Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-08
LEO ORNSTEIN PLAYS
WITH THE ORCHESTRA
Gives Mcdowell Concerto in Con.
cert Where Two of His Own
Compositions Are Played

Leo Ornstein appeared both as soloist and
as composer with the Philadelphia Orchestra
yesterday afternoon in a program which
ranged from one of. the most beautiful sym-
phonies of all time TO 1.-The most extraord-
nariiy cacophonous music which has been
heard in this city for many days at a really
serious concert
Inc program opened with the Prometheus
overture of Beethoven. followed by the ever
io'eiy q Minor Symphony of Mozart. As
was the case last year. Mr. Stokowsk played
'he work with very small orchestra. and
while In this way he was able to bring out
all the more clearly the details of the or
chestration, as well as the form and possibly
some of the counterpont, the wisdom of doing
II as regular thing may well be questioned
Inc musical ideas in this great work are
worthy OF presentation in the best form which
modern orchestra is capable of giving, and
IN large hall like the Academy the warmth
or tone given by the use of many strings
was missed yesterday After hearing it
with the full number of instruments for so
many years, II seemed almost like the skele-
ton of the great symphony
The second half of the program was al
most all Leo Ornsten He played the d Minor
concerto of MacDowe for piano and orches-
ira, after which two of his own works for
orchestra were played under the direction of
Mr.. Stokowskl AS "A pianist Mr.. Ornsteln
did not show any unusual characteristics.
His touch was hard and his tone unsympa-
thetlc. while he has also allowed careless
ness to grow into his playing, such as for
instance !he fact that he almost invariably
strikes the left hand before the right His
general Interpretation also was not careful
and he seemed to miss to a very great extent
the poetry that Teresa Carreno always got
out of the same concerto.
IT, however, Mr.. Ornstein was not alto
gether satisfactory as an interpretative artist.
he shone brilliantly here compared, with
the two compositions of his which we're given.
These were a Funeral March and descrip
tive piece entitled la Chnose. The chief
merit of both numbers is that they are
short, for both seem like deliberate and
studied attempts at cachophony. There is
not trace of the obvious harmonic research
and experimentation that mark the Scriabne
works. which are almost equally strange, but
which carry with them a sense Of conviction
and sincerity which the compositions of Mr..
Ornstein lack of coherent melody there Is
none in either piece. In the orchestration
there is no apparent knowledge of the re-
sources of the modern orchestra, for 1t
totally lacks color, because practically all
the instruments are being used all the time.
Emotionaly the compositions convey moth
Ing The Funeral March might well be
"A slow dance for all the funereal qualities
tndt IL contains, even the TnNlntl pelnR eN-
ceedingly vague The descriptive piece. a la
Chlnoise is simply q continuous shrieking
of the very high wood winds over dis
cordant noise in the lower string and brass
instruments 1t is supposed to be tone
picture of street life In a Chinese city. II so,
IL is a good place to stay away from.
The audience quite frankly amused
by both compositions 1t does not follow that
because audience does not like work on
first hearing that the composition is not
good one. The writer is quite ready 10
admit that the harmonic research, the intel
lectual processes, the mastery of orchestra
tion and the many other elements which were
evident in such a work the Scriabine
Poeme dExtase may, perhaps, convey an
emotional meaning that is not now apparent
in other words the fault may be that of the
hearer and not of the composer, II is not
because the Ornstein compositions sounded
so bad that they are impossible of ac-
ceptance but because of the apparent total
lack of intellectual and emotional content
as well as an equal lack Of learning in orches-
tral resources After them the March Slave
OF Tschaikowsky. which closed the program.
with it's wild melody, in spite of its noise.
came like benediction.