New-York tribune., 1920-02-18
Cortot Pleases
In 3 COncertOs
By Beethoven
French Pianist Gives Ambi-
tious Program of Masters
Work, Including Number
Novel to Concertgoers
By II. E. Krehbiel

About the most deadly thing that
can be said of a concert or of
musical composition is that it had a
historical interest. Music or perform
ances that invite such interest only
are for students, not for the average
music-lover. 1t makes no difference.
either, whether the music belongs to
history that Is made or making. or.
speculative1y, to bee made. Concerts
snouid have contemporaneous human
interest This means, of course, that
they should do something more than
pique curiosity, whether that curiosity
goes to the music performed or the
skill of the performer. Feats Of
memory or technical dexterity are no
more admirable than feats of endur-
ance.
That pianist should be able TO play
three concertos at a sitting is no more
remarkable in any way than that he
should be able to play twelve or ff-
teen compositions Of smaller dimen-
sions. When a pianist sets himself
such task. therefore. he lays himself
open to the suspicion that he is only
seeking to 40 something out of the
usual order OF things for the sake of
creating stir, and by causing com
ment to draw attention TO himself.
From this he can only be saved by the
character of the music, its performance
and himself. His act must bear the
stamp OF sincerity; must show a pur-
pose to do something for art, and its
appreciation by the public We do not
believe that when Mr.. Hutcheson, some
weeks ago, played the three pianoforte
concertos in c minor, G major and f
fiat in Aeolian Hall it was in a spirit
OF vainglory, though, the music ali be-
Ing familiar, it seemed a work of su-
pererogatlcn. We should have been
quite as much convinced of his sound
musicianship and devotion to high
ideals II he had played one of the three
at symphony or Philharmonic con-
cert. But there doubtless was the rub.
Neither Mr.. Damrosch nor Mr..
Stransky had invited him to play a
concerto, and being sufficiently de-
slrcus to play one to hire an orchestra.
ne utilized the band TO the full
To Play Five Concertos
So Madame Bloomfield -Zeisler few
days ago, and so again NJ. Alfred Cor
tot last night. The French artist. how
ever, who has planned second con-
cert to take place tomorrow after
noon, IS pursuing purpose to play
tive OF Beethoven's concertos. not only
the three which are familiar TO our
cencert lists; and by giving two which
are unknown to the public, which he
did last night, his appeal seems largely
directed TO the curiosity of connois-
seurs, and as such viii be more profit
able to them than to HIM The con-
certos which he played last night were
set down as the first, second and third.
the last bringing us upon well-known
ground with the c minor Had histori-
cal accuracy been followed in the
announcement the concertos would
have been numbered the third. second
and fourth, and it would probably have
better served the purpose of ilustrat-
ing the development of Beethoven s
genius in this field of composition had
the chronological order been followed
The c major concerto, though the
hrst Of The masters set which was
published, was the third in order OF
composition, having been preceded by
work in f fiat, composed when
Beethoven was lad of fourteen years
in Bonn. This concerto, though pre-
served III autograph manuscript, was
not published until included in the
Complete Edition of Breitkopf and
liartel i'll 1888 The first concerto of
the masters manhood was the one in
B fiat. which was composed before thar
in c major though published after it.
These two works We're played by Bee
thoven at Vienna and Prague, and
with it and the one in c Beethoven
seems to have made q deep impression.
for Tomaschek. who heard it in
Prague, has left an account of the
concert at which he says that Bee
thoven's playing of the first so over
whelmed him that he did not touch
his own pianoforte for several days
The evidences of its priority to tle
air in c were obvious last night, not
only in the smaller degree of pith and
pregnancy in its IDEAS and the conf
dence with which they We're given out,
but also in the more modest orchestral
accompaniment Clarnets. trumpets
and kettle drums which are present in
the score of the major concerto are
absent IN the B fat But we confess
shat the large. tender, luminous eye
which looked out of the concluding
measures OF the slow movement seemed
10 tell more of the Beethoven who was
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