The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-11-24
STOKOWSKI GIVES A.
FASCINATING PROGRAM

Given a truly great orchestra.
which most of the leading orches.
tras of today are, an orchestral con
cert resolves itself around the mag
NATIVE and temperamental gifts OF
its conductor. So 1t is that we
approach the Philadelphia Orehes-
ira sure in the vitality and the
broad sweep of romance that often
becomes tempestuous passion, OF
Leopold Stokowski, its picturesque
leader.
Yesterday, with capacity audi
ence at the Washington Auditorium,
Mr.. Stokowski gave us series OF
symphonic portraits, we might caii
Their, in which the sad soul Of the
Hebrew, or the fantastic yet. pathe
tic spirit of Cervantes' hero Don
Quixote,' were portrayed by the
deep voice of the solo cello, pIaye1
with exquisite beauty by hans
Kinder.
The program included the Bloch
'Schelomo," an atmospheric mist
of Jewish psychology in music,
"Fantasie EspagnOle" of Lord
Berners that was negligible III
musical substance though not in
rendition, the Strauss Don Quix.
ote," given under Mengelberg here
last week, and supreme 1Maie
in a stunning rendition of Wagner's
"yorspiel and Liebestod" from
Tristan and Isolde" There was no
symphony.
1t ID the ''Don Quixote" com.
uarison that takes one to the per-
sonaI equation, in valuations. The
programmed list Of adventures is
bewildering. Stokowski stresses its
innpish mood at the start. He
brings it up to a rare and stirring
lyric love song. The deeps of the
cello voice, that is the hero. are
potently wrought, against an or.
chestra that picks out the IN
cidents in definite variety.
But Just here is the difference.
Stokowski brings Us drama or ro-
nance. Mengelberg ties It together
with more epic power. more soul
stuff, a stronger emphasis on the
individuals of the drama. The
great Dutch conductor shows us
Sancho Panza and Dulcinea as
more definite entities Of this
evasive poem in tone. Stokowsh' e
"Quixote" is a graceful gallant.
.Mengelberg's is more universal. 1t
seems to be a difference in ap,
proach.
We hear of silence that is
eloquent with meaning. Such was
d moment in StokowslSi's Tristan"
when his gorgeous tone of the or
chestra becomes subdued to a
vibrating quiet just before he opens
that great paean to love in the
Love Death" theme. 1t was mas
terful. 1t was exquisite. And as
the orchestra! choirs took up their
rarely united volume of sound, 1t
was as though master hand had
flung out great flames OF tone
upon a vivid canvas.
How different in dramatic mood
was the Bloch work. Oddities of
dissonance there were, that we call
ultra modern noise. We used to
say the same of Wagner, because
he did not mirror the clarity OF
Mozart. Bloch has created. to me,
a highly impressive work of a
great oppressed soul, that chants
out its wall. or seems to exhort in
recitatives, given to the solo cello,
with a profound pathos.
True. much OF It seems not to
emerge. Did he Intentionally do
this, to depict an oppNssed race?
He uses the low regi ar Of tone
for these speeches" Waking them
patriarchial. The cello under Kind
ler's hands was full Of feeling and
finely accurate in the odd tones OF
the distorted moments. For there
is Justice in the transition of these