Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-03
STOk0WSKI RECEIVES
A GREAT OVATION
Leader Given Wreath and Recalled
Many Times at Closing Con-
cert of Evening Series

r. hast evenings concert of the Philadelphia
orchestra, the closing evening concert of fithe
season, might we'll have been termed n
otokowski Evening" for. though the popu
lar leader was not on the program under his
own or any other name, his entrance was the
slgnal Tor an unusual amount of applause
In the intermisSion he was presented with n
handsome wreath. the gift of the members of
tne orchestra. while the demonstration at
'he close of the concert on the part of the
audience was so great that he was obliged to
make speech before his admirers would be
satisfied
The concert itself was the one postponed
from october 70. 1t opened with the charm
ing Rosamunde' music of Schubert. the
numbers given being the Overture. the
Entr acte No. and the Ballet No . Schu-
berts wealth of melodic inspiration was
never more in evidence than in this lovely
music. There is little attempt at richness Of
orchestration or of harmonic experimental
ton, except in an occasional change of key by
an unexpected modulation. but there is mel
ody of the typical Schubertian character from
beginning to end. The melody of the
Entr 'acte is one of which the great com
poser was apparently very fond, for he used
the first four measures of it in one of the
lmpromptus for piano and the first sixteen
measures of it in the slow movement of the
\ minor quartet for strings.
The number was finely played. with due
attention to the orchestral color of the vari-
Gus solo instruments taking the different
melodies. and was received with great ap-
'plause. 1t is music of the simplest and purest'
type ana its easiness to understand in the
lack of complicated construction or of elab-
orate pOlyphony made it one of the most EN-
joyable numbers of the season.
This was followed by the familiar Tam
haeuser Overture which was played at Il
rapid tempo and with great fire and spirit as
we'll as good balance and beauty of tone.
After the intermission. when Mr.. Sto
kowski was presented with the wreath and
greeted with a fanfare by the orchestra, the
entire audience rising as he responded to
the recall. the Fifth Symphony of Tschai-
kowski was played, completing the program.
This fine work, which has all the emotion OF
the Sixth Pathetique) Symphony without
its morbidty, is one that Mr.. Stokowski in
terprets as well as anything he does. 1t was
read and performed with great sympathy and
understanding, the contrasts on tonal color
as we'll as those of the themes being strongly
brought out, but not overdone, and the whole
work being given rapport with the evident
intention of the composer. Each movement
received a tremendous ovation. and at the
close of the concert Mr.. Stokowski was given
such Il reception as is seldom accorded to a
conductor. After being recalled half dozen
times he made brief address.
He thanked the audience for the part 1t
had played in making the orchestra such
success. He said that during the last few
years the whole world had been in convul-
sions and that several times during those
dark days it seemed as if the Orchestra could
not be maintained. 1t would have been
pity too, after the hard work which had been
done to place it where it now stands, for
once down it would have been very hard to
begin it again. However, these days were
now past and the future looked brighter. he
closed by wishing all very happy summer.
Then the audience applauded again, and the
evening series of the season of 191S-19l9
came to q successful close.