The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-21
ALBERT COATES
ISCO|VCERT
SUCCESS
His Farewell a Distinct
Triumph-Levitski PIeases
Audience.
BY WILLIAM MOORE.


Albert Coates scored distinct
triumph yesterday afternoon at the
farewell concert of the New York
Symphony Orchestra, given in the
National Theater.
Never in the recollection of vet
eran concert patrons has the New
York orchestra presented program
so delightful and satisfying pleas.
ing the non-musician with its melody
and harmonic effectiveness and graft.
flying to the music student who came
to analyze the various selections.
Coates brought with his orchestra
Mischa Levitski, talented young
Russian pianist, whose rendition Of
LISTS 70 flat concerto was revela-
ton in its mastery interpretation.
The piece de resistance of the pro-
gram was Ralph Observation-Disclosures
London symphony" Vaughan-Wil-
nams is known to Washington mu-
sicians as a composer of delightful
songs. His symphony, however, was
comparatively unknown. As a mat
ter OF fact, its premiere in America
was not given until two years ago.
Whoever wrote the program notes
left nothing to the imagination in
the description of the Vaughan-Wil-
liams work. Most program notes are
dull enough reading, but these were
written with pleasing style and the
familiarity of the writer with the
composition.
a Piece Of Life.
ALI the human emotions and condi.
tons of 1ife-lovea hate, 10y, meIan.
choly, cruelty, passion, Iust-are har.
moniously treated by the composer.
In, short, the composition is life it.
self-life with the gilt ruthlessly torn
off, leaving the raw, hideous naked.
ness exposed.
The first movement opens with the
calm and silent Thames flowing
ceaselessly on it's way to the sea-
The chimes of Big Ben are heard
pealing out the half hour.
The music suddenly changes. An
allegro movement ushers in the
hustle and turmoil of the Strand
The raucous shout of the neWsboys
with their morning "pypers," the
hurrying taxicabs, the seething mass
of humanity surging onward and ap.
parently aimlessly along the high
way; the song Of the coster as he re.
turns from market in his donkey cart
all are faithfully and wildly por.
trayed.
In the more quiet passages one
can visualize the haunts of the
shabby genteel, the cry of the laven.
der peddler, the scraping Of the street
fiddler and the gloom that hangs over
the great slum districts of London.
Throughout the entire work the
composer injects from time to time
the motif OF the Thames, flowing
smoothly. relentiessly perhaps, on
its journey.
LevitsIxi Is Success. '1s..'Ess<
The concert opened with Purcelps
Suite for Strings" arranged bv. Mr..
Coates. The work is extracted from
the various dramatic works of the
seventeenth-century Englishman. II
Is one that could be heard repeatedly
with profit and pleasure. The classic
beauty of the excerpts has chiseled
firmness as Mr.. Coates presented
! them, and there was a stirring string
sorority in the octava coda of the
Adagio.
LevitSki, the pianist, made a de.
c1dedly favorable impression on the
audience. He is 'dapper little man.
appearing more like a prosperous
business man than a musician. He
entered the auditorium, did his stunt
and marched off again as if playing
List concertos was the simplest
thing in the world.
Technical passages at which many
a virtuoso might have balked-and
excusably-were executed with su.
preme confidence. There was much
OF ruggedness and power in his work.
although he possessed tonal charm
also.