New-York tribune., 1922-01-09
Coates lnterprets
Brahms Symphony
In Eloquent Form
Brings Out Full Beauty and
Strength of the Work in
Concert: Pianoforte Con
certO by Dclius Is Heard
By II. E. krehbiel

II was good thing TO get rtd OF the
taste Of frippery Scntilncptalism and
labored prcciosity which Mr.. Stokow-
SKIS performance Of Brahms's third
symphony last Tuesday evening left in
the mouths of tho lovers of healthy
music and the admirers of that COM
poser. Nix. Coates helped to that act Of
puriiication by playing the work at a
concert of the Symphony Society in
Acol.an Hall yesterday afternoon. One
does not need to be affected by the
Drahms cult or be Brahmsin of least
emotional type to know that, however
abstrusc and excessively rccondite his
music may seem. he was at least Il
Sirilc composer to whom mere rretti-
nesscs were anathcma and daliancc
With musical affcctations utterly OBJ
noXious and revolving. His music is
strong meat for strong men. SO Mr..
Coates conccivcs the i jor SYM
phony to DC. and so he prcso ntcd it yes
tcrday-straichtfor clca rly, clo-
oucntlv. Il thing Of bone and sincw, i'm
bued with the beauty Of strength and
the strength OF beauty. We might have
wished that the cyclopcan masses Of
the principal subjec. of the first move
ment had been permitted to come tum-
hing from their splendid heights a
little moro prccipltantly, that there
mad been n little less restraint of the
melody's oxubcrant ioyousncss, but
there was little else in tho work to be
longcd for which the audience did not
get. The performance was worthy Of
the work and brought fine concert
to digniticd and uplifting conclusion.
For reasons not explained, the prom
iscd novelty. Mr. Balfour Gardeners
"Comedy Overture. was omitted from
the list, but Mr.. Coatcs's purpose to
acquaint New Works music-lovers with
the music of the English composers Of
to-day found expression in a perform
ance of Frederick Delius's pianoforte
concerto in minor, the solo part of
which was played by Mr.. Percy Grain
ger whose personal popularity helped
Il 20 an enthusiastic reception. 1t was
due to Mr.. Grainger's interest in the
composition that the patrons OF the
Philharmonic Society were privileged tC
hear it little more than six years
ago Not the least significant fac!
about The concerto is that in its first
subject and the more beautiful mel
ody of its slow movement. it reflects
the spirit of the American environment
in which it was born. 1t was conceived
on Ffor,ds plantatiop owned by his
father which Mr.. DeTius visited as 6
youth and where he fell under the in
flucnce OF Afro-American song. This
influence is most obvious in the SLOW
section sthc concerto has three move
iacnts, which arc played without pauses
between them), over which there brood'
2 melancholy charm like that eXhaleo
by many of the old slave songs. Mr.
Granger was too desirous to keep tn,
sparks always flying to permit all Of
this feeling to become manifest
though Mr.. Coates showed fine appre
cation of it in his treatment Of ths
orchestral part. 80
The concert began with eight Rus
an folk eiodies set for orchestra b,
Liadoff Two or three Of them hat
hocn heard hero before at concerts de
signcdly of light caliber. The bcaut,
of the tunes, some heavy hearted, SOM
lay, one daintily humorous (it was Sc
down on yesterdays program as ="
danced with gnat." but heretofore
has been called "Mosquito Song"D 9th
rs wildly hilarious. no less than thei
exquisite settings by Liadotf. make
them worthy Of repeated performance.