The New York herald., 1921-01-12
ToScanini Leads
Brahms Symphony
at the metropolitan
Music Also by Pick-Mangia-
galli Also on His Concert
Programme.

The second concert in the regular Sc
ries OF La Scala Orchestra. Arturo Tos-
canini conductor, took place last evening
in the Metropolitan Opera House. The
programme comprised the second SYM
phony of Brahms, a nocturne and fan
tastic rondo by Pick-Mangia lie
Festin de rAraignee." by Albert Rous-
sell: Strauss's Don Juan" and the over
ture to VerdPs "Sicilan Vespers" The
audience was not quite as large as that
at the first concert. but ii was of the
same character. There were a few repre-
sentatives OF the musical culture of New
York and large number Of hearers to
whom an orchestral concert was obvi-
ously curiosity and the fame of Mr..
Toscanini the attraction.
The performance of the Brahms SYM
phony was the most important matter in
the concert. A distinguished British
writer. Mr., Hadow, said: Among the
many types of character which are de-
veloped by the pursuit of an artistic
profession, two stand out salient and ex-
treme-the artist militant and the artist
contemplative. No one will question the
militancy Of Mr. Toscanifi's art. no one
the contemplative profundity Of Brahms.
The two could not mix. 1t was not 10 be
expected that they would
The score of the d major symphony was
manifestly sealed volume 10 the militant
Italian till he reached the>last movement.
when his pent up energies burst their
shackles and he Numbered the rushing
fguration In q truly temperamental
style. But the other three movements
were. to put it plainly. deadly dull. There
was finish in the technical presentation
of them, much better playing, indeed. in
tho third movement than this too liber-
ally praised orchestra had done here be-
fore; but there was no adequate publica-
ton of the poetic reflections of Brahms
Mr.. Toscanini sought by superfine
polish and by laborious search after a
vocal cantilena to disclose the beauties
or the music; but they were merely sug-
gested. The strength OF the deep feel
ing which is so foreign IN its character
TO the sensual emotion of the Italian
soul was not for Mr.. Tosoanini to grasp.
1t was we'll rehearsed performance, ex-
cellent in many respects, but Il was not
Brahms. The audience received It as a
revelation. which TO most OF the hearers
IL probably was.
William Mengelberg and Artur Bo-
danzky were members OF a party in a
parterre box that included Mrs. New
bold lie Roy Edgar ana Mrs. Samuel
Untermyer. Albert Wolff was another
noted conductor present. Miss Mar
garet Wilson was with another party.
Mrs. James +. d. Lanier. Mrs. Rita
Lydig and Mr.. and Mrs. Arthur Bris-
bane were in Box 2. Mrs. James A.
Burden was with Mr.. and Mrs. A. Murray
Young. Mrs John Sanford, Mrs. Her
manus b. Duryea, Miss Sarah J. San
ford and Capt. Francesca Mario Guarda-
bassi were in the Goelet box.
Others present were Mr.. Otto II. Kahn.
Mrs f. Henry Hartman, Mrs. Charles
Cary Rumsey, Miss Louise Sands. Mrs,
Conde Mast, Giuseppe de Luca. Mr.. and
Mrs. Ernest Schelling Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Gray Griswold, Nine. Gadski,
Baron and Baroness de Meyer. Mrs.
Charles II. Ditson, Mr.. and Mrs. William
Guggenheim. Mrs. Paul ID. Cravath. Mrs.
Charles Devello Lathrop, Mr.. and Mrs.
James $. Larkin and Andreas Dippel.