New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-16
Albert Coates Wins
Success i'm Recent
Concerts at La Scala

Concerts at La Scala
/ Albert Coates, guest conductor of
the New York Symphony Orchestra
achieved another. success following
close upon. his performances of the
Wagner "Ring" dramas in Covent
Garden, when he recently directed two
concerts Of the Scala Orchestra in
Milan.
"The musical public of Milan" wrote
the Milan correspondent of "The Lon
don Daily Telegraph" in reporting the
event, "has had the satisfaction of
hearing for the first time an English
man direct concerts with the orchestra
Of the Scala incidentally the
first orchestral concerts in La Scala
since before the war, when Arthur
Nikisch conducted.
"The fact is" "The Telegraph" cor
respondent said, 1.-The general public
was extremely pleased with the per-
Torrance; it forgot that it was not an
Italian maestro who was directing. and
burst out in warm and sincere ap.
plause."
The idea of an English conducto,
coming to Milan to give the Italian
public an idea Of how classic as we'll as
modern music may be interpreted
differently from the way it is usually
done by Italian masters, observes the
British correspondent, was excellent
He continues:
MIR. Coates came out of the ordea
with high honor. There was great in.
terest and speculation as to how he
would perform his task. Days before
the concerts the question as to whethe,
ne would or would not please tbs
Italian public was discussed The pro-
gram consisted of the presentation OF
Purcelps Suite, rather new to the
Italian public; the Voyage of sieg-
fried the Fourth Symphony of
Brahms, and finally an entirely new
4 thing for Milan The Poem of Ec-
stacy by the Russian composer
Scrabin.
The personality of Mr.. Coates made
great Impression. He appeared tc
the Italian public to have all the ath.
letlc qualities which they are accus.
toned to attribute to Britishers. It is
amusing to read in tho preambles OF
the criticisms in such papers as the
'Corriere della Sera, the 'secola' and
the 'Sera' that Mr.. Coates looked tc
ehem genial tennis champion, per-
! maps an expert player of golf, a good
cheerful sportsman; but they would not
nave taken him at first sight as a dis.
tlngulshed maestro invited here
specially by Toscanini, and capable OF
handling the great orchestra Of the
Scala with the same ease and virtnos;+v
as an Italian maestro.
The critics seem candidly to admit
that they expected Mr.. Coates to serve
out Brahms as if he were handlino q
tennis racket or to take Siepfried
down the Rhine with a sort of athletic
accompaniment. When the conductor
appeared before the orchestra all these
ideas vanished. There was a magic
about his personality, the Britisher
became TRANSPORTED into the excellent
musician, and the orchestra Responded
IN magic phrases to the hand of the
skilled director who had left nothing
undone to train them exactly to his
Will and to reflect faithfully his mu-
seal ideals. Both performances went
OFT with charm, vigor and poetry
entirely new to the Italian public and
amid breathless attention from be.
ginning to end. 1t is a reward which
! Mr.. Coates fully deserved, as he threw
his whole soul into his task, and, !
understand, had insisted on making the
orchestra go through seven complete
rehearsals. He went still further. and
at his request one of the best Italian
violinists was called from the Augusteo
of Rome, Oscar Zuccarini, whom Mr..
Coates had known in Russia and whom
ne had again met last winter when he
gave his concerts in Rome.
ITO the Italian public it seemed that
Mr.. Coates, especially when he gave
his mastery Interpretation of Pur-
cells Suite, preserved all the charac-
teristics Of calm British temperament,
even when the rapidity of the move
ment and the tumbling volume of
sound seemed bound to shake him az it
shook the. public. This was more per-
ceptible still when Che movements be-
| cane slower