Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-10-29

SSymphony No. It.,,,i.....'.,...Be Beethoven
r. =. Alfroio CaSsIla
Conducted by the Comporer '"''''"
Damnetion OF Faust (eXcerpts). Berlloz
Alfredo Casella. one OF the con-
spicuous figures Of the neo. Italian
School, was pretty nearly the "wholc
thing at the concert Of the Phlladcl-
phia Orchestra yesterday afternoon, as
he appeared in tho triple capacity Of
composer, conductor and soloist. Per-
haps the most significant Of the num-
bers in which he appeared was his COM
position, Pages Of War" which was
described as five musical films" The
work is mOdernistic in the extreme,
programme" to the last degree and
composed in tho boldest style of up. to-
date CaCOphony.
While the work is far easier to under
stand than many of the outnourings OF
the radical modernists. and while IL
must he admitted that II carries out the
| idcn delineatcd i'll the program TO which
1t was composed and which is unusually
complete, still. as n piece of music II
produces more of surprise than any
| other emotion. 1t cannot be called
=
| tion and the technique Of the composi-
! tion Ia chiefly the old one it that phrase
may properly be uscd) Of writing in tvp,
unrelated keys at the same time, for
| different sections of the orchestra. But
Mr.. Casella has abstaincd from the
| custom OF his compatriot MalipierO. OF
| writing his dissonant notes principally
| In tho Strident brass instruments and
generally uses them in the softer strings
or wood wind. The style Of COMPOST
tlOn is free, and no regular form Is
| followed in any Of the five miniatures
| There is much knowledge of speciaI
orchestral effects, produced with the
usual instruments such as broken
chimes and the falling glass in the
Cathedral film" but no overwhelming
technique Of orchestration Ia shown.
n this composition MIR. Caselln has
laid on his orchestral colors with 1:
brush OF the largest size, with the result
that there is frequent CloudincRs Of or
| chestraton. In the closing number, "Ir
the Adriattc,' he uses at least dozen
instruments to depict the rolling OF
the sea, which Rimsky- Korsakoff has
done more effectively in "SChehera
2ade' with less than half that number
! The composition IS apparently one ot
the emotion is not always made per.
feCtly clear to the hearcr.
AS pianist, Mr.. Casella reveals
strikingIy the very traits which he
abjures In his composition. lie pIayrc
the Mozart y Minor concerto. ana
showed a beautiful and delicate tone
and the real Italian bel canto style n
his manner of phrasing, Notwithstand
ing this, power Is not lacking in hi,
playing and his technique is ample 70,
concerto work, although it. is Cvidont
that he has not made fetish of sheer
mechanical achievement. His tone I.
singularly warm in the softer passage,
and tho general impression that il,
created was that he Is among the very
foremost OF Italian pianists.
The concert opened with the Beetb.
oven Seventh symphony, the work of n
others, us Mr.. Gilman cites in his nro.
gram notes, that has suffered from over.
Interpretation. The performance of /
was excellent as was also that of thrn,
excerpts from tho 'DamnatIon a
Faust" which closed the concert.