The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-23
BY DEAN H. V. sTEARNs.

The concert on Thursday night will
certainly be one of the greatest must
cal treats ever offered to a Topeka
audience. Not only will there he q
great orchestra under a great con-
ductor. but the program as announced
81 is great program. 1t is a program
of intense historical as well as of in
tense musical interest.
The first number takes us to the
early and brilliant period of Italian
musical life with the Vivaldi Con-
certo. arranged for modern concert
orchestra by Sam Frankie. Vivaldi is
one of the great names OF musical
history. Born late in the seventeenth
century. by 1714 he had reached one
of the highest positions in the musical
life of Venice violinist of the Cathe-
dral of St Mark and conductor of one
of the great musical schools of Venice.
In addition to these activities he found
time to write a long list of works that
won the admiration of his conteih-
poraries and have hello their position
in the literature of music from that
time to the present day. SO beautiful
we're they that even the great Bach
arranged some of them Tor
arpschord, the predecessor OF the
modern piano and for the organ. Inc
Concerto in A minor, to be presented
as the opening number on TINS pro
gram, is one of the most beautiful ana
brilliant Of these works, and gives
clear idea of the type of music in favor
at the time of the heyday of Italian
music.
Life of Beethoven.
The next number. the Fifth Sym
phony of Beethoven, brings US to one
of the great epochs i'm the life of
Beethoven, the master creator or music
in Germany. This symphony is known
as the Fate" symphony because OF
the striking motive of four notes
which begins the first movement and
is present in almost every measure
till the end. 1t appears in a number
of different forms with as many diff
ferent meanings until finally the tri-
unphant close is reached. When
asked by one of his contemporaries
what the meaning of the motive was,
Beethoven replied: Fate knocks at
the door" BY many of the greatest
critics of Beethoven's work this SYM
phony is considered as his master
work. greater than the famous Ninth
Symphony.
To Modern France.
The next number brings us to mod
ern France and her greatest musical
genius. Debussy, with his Iberia"
tone poem of his impressions of Spain
ana spanish scenery. A master OIL
orchestral color, Debussy uses his
great skill to pain the moods created
by the scene in mind rather than the
physical details of the scene.
With the next number the program
returns to Italy and to Rome, 1.-THE
Fountains of Rome" being the title of
the work which portrays the four
great fountains of the Eternal City at
the most favorable time of day for
viewing them and gives an impression
of a day in Rome. The four move
ments are entitled THE Fountain of
the Vale Giulia at Dawn" The Foun-
tain of the Tritone in the Morning"
The Fountain of Trevi at Noon"
and THE Fountain of Villa Medici at
Sunset" Respighi, the composer, is a
very promising member of the bril-
liant coterie of young Italian compos-
crs whose work is challenging the at
tention of the modern musical world.
Some Great Music
The last number on the program
contains some of the greatest music
ever penned by Richard Wagner, the
Prelude and Isolde's Love Death from
Tristan and Isolde This setting fthe
old medieval legend of Tristan and
Isolde inspired Wagner to his greatest
creative effort and the result was a
picture OF human passion that has
never been equalled. The prelude
gives us the emotional key to the
drama while the Love Death tells us
of the tragic conclusion. Nowhere in
his work does Wegner show the mas
terry of orchestral technic and color,
the gift of writing beautiful melody
and the ability to sound the depths of
human emotion that he dos in this
supreme love poem. Furthermore this
is one of the supreme achievements of
the wonderful Italian Maestro, Tos-
canini one in which he is admittedly
unrivaled. Truly this is a great pro-
gram by a great orchesta under q
great conductor and Topeka is to be
congratulated upon her opportunity to
hear this wonder combination thanks
to Mr.. Dotterweich.