New-York tribune., 1921-02-11
Russian Music Vies
With Wagnerian
Scores for Favor
fSamrosch Selects Former
for Historical Concert and
Philharmonic Uses Ex-
cerpts of German S Dramas
BY RI. E. krehbiel

Russian and Wagnerian programs
are trump cards in the concert game
this season, aud have been played over
and over again, especially the latter
MIR. Walter Damrosch. with his SYM
rhony Society Orchestra, reached the
former yesterday afternoon in his
historical series at Carnegie Hall, and
Mr.. Stransky, with the Philharmonic
Orchestra, repeated lot of excerpts
from the Wsgnerisn dramas in the
evening.
What artistic significance the two
incidents had with relation to the ques-
tion now much discussed as to how
musical" New York really is might
detain us for space, but we fear the
discussion would become unduly pro-
longed and lead to nothing at the end.
Perhaps the best summing-up of the
situation is that which is suggested by
paraphrase of Lincoln's saying:
"For people that like that kind of
music that's the kind of music they
like"
This does not in any way reflect upon
the music of yesterdays programs, or
lie. 1t was good music. Some of that
in the afternoon--the excerpts from
Stravinsky's "The Fire Bird" for in
stance--would have had more meaning
and therefore more beauty Character
istic beauty, that isl if it had been
accompanied by the pantomime of which
N~ LII
Wagnerites there may have been left
longings for words and action and
scenery by the excerpts from Wagner's
dramas.
But the charm of Russian music,
which has been beneficial for years, is
still upon us, and the spell of Wagner
is unbroken. despite Cor because) he
has been all but banished from our
lyric theaters.
Mr.. Damrosch's program omitted the
music of one great Russian (speaking
nationally rather than racially), but
for that no apology was necessary.
Rubinstein, in a pathetically cynical,
humorous remark about himself and
his music, set down the best charac-
terization of himself when he said that
the Russians called him a German, the
Germans Russian, the Jews Chris
'tian, the Christians a Jew, the clas-
sicists a romanticist and the roman
ticists classicist
Years ago. when this reviewer spoke
of the Intellectual efforts of Dudley
Buck, whom he thought essentially a
composer for the church, to be dra-
matte, Mr.. Buck good-humoredly quoted
Boston critic to the contrary and
added the comment: "Issachar is a
strong ass between two burdens!"
In this respect, at least, Mr.. Buck
may have resembled Rubinstciu. Mr.
Damrosch made no unpardonahle mis-
take in omitting Rubinstein's music
rom his scheme. He gave his audience
the inevitable (but monumentaD mel
ody of the Folga bargemen. though in
Glazornof's setting, not Stravinsky's,
as tne. i.srGr' rppOuacol Giinka's 8
overture to "Rousslsn and Ludmilla,' y
Tschaik tls9Y's Tempest" though
Tscraikcf'skv has been rerud;ated by
the Russian revolutionaries) frag
ments Of hmsky- -kursaEof's "Sche-
herazade" and Stravinsky's "Fre Pird''
and Rachmaninoff's second pianoforte
concerto.
The last number, of which the solo
part was played by the composer, was
the crowning sheaf of the Russian
cleaning. Better than any other living
Slavic composer Rachmaninoff repre-
sents the best of Russian musical art
o-day.