Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-01
THE CRITIC Talks TO MUSIC LOVERS
WILL Erich Korngold

WILL Erich Korngold, whose opera,
w "Di Tote Stndt" was performed by
the Metropolitan Opera Company for
the first time in Philadelphia last Tues.
day evening. prove to be another OF the
great composers whose ability mani
tested itself very early in life? Thus
far. the list reads Mozart, the greatest
of all youthful prodigies. whose SUD.
sequent career rs composer fnr ex-
ceedcd even the brilliant promise of his
carly youth Schubert, the most spon-
tancous of all composers. and Men
delssohn. whose finest orchestral work
of age. a formidable list.
Whether Korngold will join this
highly exclusive class cannot, OF
course. he told now, although he had
composed three operas before he was
twenty five years of age. and all of
, them have been produced by some OF
the biggest operate aCuaintances in the
world. But to show how utterly futile
prediction would be when based upon
work accomplished at this early age, 1t
is only necessary to recall what the
greatest composers had accomplished at
the same period of life. While Mozart
had n most formidable list Of works to
his credit. many of them still alive to-.
day; while Schubert had written one OF
his finest songs, 1.-THE Erl. King" at q
sohn had composed the Midsummer
Nights Dream" music. Beethoven,
Bach and Brahms had done little at
twenty five to indicate the position they
were to take later among the great
composers of the world.
TT IS apparent from the music OF
i "Die Tote Stadt" that young Korn.
gold has not yet found himself, II ever
he is to become one Of the great COM
poscrs. Not much is to be expected
from n youth of his age in the line Of
originality. and little of this quality
appears in his opera. He is evidently
completely under the influence of Rich
ard Strauss. especially In his orches.
tration, and that means that he has al
ready m immense technique In the
handling Of the instruments. But this
Ia apparent more in the combinations
than in the work Of the solo voices OF
which there IL comparatively little In
the opera.
A composer must follow an ideal in
his early davs; the originality, II It
ever develops, must come later when
he has learned the technique of the Or
chestra and Of composition. Korngold
has passed this stage, or at least he is
nearing It's close. and his next works
will be more significant Of what he Is
to become than anything he has done
thus far. He has evidently great in
tensity OF feeling, an excellent sense Of
dramatic values for one so young and
very complete knowledge Of musical
effects and how to produce them. AS
this is his third opera he has about
mn tarnI tha fanbntpna ~ ko
one of the most important and most
difficult things dramatic composer
must learn and q thing never acquired
by Beethoven, Schubert or Schumann.
There are places In the work where
the form Is not clear, almost confused,
and the hearer Is uncertain as to Just
how far he has followed the Wagnerian
tradition Of the lett motif. Certainly
In this respect he has not followed the
example Of Strauss in "Salome" and
"Elektra. There Is also tendency to
overload the orchestration, out
Straussing Strauss, as 1t were, which
probably accounts In a large measure
for the paucity OF melodic work for
chestra.
CTRAUSS himself had done little at
~ twenty FIVE. but this was largely due
to the circumstances Of his early musi.
cal training. His father, Franz Strauss,
was the greatest French horn player in
Germany not even excepting Hans Rich.
ter, and he was an av0wed enemy of all
that Wagner represented and a stanch
upholder Of the classics. Despite this
enmity Wagner valued him highly and
Franz Strauss played the tremendous
first horn parts at the premieres Of
sifal," as important q part rs any In
the. orchestra, not excepting the concert
ueister.
49, haias4As ~ soaasAlsglueaa