Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-18
ORCHESTRA OPENS
SEASON BRILLIANTLY
First Concert Consists of Old
Favorites and One Novelty.
Vast Audience Present

The twentieth season of the Phila %
1clphia Orchestra opened at the Acad
cmy of Music yesterday with an en-
thusiasm that BIDS fair to make it the
most successful of any that the Orches
ira has yet experienced Nearly every
seat was occupied and the immense
audience greeted the appearance of M
tokowski with rapturous applause.
There was little experimental music
On Mr.. Stokowski's first program. 1t
opened with the familiar "Oberon" over
rure of Weber, Il work old in year but
ever fresh and young in spirit. This
was followed by three excerpts of the
Midsummer Nights DEAN music by
Meudelssohn, the Overture, the Noe
turne and the Scherzo. the first men
toned being probably the most remark
able piece of music ever composed by
II hoy less than twenty years of age.
Then came the one novelty, four short
pieces by Edward Burlingame Hill after
poems from Robert Louis Stevenson
"A Child's Garden of Verse and the
program concluded. with the mighty
Fifth Symphony of Beethoven.
There is little that need, or can be
said about the Weber. Mendelssohn and
Beethoven numbers. They have all been
frequently played before by the OrcheS-
ira. and Mr.. Stokowskis reading Of
all Of them was little different from
those which he has given in the past.
1t was an exacting program for both
conductor and orchestra so early in the
season, before the ensemble has well
settled, but they came through with
it in fine style, the delicacy Of tone re
quired in the Mendelssohn0 numbers
sounding almost az though the orches-
ira was in mid season form.
There have been q number of changes
in the Orchestra since last season, al -
though all of the firsts remain, but de
spite the short time allowed for re
hearsal of the first program ii went
unusually well, especially when it's tech
nical difficulty IS considered as we'll as
the extremes of style demanded in the
program, notably in the Beethoven and
Mendelssohu numbers. The orchestra
has never begun a season more auspici-
ously than yesterday, although natural
ly the ensemble will perfect itself with
more rehearsals, when the attacks will
gain in unison and the various choirS
balance better in volume and color Of
tone in antiphonal and initiative pas
sages 1t was n remarkably fine per
formance for an opening concert.
The one novelty on the program was
the number in four movements by Mr..
Hill, who is one Of the Boston group
of composers. All the numbers have
some beautiful places in them. but they
are rather heavily scored for the general
subject which they portray. Mr.. Hill
evidently leans strongly toward the
French method of expression, and in
nearly all the movements there is no
I ticcd n curious contrast of melodic sim =
plicity, highly appropriate to the text
of the child's verse and next TO il, radi.
cal haimonies which suggest an exceed
ingly sophisticated child and scarely
carry out the simplicity. almost naivete
of Stevenson ideas and words The
orchestratiOn is excellent and in the
lullaby he uses a solo string quartet, in
contrast with the whole string body of
the orchestra, giving an ethereal and
pleasing effect.