New-York tribune., 1919-10-20
Music
Rachmaninoff's Concert o
Pianoforte Music
BY II. E. Krehbiel

Frlvolity is not as rampant in the
concert rooms of New York as are af-
fectation and arrogance. That is one
thing which makes even poor rccitals
at least halfway tolerable. The music
cannot all be silly Nor is recital
hall a place for touch-and-go jocular-
ity. Even those who affect to discourse
music without worthier incentive
than the qualification of self-conceit
cannot plead that the world is mad
and wants to be de,uded (as Schick-
aneder is made to sing in "The Impre-
sario'D or that aippancy ought to en-
ter into the treatment of al things
from the laws of creation to the law
Iessness of chaos. And so every con-
cert program invites some serious.
ness OF thought to music love-. But
he is brave man who will venture to
open : concert with Beethoven's So
nata in D minor (Op 81, No. q and
Mcnde lssohn's "Rondo Capriccioso" in
q cityful of pianoforte students who
think that pieces technically less diff
ficult than Lszt's transcendental
studies or less comprehensive than
the lucubrations, if they are that, of
mountebank pretenders to dictatorship
are beneath the dignity of their at
tention.
Yet that is what Mr.. Rachmaninoff
did yesterday, and he followed the com.
positions which conservatory killings
smile at contemptuousy with some of
the most familiar pieces by Chopin
the E-flat minor Polonaise, F minor
Eallade. A-flat Impromptu, D-aat Wa t.
and fiat minor Scherzo. He d ID what
re did because he is an artist and a
musician, not mere virtuoso. He
dld not hagrantly make proclamation
of this fact. He insinuated it into the
consciousness Of his great houseful of
listeners. He did not even make pa
raoe. as even some truly great players
do, that he was striving to keep him
self in the background so that the
composer might come to the fore. He
simply re-created their music made it
vital proclamation by merging him
self in it. efaced all of the performer
except that which was essential in
ord"r that the music mi~ht ho hanrd
When he played Beethoven the style
was that Of the musician who thought
more Of the music than of the in
strument which gave it voice When
he played Chopin his hearers felt the
newer idiom which had come in with
tiic composer VINO tNOu4nC is much of
the sensuous charm inherent in the
tone. of the pianoforte as he d d of
the beauty of the musical idea. The
Polonaiae was rhapsodic, varied, full
OF picturesqueness. The Sonata told
OF the ideal struggle which forms the
psychological program of SO many
Of Beethoven's compositions in which
the tragedy of human existence is
played in the heart and not in the
external world. The struggle was not
dynamically stressed. 1t was reflected
IN the moody questioning of the open
ing motive contrasted with the i'm
petuous protest Of the principal theme
of the allegro.
New developments, new signficances
came with every iteration of the
phrases. 1t was marvellous to hear
how many voices sang the song of res
ignation which is the slow movement
emerging out of the harmonies, dis
tributing light or deepening the sweet
me 'ancholy. There was not motive
hich was not woven into the fabric,
The little figure which opens the
Adago. when once the song was begun,
did not sound like a query or an an
swer: but like a gracious efflorescence,
unfolding Its peta S over the melody
stealing and giving odor. The PER
formance was more than lesson in in
terpretation because an interpretative
purpose was never apparent. Here was
rusic FOR music's sake, and an after
noon Of lofty pleasure