The Washington times., 1919-10-26

Beethoven's Second Symphony, Cesar
Franck's symphonic poem, "The Wild
Hun ntsman;" Debussy's Prelude to
THE afternoon OF a Faun," and the
Catalonia of Albeniz.
"Boston's critical fraternity did not
agree on the merits of conductor and
orchestra But they may speak for
themselves. According to Philip Hale
in the Herald:
"'Of all OF Beethoven's symphonies
the second is the least interesting, the
least characteristic, in 1919. The first
pleases by its simplicity, by it's rela-
tionship with the symphonies of
Haydn and Mozart that preceded it.
There are moments in the second
that are Enthusiastically in the incom-
parable manner of the great Bee
thoven, but on the whole the pleasure
of yesterday afternoon was in the
reading, the performance, rather than
in the music itself. Mr. Monteux's
Interpretation was romantically classi-
cal, not so mistakenly reverential
that II became jejune and tedious; on
the other hand, il was not forced, not
unduly dramatic; there was no at
tempt to be sensational, with the air
Of Now I'll show you how Bee
thoven's music should be performed" !"
musically beautiful. Especially worthy
of praise was the treatment of the
Introduction, the Scherzo and the
Finale. In the Larghetto there might
have been more sustained passages of
truly piano effect.
'Franck's symphonic poem was
really heard here for the first time,
although it had been played thrice
at these concerts before yesterday.
On previous occasions the expression
of the supernatural seemed tame, al
most timid. There was little sugges-
tion of horror. terror, the demoniacaL
One thought that good "Pere" Franck
here as in "The sBeatitudes" was
unable to express the satanic; that
Weber's few measures accompanying
the ride through the air of the demon
hunter and his train in "Der Frei-
schuetz" were far more imaginative
tlan the many measures of Franck. Yet
this demoniacal quality is in Franck's
poem It needed an imag-
inatiye, dramatic conductor to bring
it out. AS the music was played the
other day the effect was well nign
Overwhelming.
Debussy's exquisite Prelude has been
4 stumbling block to many conduct
Ors. Even DR.. Muck, singularly for
tunate in his choice of tempt, erred
in the same direction. The Prelude
was never so beautiful as il was the
other day, not even when Mr.. Mon
teux conducted the performance of
the ballet with Nijinsky as the Faun
1.-the Boston Opera House. Yester-
lay the tonal coloring. the balance
# timbers, the prevailing poetic feel
.ng, the solo work OF Messrs. Laurent,
Longy and Fradkin. made the per-
'ormance memorable"
By II. T. Parker's testimony in the
Boston Transcript:
As for Mr.. Monteux, he NAV be a
CONDUCTOR of this. that or the other
rank in our American liking for de-
sTees, but unmistakably he is inter
sting. His modesty, his subordina-
ION OF himself to the task in hand.
tand clear. AS at the end of the
ymphony yesterday, it is the orches-
ra equally with the conductor that he
would have the audience applaud. At
5is work he is agreeable to the eve
without superfiuous vehemence or
Flgid insistence; while the PLAYERS
seem readily and responsively to un-
derstand him. A finely sensitive ear
hand and imagination surely ordered
me performance of Debussy's prelude
discerning and maintaining the deli