The Washington times., 1926-10-08
by JESSIE MacBRIDEJ
FESTIVAL OPENS AT
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

FESTIVAL OPENS AT
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Idols and iconoclasms in music
divided honors at the opening of
the Chamber Music. Festival at the
Library of Congress last evening,
given under the Elizabeth Sprague
Coolidge Foundation, for a third
year in the National Capital, and
with the cognocenti Of the musical
world in America today present.
Ernest Bloch, iconoclast of yes
terday. was conductor-composer Of
the opening festival program. And
today, so fast we run. he stands
midway between yesterday and to-
morrow, a composer with largesse
in tone richness, with small or
chestra that assumes grand or.
chestra proportions, with masterful
power in rhythm. in accent, and In
the strength Of his chords that
become as dominant as did Rach-
mammoth when we first heard his
C sharp minor Prelude.
There was Bach. Mozart, Mali
piero, Bloch.
The two latter are our most
urgent concern for they are today
pioneers.
Had Bloch's own work, the "Con-
certo Crosse" of 1924, Tor string
orchestra and piano, not followed
Malipiero, he might not have sound
ed so orthodox.
G.. Francesca Ma1ipiero came with
| a "Ricercari" 1925), big dramatic
canvas painted, in tone. upon the
temperamental happenings OF an
| not so nominated, fall into the
works hold "reminiscences, perhaps
designedIy so with Mr. Bloch,
when he develops largely the old
French marching song Les trois
capitaines," though he weakens his
gripping work thereby.
All dissonance Is the Malipiero
noises mot music) Of a street scene
such as Charpentier brought into
his Louise" or a Chinese theme to
Jig and clown in raucous four-rouI
time. He throws out oddments, not
even bound together by a rhythm
freak tonalities Of isolated instru
ments. A third movement brings
out a Largo serioso, but he SUD
denly grotesques 1t, and why? The
!
real emotion in a deep wall, as OF a
funeral march, then brings one bact
to the grotesque again. Is it as q
futility that life sounds up to him
on some Italian hillside? For he
catches, at the start. a moment OF
| pastoral spirit, of churchliness.
do not like 1t. but 1t interests me-
X
The Bloch work has its definite
| subdivisions of Prelude. Dirge. Pas
torale and Rustic Dance land here
he puts in the French theme). with
lastly a Fugue that is stirring. fine
| as vital as Bach, with masterfu
orchestration that Is alive anc
lovely, with varying accents thai
make 1t fascinating.
| His prelude is fresh. vigorous. He
has put his piano behind the strings
making 1t supplementary and far
| finer in ensemble. From Arthur
Joesser, at the piano, comes the
dominant rhythm, comes biting
| chords.
Except for the French DEPRESSION,
which I still deplore, the work is
| cast in the mold of Hebraic fatal
| ism, stressed by continual repeat
| ing of motives. The second sub
tect comes in lovely lyric mood,
again with unusual accent. 1t
might. dramatically speaking. be a
cry of Rhinemaidens. This cry he
gives in rare tonalities. with an elo-
quence at times that fairly gets
one Into the "Pastorale' he brings
sob and an ethereal song. then
develops a gorgeous crescendo in re-
| ligious feeling, before he so rous-
| ingly works out the marching song
from the French. 1t Is beautiful
work, SO full OF feeling and of
force that it should remain with us
| in repertory.
AS to the Bach, the "Branden'
Continued on Page III