Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-01
ORCHESTRA PRESENTS
PHILADELPHIA SOLOIST
Edwin Evans Sings American
Songs-Romantic Compositions
Dominate Program

The seventeenth pair OF concerts of the
nineteenth season will go down in the
chronicles of the Philadelphia Orchestra as
a triumphant demonstration of the great
poetry of the romantic composers--the poetry
Of intriguing magic, lyric cry, pulsating pas
sion, sheer and striking beauty for beauty's
sake-even OF novelty. quest of which breeds
the romantic in art In reaction against the
spiritual serenity and austere contours of
classical formularies. For time cannot
stately hackney nor customed performance
wither the freshness OF the numbers which
Mr. Stokowski assembled in a masterpiece
OF program m-architecture and which he and his
men played yesterday afternoon before ap-
plauslve Academy of Music audience with
gracious technical art that obliterated con-
scious artistry, with glamourousness that
was all poesy. His Observation-Disclosures truly
reared "a stately pleasure dome" of sound
that had proportion, poise, value Of tona1
line. curve and color. perspective and vision
the vision of beauty-along its vistas It's
Renascent lovelinesses will charm another
audience this evening.
Old as the perennial stuff of beautiful art.
Vet as fresh as the wildhowers even now
breaking out of the earthen sod (since
beauty Is eternal and has existed ever. no
matter when in times course supreme genius
charmed Il into tangible shape for all to
share its benson and bounty. the substance
or the program integrated the Unfinished
symphony" OF Schubert, the "F'reschuetz'
overture Of Weber. the overture to The
Mastersingers" of Wagner. The Afternoon
OF n Faun'' of Debussy, written two of them
near century agone, of them half a
century ago and one of them so recently in
our own time that only decade ago IL was
the subject Of animated and embttered dis
cussion as the music of the future" OF ro-
mantle content, too were the five songs by
tam A
Edwin Evans, baritone, whose repute and
art are wider than his Philadelphia habitat,
served admirably as soloist.
What with the angelic hymnng-the sing
ing as of seraphs' wings-of the celestial
Schubert symphony and the strange symbol
isms of the summing. gambolng, wistful,
wanton Faun of Debussy, the demands on
the woodwind choir were exigent and the
woodwnd players absolved themselves mel
lowly and sweetly. with purity of intonation
and limpdity of tone. The brass in the
Weber and Wagner numbers smoothly
orotund. and throughout the program the
strings performed their complementary duties
Nivaciously or gravely as the occasion
called-and always nobly in utterance.
Mr.. Evans is singer who has made clear
enunciaton of English an art in itself.
Added to his clarity are a natural voice of
individual timbre and insight in interpreta-
tion He dramatized F. S. Converse's ballad
setting of Keats's la Belle Dame Sans
Merci" as should be. for ballad is, after all,
narrated drama in which voice is scenic
setting, action and dramatis personae. Mr.
Converse has written strikingy for the
voice and with interesting modern tang for
the orchestra. The most interesting of Mr..
Evans's offerings The Odalisque," one
of two Chinese Water Colors" by John
Alden Carpenter in which the delicate traits
of the aquarelle had characteristic Oriental
accent Cyril Forsyth's 20, Red Is the Eng
lish Rose" and II. Clough-Leiter's Posses
sion" both interesting, neither highly sig
nihcant. completed the solosts list.