Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-29
RACHMANTNOFF AGAIN
SCORES GREAT SUCCESS
Great Pianist Plays His Own Com
certo With the Orchestra.
Rabaud Symphony Given

Sergei Rachmaninoff, gigantic alike In
physique and in musical personality was
the feature of Yesterday afternoons concert
Of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Acad-
emy OF Music. He played mis- own concerto
in sharp minor with an orchestratfon
which he revised after his fight from the
Russian Bolsheviki
The concerto is his first published work.
being opus I. II was composed before he
was nineteen years old and is astound-
ingly mature work for that age, considered
simply from the thematc material and the
way In which 1t is developed, without re-
gard TO the revised orchestration. Even at
that time the concerto bears the hallmark
of the mature Rachmannoff in it's serious
ness OF character, its melancholy. though
without the hopeessness which character
ICES so much of the modern Russian music,
and in the magnificent musical workmanship
with which it is carried out
AS the concerto stands It will compare
faHorably with the second. the one in G
minor, which Mr.. Rachmaninoff played here
some time ago with the Boston Orchestra.
There is in the first perhaps little more
elasticity of thought as shown by the
stronger contrasts of the main themes, but
the second is the more homogeneous in it's
entirety. The new orchestratioh played yes-
terday is very effective. especially in the
use of the various melodc instruments, In
their tonal relation 10 the piano and to each
other, besides being conservative in the
dynamic qualities
Mr. Rachmaninoff's playing has been dis
cussed in these columns several times this
season. and yesterdays performance gave
no reason to change in any way the high
estimates then given. Great as a pianist.
he is still greater as musician. and 1t is
this quality in his playing that gives him
n peculiar position among the leading plan
lists OF the present day. He plays like a
composer. with his thought always concen-
trated on the composition as a whole and
not alone on his solo part. Beauty Of tone
and technique he has in abundance, but in
his playing the artistry Of Interpretation is
so much the predominating element that the
nearer never considers the mechanics. He is
unquestionably one of the greatest interpre-
tatiVe as well as one of the greatest creative
artists of the musical world
Inc concert opened with Lalo's "Rapsodie
NorVegienne.' work of much melodic and
harmonic charm, and excellently played In
spite of the title the composer has contrived
TO convey the atmosphere Of southern
France or Spain not SO much in the the
matte material as in the persistent use of
the Bolero and other Latin rhythms as
we'll as in the exotic orchestration
After the concerto Mr. Mattson announced
that Mr.. Stokowski. who has been suffering
with grip, felt himself exhausted and had
asked Mr. Rich, the concertmester and as
ols'hht CONDUCTOR, 10 lead the symphony.
For the second time in two weeks Mr. Rich
assumed the baton at a moments notice and
conducted with skill and understan ndng
Inc symphony was that in p minor, by
Henri Rabaud, conductor of the Boston Or
cheara. 1t is a fine work. having much
more of the real symphonic spirit than most
French works of this character and ia ar
tistically worked out and orchestrated The
second and third movements are the most
attractive The second is a tunefuI SLOW
movement of much beauty of melody and
the third lively. joyous scherzo The first
and last movements are in strict form and
are scholarly though perhaps with not quite
the melodic inspiration of the middle uove-
ments. The entire composition is splendid
example of the conservative modern French
school, being sane in thought, harmony and
composition, while retaining all the poetry
and the distinctive nationalism of the com
poser.