Evening star., 1927-03-09
Nj u SIC
MR. FURTwAENGLER CONDUCTS.

The New York Philharmonic Orches-
ira closed it's Washington series of
three concerts for the current season
when Wilhelm Furtwaengler, noted
German guest conductor, led the or
ganization in q splendid performance
at the National Theater yesterday AFT
ernoon before an unusually enthusi-
astic and discriminating audience.
This will probably be Mr.. Furtwaen-
gler's last appearance in Washington
for q couple of seasons Next year ne
has engagements in Leipsic, Berlin
and Vienna that will fill all his time,
and It will not be until the following
season that he will return to America.
This dynamic artist conducts with a
suggestion for every phrase, finding
excellent co coordination and response
ON the part of the men in the orches-
ira. He is one of the most individual
of conductors. Although of good but
not extraordinary height, he seems to
tower as a giant when conducting. Off
stage Mr.. Furtwaengler is one of the
most quiet matter f-fact persons in
the music world
The members of the orchestra, as
well as Mr.. Furtwaengler we'll de-
served the hearty, prolonged applause
which they received after each num-
ber. They responded to every direc-
tion admirably, and there were times
when the strings had unified beauty of
tone and shading uncanny in it's per-
fection.
In the opening number, the overture
to Weber's Der Freischutz", the elu-
Sive little waltz theme was woven
charmingiy in due emphasis among
the patterns of the sterner counter
themes.
Following close on it's heels came
the new overture written for a special
performance of Shakespeare's, THE
Tempest" by Jan Sibelius the Finn.
This was a first time in Washing
tom. The typical stormlike quail
tiles of a ship at sea in a tempest We're
realistically and lengthily portrayed,
but with a monotony that caused
laughter to hang in the air long be-
fore the overture was ended. One
could almost get sea-sick by listening
to this overture. The audience refus-
ed to take it very seriously or applaud
with more than scattering semblance
of appreciation. For such music, how
ever, which could hardly be classed
rs modern-merely musical enhance
lnent of realistic soundS-the work
was undoubtly well played, but it was
far from being of the stature of Mr..
Sibelius' First Symphony, which
was heard here last year.
The Richard Strauss tone poem,
"Don Jaun," was quite lovely; the Ori-
entail love theme seemed brought out
more distinctly than usual in this per-
formance. The uneasy, restless, sell
fish character of this famous lover,
Don Jaun, is constantly brought out
in the strings especially, and finally
the tragic music that is like a shrewd,
chill wind that tears the FURNISHED
leaves from a denuded tree, sweeps
into the typical Strauss finale and
the plaintive voice of the solo violin
walls dirge of the earlier blossoming
love theme.
The Brahms, Symphony No. in
Minor" has been played earlier even
this season, but it has never been
given more eloquent reading here
than yesterday. The almost barbar-
ic rhythms of the opening strains,
the chanting quality of the different
choirs giving responses back and forth,
the chattering parlandos Of the pizzi-
cato themes in the third movement,
the swell of the chorale in organ ma