New-York tribune., 1922-02-18
Mahle,.'s ''Iied
Won der Erdc''
Played Again
Sony Cycle Symphony Bene-
fits by Change From Car
negie Hall to Smaller
Precincts of Town Hall
Audience Also Smaller
Rimsks korsakof Opera
Causes One to Marve
at Effort of Prokofcf
Bv n. {. krehbiel

Al Effort to create Mailer cult was
foreseen and predicted by the watch
men on the musical towers more than a
yesr ago. 1t has begun and will no
doubt be prosecuted vigorously during
the rest Of the season. What will hap
pen after that cannot be foretold
Money does not always talk; if it did.
/, would have tale TO tell about the
two efforts which the Society Of the
Friends Of Music have made to con
v!rre the public that "Das Lied Won
Ger Erde" is a masterpiece deserving
of iso.ation from the commonplsces of
composers who have hitherto been tol-
Grated As men not wholly devoid of
talent Beethoven and Brahms and q
Few other respectable folk. for instance.
Smaller Room Proves Benefit
Because small audience showed
kindly appreciation of il ten days or so
ago in Carnegie Hall il was repeated
Yesterday Afternoon in Town Hall The
music benefited from the greater in
timacy lent to the performance by the
smaller room. but nc fancy that the so
cicty's eA,heQuer did not; for the sec
ond audience seemed to have shrunk
propo tionately with the dimensions of
the auditorium. The performers were
the same--an orchestra from the Metro
politan Opera House, Mr.. Bodanzky as
conductor. Nine. Cahier and Mr. Orvillc
Harold. Whether or no, the music re
vealed more beauty because of the sec
ond hearing, besides sounding better
because of the smaller room. we are not
prepared 10 say. The thcmatic work
manship wss made more obvious.
but the intrinsic value OF the themes
Gid not seem enhanced; on the contra
y. thc orchestral 'nterludc, which cuts
the last vocal number in two. sounded
TO Us more laborcd and monotonous
than before, and the question of why a
series of songs, even though Chinese in
their origin. should be called SYM
phony because they were obbieAto TO
As many orchestral pieces, seemed as
unanswerahlc as ever
The term symphony has had mul-
titudc Of meanings from the time that
it was introduced by the Greeks down
to day-simplc consonancc. hur-
nony in general. band Of town pipers,
prelude. Interlude or postlude in "A
song. even keyed stringed instrument
with the pianoforte~bu but till Mr.
Mailer did it we do not believe it was
eyer applied to what since Beethoveu's
day we have called song-cyclc. How
ever ne have learned to he tolerant Of
composers in respect Of termino ology
este rday's performance was admirable
and WaS listened to with great atten-
tion. Perhaps the paucity Of plaudits
between the songs was evidence Of the
latcnsity Of the interest invoked.
Another Symphony May Be Heard
hc Now York public muat now pre-
pare ltsclf 10 hear one of The three
symphonies b. Mahier which have not
yct been performed here Mr. Mcngel-
berg is contemplating a performance
a the third symphony which. when We
heard ~ AT a Cincinnati festival in 1914
lest"1 one hour and twcnty minutes.
though 1t had been literally abbrcvi-
ated by the conductors It is IN six
movements employs d solo contralto
voice and chorus of children. and
processes to give US messages from
The rocks. flowers. beasts OF the for
est. man. angels and love.
egourotchka" was repeated at the
Metropolitan Opera House last night.
The ingenuity with which Rmskv-
korsahof has treated fairy tale
which Is charming IN its symbolism
and fascinating IN it's use of clements
drawn from the life OF .hc Russian
people, which seems, with all its fan
-ast.cality, 20 he an emanation from
their hearts as we'll as their llps.
makes Us marvel al Mr.. prokohetf )
caricature, Il he Low FOR Three
Orauyes' pcrforrcc last TuocJ.,, QUO