The New York herald., 1922-01-23

The concert OF the Symphony Society
in Aeolian Hall yesterday afternoon was
brotherhood OF man and a league Of
nations affair. The composers repre-
sented were Russian, German. English
and Hungarian. The soloists were
Americans. The conductor was an Eng
lshman. Tho audience was New
Workers.. The Russian was DR.. Alex
ander BorodIn. who contributed to the
delights OF the matinee his second SYM
phony composed in the key of b minor
and christened Heroic" II Is a good
symphony, not a great one. founded on
native Russian idioms full OF romantic
spirit and melody and cast In the ap-
proved classic mold. 1t was admirably
played and Albert Coates directed the
performance with enthusiasm.
The other orchestral number was Sir
Edward ElRar's Enigma" variations.
In this composition Elgar, having chosen
an accommodating theme, writes varia-
tions on it characterizing fourteen OF his
friends. You guess who the friends are.
He calls II an enigma. He might just
as we'll have named it musical charade
or q puzzle or even who's Who in
Variations" He might also have told
us how this theme came to confess so
candidly its blood relationship with the
Volga River boatman's song LAY Ouch
men,
But the variations are interesting
when regarded as music and nothing
else, To know who Sir Edward Cigars
fourteen friends were is not the point
not even fourteen points. We can shake
hands across the sea without recogniz-
ing any one of these friends as he walks
down Piccadilly with a Russian folk
tune In his hand. Sir Edward Elgar
knows how to make the orchestra sing
and he understands the art of contrast
and variety. The variations received
long continued applause.
The soloists were the brilliant binary
system of pianists, Leo Pattison and
Guy Maier, gentlemen who perform on
two pianos at the same time and usually
give more pleasure than thirteen stimuli
taneously shifting the keyboard, as re-
Gently heard In Carnegie Hall. Messrs.
Maier and Pattison played Bachs con-
certo In G minor for two pianos with
string accompaniment, and after the
Elgar number Liszt's "Concerto Pa
thet.que" in q new version With orchestra
made lately by Mr.. Pa.lson. Whether
this double concerto had ever before
been played in this town is uncertain.
back as 1850, rewritten for two pianos
in 1855, revised with additions by Won
Buelow) in 1877. and finally in 1880
made over into piece for one piano
with orchestra.
Mr.. Pattison's version for two pianos
and orchestra is new and is based on
the 1856 version. The musician has ac-
complishcd his task with skill. The
new edition sounds like Liszt. The or
chestral enlargement blends with the
original thought excellently and the re-
suit is pompous and aggressive. il
superficial. work for ensemble players.
But when all was finished yesterday
the music, which calmly intrenched It.
self In the foremost position. was the
double concerto of Bach. Old masters
are not necessarily the best masters,
and there were many composers who
lived in Bach's day and now are deader
than the Pharaohs. But old Bach re-
fuses to grow any older. When one lis
tens to his serene and authoritative ut
ttrances one is compelled to confess that
this is the music Of the past, the present
and the future. Messrs. Maier and Pat
tlson played the concerto beautifully.
They showed in the two widely different