New-York tribune., 1920-04-19
Lhevinne Accords
Brahms's Sonata
Position of Honor
Carnegie Hall Recital In
cludes Many Numbers;
Big Audience Creets Nc
Cormack at Hippodrome
By H. E. Krehbiel

Mr. Josef Lhevinne gave the place
Of honor in the program of his piano
forte recital in Carnegie Hall yester-
day afternoon to Brahmss Sonata in
F minor. He led up to the climax,
which it marked, with pieces of which
1t could at least be said that they
were not hackneyed, even if they did
not prepare the minds Of the hearers
for the roseate glow of poetry which
shone around the summit of his musi-
cal scheme.
prelude and fugue in A fiat, BY
Rubinstein, was a faint reflection Of
the preludes and fugues by Bach which
nave become a conventional introduce
ton at pianoforte recitals. Like all
OF Rub'nstein's music. it sounded we'll,
while saying little of moment, and
seemed more like a fantasia with fugal
episodes than ono of the old Leips
masters cyclopean structures whose
logical development and symm etrical
exposition bring so gratifying, satisfy
ing and reposeful sense to the mind
OF an Intelligent listener.
In LISTS transcription of Schubert's
Der Llndenbaum" we missed several
elements which give strength and
beauty to the familiar song. The mur-
muring trlplet figure in the accompani
ment. evocative of the mood of night,
unrest and longing which permeates
the poem, seemed unduly exagger rated
into rushing, muttering storm and
the defamation of the melody rendered
Jerky by the swapping brevity of the
short note in the dotted figure.
DO planlsts when they play these
song transcriptions ever think of men
tally singing the poems? We wonder
Wagner was so desirous that the vocal
phrasng of his pilgrims song should
be preserved in the performance Of
his "Tannhauser" overture that he
words under the wnd-instrument
parts and follow them in their minds
The plan might protitably be followed
by pianists when they play "The Erl-
king, "Hark, Hark the Lark" or DEE
Lindenbaum.'
After one Of Mendelssohn's scintil-
liant prestos and Schumanr's toccata
in which there was fine display OF
feetness and strength of fingers and
elasticity OF wrist, Mr.. Lhevinne
reached the Sonata. Some years ago
he also made it the keystone of a
recital arch. and we are far from dis
putting his view that it deserves much
prominence, for it is one OF the love
musical romanticism; its slow move
ment an exquisite exhalation; in the
sequence of its parts a tale of sent-
ment, sweet, sane, gentle, strong,
manly. 1t is poets utterance .if
there is any such in music-and its
telling calls for g poet s voice.
There was much beauty in the utter
ance which Mr.. Lhevinne gave it.
though its concluding section seemed
to us little too loosely knit, too rhap-
sodical or episodical to keep the ex-
quisite unity of the work before the
consciousness of the hearers. Pieces
by List and GODDARD concluded the
published list.
There were sufficient number of
men and women on the stage of the
Hippodrome last night to make two or
the chairs in the vast and cavernous
auditorium were filled besides. The
occasion of all this was the last New
York concert for the season OF John
Mccormack, of whom it is no exag-
geration to say that his art, if any
singers could do so, justities such an
evidence of popularity.
He sang music of varied styles from
HandePs "Ombra mai tu' and "Tell
Fair Irene down to some wishy-
washy sentimentalities Of to-day, bua
his art was as irreproachable in the best
and beautiful if it could not dignity the
worst. His singing of the divisions in
the second Handel air was realization
in its finest estate. For variety Nh
Lauri Kennedy played solos on the
violoncello.