Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-23
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
BY SAMUEL l.. LACIAR

ana the Otner or wnOm tIIb So'"u
knows little. but who is one Of the
most discussed men OF the nmes IN
France. These guest conductors are
Georges Encsco and Darius Milhaud.
After next weeks concerts OF the or.
| chestra, Mr.. Stokowski Is going ABROAD
| to conduct in Paris and Rome. return
| ing for the first of the February con-
Georges Eneseo is today one Of the
most interesting figures In the musical
world. lie IS a Rumanian by birth.
and he and Franz Kneisel nre doubtless
the two best musicians that that comn-
| try has yet produced. Both are vioiin-
lists, although Enesco Is better known
as n composer than as performer.
His talent as a performer was alnoSt
as great as that OF kneisel, Dut ne al
ways had n strong inclination toward
composition even as YOUTH, anu hl,cL
ne Went TO ioris. ana Iouhu inc rien,.I
public accepted MIN az composer, ne
Withdrew from the concert s,aee. MoIk-
ing only as composer ana appear.nns
puGlcly as comaucsor. VIII ,.;a,,n raer sa,o
!nsiy rare apiea'"ee' "' WYNN 'o'o
i't. d. u.uo, >. ph1oda,.
.i. co ~ o. ,,,, nr"hos-
pn'"ns 40 pS .,',a IL, u, io o"n a,anns;-
. ~ p,'r,u;o ,horsoi,- oni tho
o.. ' '.rnrhnnv nmrina tho ost veor
- tbs cnncerts 10 ,ba Roston Orcies.
tro % pbiIs dalnh,o ser;es Nr Montcux
nlsved the second svmrhonv. 90 TINT we
have had an opportunity to hear three
works in the orchestral forms, although
this does not by any means complete
his list.
ASH season the Flonzaley quartet
- played the slow movement Of new
quartet OF Enesco at one Of the meet
ings OF the Chamber Music Association
and the same organization played the
one of the chamber music lovers of this
city. Mr.. Kneisel is a great admircr
OF the music Of his compatriot and
played his octet for four viollns, two
violas and two cellos several times in
New York, although it has never been
played publicly to my knowledge in
PHILADELPHIA,
Enesco has not composed very much
for n man of his age. but the list
embraces neorlv every form NJ absolute
music and quite n number of songs.
Thus for he has nor ossayed m onara
nor does bis ~ sty,o % ~ n cnr,nns;,ion Ill Lad
ono ~ boliavo tho+ ho r ,rn,,IJ GnJ it
| conoon;al forr, Co. ,ho ayarc;sa % -.
tolant. Rmt stronae - sar g.. H %
nnrYar,ro. - ;a ahii;.u " 'Iy, ~ ,oa a
ronuauna p, u nmcaut m,s mo.''ts T. ne nus nevef
.onp'sea tohserto Ior any lhs'ru-
meht' unless II be very recently.
| Enesco's music has never been very
popular, nor has it excited any great
amount Of controversy, but in spite of
the fact that these two things are the
leading factors in keeping composer 8
music before the public, his works re-
tain their share OF attention on the
program Of the great orchestras of the
world, more in Europe than in this
country.
-
EofOLD GODOWSkl once told
II me that Enesco had the most
amazing faculty for the mastery of mu .
steal Instruments of any man whom he
had ever known, and Mr.. Godowsky. as
will be admitted. knows the musicians
living.
had spoken to him Of the fine play
ing Of the piano by a very famous vio-
linist and mentioned the fact that he
played the piano as though 1t were his
own instrument. Yes" said Mr..
Godowsky, = plays the piano
very we'll, but he plays like violinist
There Is only one man whom know
who Is violinist and yet who plays
the piano like pianist. and that il
Georges Enesco. You could never tell
to hear Enesco play, that the piano was
not the instrument to which he had
devoted his whole attention. And he
has the technique of a concert pianist
Of the first rank"
He also told me that Encsco b.d NJ
tanned to far more than ordinary nro.
fciency on the cello, and with n
very short period Of practice could an
pear as a solo ccllist, and that he was
also an exceptionally fine organist. "In
fact said Mr.. GOdowsky, II believe
that Georges Enesco could master any
instrument which he cared to and play
it almost as well as any man who had
made that instrument life study"
But this amazing talent has been sac.
rificed for the greater art Of compost. /.
tion.
-
ENESCO'S music Is very difficult to
~ place definitely. He himself nd.
mits the influence of Brahms and
Wagner, and he takes the view which
the worlds best musical students are
composers are by no means antagonistic,
as the critics or Germany and some in
tniS country held Tor so many years.
1here is much OF the French influ-
ence IN Enesco works, but 1t is the
cassie french LAID on the substratum
OF the classic German: He Is modern
, IN harmonization, nut II is the modern
ism or Debussy anu Ravel, and not Of
Sch0enperg. IN spite or this, however,
ne mas not the llshtness OF touch in
compositioh Whlch charncterlhes the two
great french composers.
| 11Ls A.