Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-29
DAMROSCH GIVES
BEAUTIFUL CONCERT
Fine Program, With Granger as
SoIoist, Given by New YORK
Symphony Society

The sudden illness Of Miss Mabel
Garrison, who was to have been the
soloist with the New York Symptoms
Society at its first concert of the scn
son at the Academy of Music last eve
ming, caused nu eleventh hour change
in the program. Percy Granger, who
was scheduled to play at the concert
of January -, appeared nS soloist and
Mr.. Damrosch made other changes in
the program TO suit the Interpolation
of IL lengthy concerto.
That the symphony as an art form
has come into its own in this country,
or at least in Philadelphia, was at
tested by the very large and enthuslas-
tic audience that greeted the fine or.
chestra which Mr., Damrosch has gath
cred together. Mr.. Damrosch himself
has many friends in Philadelphia, anu
his reception when he appeared on the
stage, was almost in the nature of an
ovation.
The orchestra appears, On n single
hearing, TO be the best that Mr.. Dam
rosch has yet had. IT is the largest.
especially in the string sections. having
eighteen first violins and nine baSses
and the other parts in proportion, and
their tone, as a rule, is agreeable ana
well controlled The string tone. how
ever, as a body, is slightly uneven a,
times, and the same thing may be said
of the horns, but the wood wind and
the brass are beautiful in quality aud
very even, getting fine fortissimo
without screaming and being equally
effective at the other end of the dynamic
register.
The concert opened with the first
symphony of Brahms, the one in c
minor. OF the four Brahms sym
phouies, this is the one cast in the
heroic mold, and perhaps the idea OF
heroism led to the unconscious sug e
gestion of the theme of the finale of the
Beethoven Ninth Symphony in the last
movement of the Brahms. Mr.. Dam
rosch read the symphony With this idea
OF heroism apparently in mind, snt
although his temp seemed to be a BIZ
deliberate in the opening .sostenuto ant
the following allegro, he made the worl
reach the climax, as it should, in th,
last movement. Th detail, of which
he symphony is full, was carefully
brought out.
Mr$ Granger appeared next in tht
Grieg Concerto. He played the beauti
tul work with keen understanding ant
sympathy, although there were som,
unmistakable slips between soloist anC
accompaniment, due to lack of re.
hcarsal, for Mr.. Granger appeared a
! the last moment, but these were los
in the general beauty and undeniabl
force of his reading. His tone wa
lovely in pianissimo and full of vigo
IN the louder parts. The concerto n
a whole is perhaps not so well balanced
/ ns some others, due to the compare
lively Insignificant solo part in the slov
movement, where the color Of the or
chestra at times overshadows the plan,
part, but it was splendily played. ant
Mr.. Granger received many recalls a
| the close.
At this point Mr.. Damrosch an
nounced, to use his own words. that, a
( the evening is still young" he woul,
play the Debussy Berceuse Heroioue
which had been shelved, to make tim
| fo" the piano concerto. The work is
very late one of the French master, and
like the best of his compositions, is al
most altogether atmospheric. 1t is diff
tcult, if not impossible, to apprais
/ such work. because, like all the DE
busy music, it is open to variety o
interpretations, and, in the absence O
n definite program, it is hard to ana
lyZe. The general effect was pleasing
but it is highly sophisticated music au
altogether away from the lines of tn
accepted Berceuse, both in form an
feeling. The general tone is that o
! sadness, as any work from the pen o
Il Frenchman. based on the war, mus