Palisadian., 1922-12-02
BAR LEADER IN
MOSCOW CONCERT
Orchestra Starts and Plays Per.
fectly Without Conductor.
.FREER EXPRESSION CLAIMED

In Latest Communal Experiment Mu-
sicians Get Chance to Bring Out
Their Own Ideas instead Of Follow.
ing Baton Of conduetor-set Hard
Test for Themselves In First Con-
cert and Pass Through II frium-
phantly-cAaim Many Advantages.
In Russia, where most things arc
bought and paid for at top-heavy
prices and where the proft-seeking
impulse is blooming luxuriantly after
its period of forcible suppression, 1t Is
refreshing to find one institution that
is running smoothly along genuinely
cooperative lines. Such an institu
tion Is the leaderless orchestra which
gives excellent concerts In the Mos
cow conservatory.
Not only does the orchestra play
without leader; its programs and its
personnel are selected by common
consent. All the members Of the or
ganization receive the same salary.
And the orchestra Is far from being
a freak or a heavily subsidized expert
ment. It's concerts are admirably rem
dered, and 1t stands absolutely on its
own feet financially.
I interview ed Mr.. Zeitlin, the con-
certmeister and chief organizer of the
orchestra, Immediately after the per-
formance Of brilliant Tschaikovsky
program, which included the "Pa
thetique" symphony, the symphonic
poem francesca da Rimini," and the
sonorous piano concerto in fiat
minor The interview shared the COM
munal spirit of the undertaking.
Several of the musicians sat with the
concertmeister in the little room be-
hind the stage entrance and Joined in
the conversation.
Long Cherished Idea.
Mr.. Zeitlin told me that he had long
cherished the idea OF an orchestra
that would reflect the musical ideals
of all it's members, rather than the
will and personality Of a single con-
ductor. 1t was only last year, how
ever, that it was possible to make
100000 rubles was scraped togeth-
er; and on this basis the first concert
was launched. Thirty million rubles,
by the way, would seem to suggest
handsome permanent endowment
fund but at prevalent rates of ex-
change it really represents the mar
rowest kind Of a shoestring. The
audience which came to the first per-
formance did not expect to bear
musical concert. It rather looked for
ward to being diverted by strange
and discordant braying Of instru.
ments. Mr. Zeitlin and his colleagues
had. set for themselves hard test in
Beethoven's "Eroica" symphony. They
passed it triumphantly and from that
time on they steadily won a more i'm
portant place in the musical life of
Moscow. Every seat in the large
conservatory auditorium had been
sold for their Tschaikovsky program
"We feel that there are distinct ad
vantages in our democratic form of
organization" said Mr.. Zeitlin. "For
instance, in rehearsals every member
of our orchestra Is free to suggest
new methods of Interpreting certain
passages. We always try out these
suggestions and often get valuable
conceptions Of the composers spirit
and intention in this way"
Sense Right Moment.
l asked Mr.. Zeitlin how the orches-
ira was always able to start together
in perfect harmony without any ap-
parent signal.
"There is always a moment of pro-
found stiffness when the audience ex-
poets the performance to begin." he
replied. 1--WE have learned to sense
this moment instinctively. I don't
think we would experience any diff
Guilty in starting together, even with
our eyes closed"
The orchestra is planning to submit
it's theory of collective musicianship
to an interesting test later in the fall.
Glazounov, one of the best known of
the modern Russian composers, has
heard of its work and refuses to be-
lieve that concert can be held effec-
lively without a conductor. So it is
planned to give concert Of Gla-
zounov's own compositions under his
direction, and to repeat the program
without any leader the following
night. After hearing the splendid
performances Of. the orchestra in
works of Beethoven and Wagner,
List and Tschaikovsky, am willing
to venture the prediction that It's
work will not suffer by the test
William Henry Chamberlain In the
New York Times.