The Washington times., 1926-10-18
BOSTON MUSIC1
WEEKEND HIT |

Dame Nature covered the radio
wave lengths with new top
coating from the Aurora BOrealiS.
or something equally blanketing,
for the week end and the result
was frea!iy eptiOn-where there
was any at all! New Orleans.
Jacksonville, and points East
made themselves heard Saturday
in faint tones and Havana, Jack
sunyil'e, New York, Philadelphia
and Baltimore came into loud
speakers with varying intensity
last night.
The Boston Symphony Orches-
tra's Interpretation of the Cesar
Franck D Minor Symphony reached
such heights of musical perform
ance Saturday night that nothing
in the loud speakers over the week
end can be compared with it! That
is written deliberately, after weigh
ing carefully the merits of the bevy
of stars who assaulted the micro
phones during the Sunday evening
hours. If we but had all of the
Su pei III LIVES VIC tltNS lctf ASllGh vi
much lesser performances perhaps
some justice might be done to the
way the orchestra played the COM
position. But We haven't.
Also. after the emotional awaken
ing such music gives, it is rather
difficult. If not impairment. to at
tempt to describe it, 1t is enough
to say that the symphony came
after a performance of modern
music that was neither badly or
particularly we'll played; Thar 1t
came as modern music after a
very formal serenade of Mozart,
rather indifferently interpreted tone
poem of Richard Strauss, and "A sort
of cubist production of Alexander
Lang Steinert, And it fell on ears
that were just about TO become
bored. with q sweetness and then
a grandeur and finally an over.
towering intoXication of tone hat
vas completely overwhelming. Few
things have equalled it in radio
tening in Incidentally. the WIZ
and WRC transmission was perfect,
ERVA GILES
WINS PLAUDITS
In the Sunday night battle of
stars ii was the dark horse who
seemed to come more clearly and
satisfactory in my loud speaker
Erva Giles. who owes her eminence
to a wonderful voice and constant
radio use of it. Her competitors
were no mean antagonists Mar
garet MatZenauer, Metropolitan
opera mezzo-soprano, exhibited one
Of the most perfect voices we've
ever heard, Frank La Forge. played
the piano as only such an artist
as he can play it and Richard
Crooks used his tenor voice and
Sascha Fidelman his violin. as only
experts can use such instruments
for music making, But Erva Giles,
in the vocal arrangement of The
Blue Danube" waltz, touched a high
spot neither of the competing stars
reached and neither even approached,
unless one can except the playing
of the Chopin mcclure in F sharp
major by La Forge.
However this cannot be
overempha sized - the Matzenauel
performance seemed to be severely
handicapped by her unfamiliarity
with radio requirements-or rather
her anxiety lest she should moi
meet them. Her voice in range anu
form and delivery of tone is one Of
the most perfect we have ever
heard. But she did little but eX
hibit it last evening. Not once die
she sing a song with it.
La FORCES accompaniment We're
well just La Forge accompani
ments and there is nothing else
like them in music. An artist. 8
composer. and one of the most
skillful Of pianists, he makes every
note he plays worth hearing. These
| two came to radio receivers during
| the Atwater Kent hour.
NEW TENOR
WAS MIKE SHY
Miss Giles performance was in :
short recital which preceded the
| Maxwell Coffee subsidy from WI
! and, as has been stated. was ths
| matchless bit Of music Of the eve
| ming, growing steadily TO the finale
| Straus number which she sang d.
| the kind Of a song that vibrate(
| every nerve Of her hearers. and Al
the SdlIe Tune cldDleu Inc singer LC
give a flawless coloratura exhibi
ton.
Richard Crooks, the American
| tenor who WIS the principal Max
well STAR, suffered from unfamiliar
| ity win nicrOphone requirements
! but showed possession of rare
voice. The two numbers that Fidel
| man played were finely done and
! easily displayed his skill with tn;
/ violin. The Schillkret Orchestra
| more than made good on its repu
tation with its playing Of various
national dances. its high point be
| ing reached in the Rumanian cycle
There were other things on the
| weekend program. of course-Mme
! Cabrera Gainsborgs Interpretation
| Of the GIanados "Goycscas" inter
! mczZ0 on the piano from WIZ. foi
! instance, which was mastery
| piece Of work. The two evenings
| left the memory of anything else
| bat what is noted just a bit hazy
! And yet not befOEged. for there are
| few people who heard it who viii
| forget the Franck mphony-unti
! they hear it again!