season of hearing and COM
pairing three Of the leading French con-
ductors in purely orchestral concerts.
These are Andre Messenger. conductor Of
the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra; !;
Pierre Monteux, of the Metropolitan
Opera Company, and Henri Rabaud, the
new permanent conductor of the Boston
Symphony, the two latter conaucting this
orchestra at successive concerts.
M. Messenger was at somewhat OF a
disadvantage in holding the concert in
the Metropolitan Opera House. an audi
torium entirely too large for an or
chestral concert. Many of the more deli
cate effects are lost In 1ne vast reaches
of this hall and (to Americans at least)
the very unusual way of seating the or
chestra doubtless caused different
tonal effect than If the men had been
seated in the manner usually adopted
by American orchestras.
M. Monteux also labored under diff
ficulties in having to take a strange or
| cnestra fresh from the summer vacation
| and work them into shape to give a
symphony concert in a period of about
four weeks M. Rabaud, on the other
| nand, had the advantage Of M. Mon
teux's work with the men and of the
very much greater psychological fact
that he was to be the permanent leader.
MYTH this In mind, the purpose here
w Is not to compare the artistic re-
suits of the concerts per Sc, but to note
| the different styles Of conducting and
the principal results which each Of these
| fine musicians sought to obtain.
The concert of the Conservatoire Or.
| chestra came first. In 1t M. Messenger
clearly showed that his chief effort was
| toward refinement, both of interpreta'
| tion and of tone. He had splendid
| orchestra, which was at all times under
the perfect control of his baton and re-
sponsve to every signal he gave. In
his readings, however, delicacy seemed
20 be a paramount consideration and
there were those who thought that his
Interpretation lacked something of the
ruggedness to which we are accustomed
the Fifth Symphony of Beethoven.
KS might be expected, he was at hi best
in Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun.'
where the characteristics of composer
and conductor seemed to be more In
harmony than in any other number on
his program.
NTONTEUX revealed far less of this
1Yl natural French inclination toward
super-refinement He is very exacting
as to detail, both of orchestration and
of composition but especially the tier
This was shown in the D minor sym
phony Of Cesar Franck and particu
larly in the last movement. In this
movement appears virtually all the
thematic material of the previous move
ments, which are frequently combined
In the most complex counterpoint, In ad
dition to the new themetic material oi
the finale itself.
All these details were brought out In
the clearest maner. the quantity of tone
In each instrument taking the various
melodies being graduated in such way
as to be perfectly audible and yet with
out overpowering a perhaps weaker In
strument having another melody equally
important. This result must have repre-
sented an enormous amount Of rehearsal
and may have been achieved at the ex'
pense of tone quality which, on this oc.
casion, was by no means up to the
Boston former standard. He also Mad q
keen eye for dramatic points as Is
natural in an operate conductor.
DABAUD came between his two com
lt patriots. He did not show the
delcacy either of reading or of tone o.
M. Messenger, nor was the complexity
of symphonic design brought out in tn,
manner that M. Monteaux showed
though 1t must be admitted that neither
the Beethoven Seventh nor the Borodir
Second Symphony are constructed In any
such intricate way as is the Cesal
Franck work.
On the other hand. he showed fai
more visor than NJ, Messenger and fal
H better tone quality than NJ. Monteux
The Beethoven Symphon4 was Eiyef
with al the strength thai eouid be de-