Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-12
BL0CH'S SYMPHONY
GIVEN BY ORCHESTRA
New and Interesting Work the
Feature Of Yesterdays Con-
cert at the Academy

Two old favoritcs and a symphony hith
erto unheard in Philadelphia made up the
program Of the Philadelphia Orchestra at
the Academy of Music yesterday afternoon.
The concert began with the lively overture
To Smetana's opera. The Bartered Bride"
which Mr.. Stokowski took at n very rapid
tempo, as the character of the number de
mands. 1t was played with rlearness and
taste by the orchestra.
Inc novelty of the program came second.
1t was the first Symphony Of Ernest Bloch.
who's" Jewish Cycle was heard here Il season
Or two ago under the baton Of the composer.
The work is an early one. having been begun
at the age of twenty one and finished n wear
later Compared with the Jewish Cycle
the symphony shows that Bloch at the time
OF its composition had not found the more
extreme style of harmony and vagupncss OF
tonaIity and melody which he adopted in the
later work. The symphony as a whole is
distinctly meodious and was written appar-
emily before the composer had become
melody shy for il reveals fund of
melody of which n hearing of the Jewish
Cycle or of his string quartet would hold
him quite guiltlcss
The symphony ase shows clearly the
futuriS tendencies Of Bloch even Mt that
early age. but it is by no means extreme.
aud frequently gives way before his tat that
tme' und"niabN appreciation of the melodc
IN mnSl"aI Workmanship the symphony is
excellent realizing a thorough knowledge
"1 orchestra resources as well as fine couu-
terpont. especially at the opening of the
last movement Hp ;uLI
trained technical musician when the work
was composed
While the composition NAV be termed
fairly original. still it was composed at an
age when the influence Of others was still
strong upon him. and this influence is re-
pcatedly shown in the work especially in
the or"hcstration. II is that of Strauss in
general effect. although without the tre-
m"ndous orchestral technique which is one
OF the main characteristics of Strauss The
mass "f""is. however. are based on the
strauss system especially in writing ''of
IN" Instruments. that is outside of their
most effective register. giving the strained
tonal effect SO much heard in ultra modern
works.
The or"h"Strntion is generally thick but
rarely 'muddy.' and the harmony is about
evenly divided between the classic and the
modern. The andantP has fine melody
Whl"h again appears in the finale and the
N'herzo, after an original opening in the
brass, and is strongly suggestive of the
l'ukaS of 'The Sorcercr's Apprentice not
only IN Rhythm but also in feeling The last
measure OF the two compositions is almost
ld'nt1ral. This. however is about the only
French influence which a single hearing of
III" symphony showed. The work is very
long and a iudirious cutting in certain places
wher" th" musical content hardly warrants
the length at which it is developed would
improve il for public use especially when
on long program.
The orchcstration shows an excellent
knowledge of the tonal values of tbe in
struments, both singly and in groups. The
strings are greatly divided with solo voices
IN each of them. As n work of the '.storm
ana stress period through which every
Young composer passes at about the age of
twenty one it is highly creditabIe achieve
ment and well deserves another hearing.
The concert closed with the beautiful
S"heherazade' suits of Rimsky- Korsakow
with its lovely melodies fanciful Imagination
md the scent of the Orient in every note
The atmosphere is so essentially eastern that
1t could have been written only by a Rus
sian. 1t is not only one of Rimsky's best
works. but one of the finest of its type in
orchestral literature. 1t was finely plaved
by the orchestra and vigorously but svmpa-
thetically conducted by Mr.. Stokowski.