Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-05
ZTMBALIST SOLOIST
WITH THE ORCHESTRA
Divides Honors of the Day in
Brahms Concerto With the
Symphony Pathetique

Efrem Iimbalist. the vioinist, and the
popular favorite of all modern symphonies,
the "Pathetique." divided honors at the con-
cert Of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the
Academy of Music yesterday afternoon. MIR.
Stokowsh had recovered from his illness
sufficiently to conduct the concert, an ex-
hausting task. comprising as It did three
modern works two Of intense emotionalism
and the third Of even real musical
content, with the added element of intel
lectualty in an equally high degree.
The program opened with La Grande
Paque Russo" of Rimsky- korsakow. This
Easter piece is really an overture upon
themes of the Russian Church. 1t is gor-
geous piece of orchestration in which the
tonal values of all the instruments of the
orchestra used to the best possible ad-
vantage. II was finely played and created
a deep impression. the religious element of
the composition being apparently not lost
on the audience.
Then came the soloist of the day in the
test of all artistic violin playing. the
Brahms concerto. Mr.. Iimbalst gave a
finely intelligent and emotional reading OF
the great work, his technique of course,
being impeccable usual. The compost
ton is really symphony with violin obi
cato. so important are the orchestral parts.
Mr. Zimbalist played with a splendid arts-
tic restraint and with thorough under
standing of the relative importance of the
orchestra and the solo instrument His one
fault, II ii can he called by strong n
term. seemed to he tendency to play the
double stops in the counter subject of the
nrst movement too short. giving the effect
or staCcato notes with rests between them,
which is not the way the part stands. He
may have done this for contrast. but 1t
seemed not TO At in exactly with the lyric
character of the movement.
He PLAYED paupDZa by leODOld
Auer. which was entirely too "violinistic' to
nj the majesty of the first movement. The
glissandos and the double thirds. in rapid
tempo, are not at all in keeping of the COM
position Itself. There Is not the slightest
need TO play a technical cadenza to the
Brahms concerto. Any one who can play
the notes that Brahms has written in the
concerto itself needs further guarantee
or his technique. Needless to say. Mr.. Zim-
balist played them all He was recalled
many times after his excellent performance.
The closing number of the program was
the symphony Pathetique" of Tschaikowsky.
This work is always a favorite by reason
of the intense emotion which IL depicts and
the extremely skillful manner in which this
emotion Is communicat ted to the hearer by
the exotic orchestraton Mr.. Stokowski Is
always at his best in haikowsky, and
possibly this symphony is the one in which
he obtains his greatest effects 1t was read
with great temperament, all the varying
shades of sorrow and hopelessness which
are its chief characteristics being brought
out. The closing movement was as usual,
the most effective. and both the conductor
and the orchestra were compelled to ac-
knowledge the sustained applause of the
audience. which. by the way, overfowed into
the orchestra pit.