Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-20

THE PROGRAM
Overture, "Ncsze di Figaro" ...... Mozar n
fantasy-ovcrture, Romeo and Juliet"
Fantasia, 1.-THE wandcrer''. 80. Schubert
Alexander Slot
Symphony. 10 Devin Poeme". .Srriabine
Albert Contes. Guest Conductor
Albert Coates, leader Of the London
Symphony Orchestra, appeared at the
Academy of Music last evening In the
conductor OF the New York Symphony
offered was diversified, but not moro
80 than Mr.. Coates conducting Of 1t.
He began with Mozart's lively and
charming "Nozze di Figaro" overture,
which he took at terrific tempo. much
too fast for beauty and almost too fast
FOR tonal cohercncy at times. The
orchestra struggled valiantly with an i'm
possibly fast tempo and only well nigh
Incredible feats of virtuosity saved some
Of the slower speaking instruments from
being left at the post.
The fantasie- overture Romeo and
Juliet showed Mr.. Coates in another
phase Of conducting. He is evidently
q modernist and the later the music
became the more enthusiastically he led
u. There were many places in the
IShakowsky number which we're of
The greatest beauty and showed keen
appreciation of the spirit of the, com
poser, and there were others where he
demanded too much tone from the
Instruments. especially the trumpets
and the trombones, to the complete sub
merging of the more delicate toned
string and reed instruments. His
tempt were rapid throughout but the
composition moved with spirit and the
conductor infused much of his dynamic
personality into the orchestra.
- He was ut his best in the Scriabine
symphony" entitled lie Dcvin
Poeme,' which Mr.. Stokowski has
made familiar to Philadelphia audi
ences. The musical merit of the work
M open to question, despite the attitude
o. the ultra -modernists. AT present
scriabine seems to be one OF the virtuosi
who Specializes in detail, rather than II
master who points the way to new
line OF musical thought. BE this as it
may, Mr.. Coates evidently is firm
believer In the composer and led the
symphony with the devotion of an
apostle.
Taken all in all, Mr.. Coates is q
prima donna conductor of the first renk.
ne has the first Of all requirements,
ehthusiasm, added to which is a sincere
belief In the compositions which he per-
formed last evening. He is athletic in
appearance and not at all sparing in
MS gestures. Youth, overfowing vital
,y and what We Americans know as
pep are the salient characteristics Of
ms work. There is none OF the tre-
Saehuous reserve power of Richard
suauss, who can get enormous effects
WIN movement OF one hand, nor the
.enhement of Vincent d'Indy in his
.onducting, but this is hardly to be
expected, as these men are primarily
SScmposers and conduct as such. Mr..
.tes Ieates IL conductor who seeks the
.u .aset rather than the spirit CT the com
tyVs'tion. He was great success with
Ie immense audience, as q yirile, en-
"Iusniastic young conductor generally il.
a, alexander Siloti. the soloist, played
,ae lnirequently heard "Wanderer"
ssntaae osnte of Schubert, augmented and
S,senestrated ~. by Liszt The great pian.
M%..composer had better left it as il
S;Is SIS originally written by Schubert.
tsro ~o'l Is one of the greatest living mas
tba VI the piano, and such portions OF
sh s composition as have not been
eIanpS' eamsed' the opening of the adaglo, for
mp.e' we're performed in a mastery
4her. Not that the whole work was
uUhe IN this way, but the direct sim-
E OF Schubert, contrasted with the
slc Virtuoso overlay Of List was
areht throughout to the trained
er, 1t Is to be regretted that this
an master of the piano could not have
10, heard IN a better chosen compo-