Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-19

termed EASIER overture he IdSIloIeu
on themes a'eaned from the pages OF
the Obikhoo-the Obikhod oeing
collection of the most important
canticles of the Russian Orthodox
Church. and also, incidentally, the first
music that was ever published In Russia
Strange does it Seem that this overture
should have been the product OF
country whose trend in literature and
music at that time lowered so perllously
on the pitfall of depression, where the
life of man was likened unto the mere
vagaries of painful shadow, and where
genius such as TolStoy could warn the
world that music was dangerous in that
! it drew forth ones most hldeous IN
stinctS Stranger even is 1t to find that
| the co-patroit of Borodin and Mousorg-
sky should have chosen the mold his
Easter overture into a pattern OF the
brightest hue.
Easter Overture Music.
For those who know the music Of this
Bright Holiday" with its lethargic In
PRODUCTION on the theme Of Let God
Arise" alternating with the solemn
ecclesiastical strain, can Angel Walled.
it is needless to point out that there is
distinct pleasure to be had in hearing
the solemn trumpet voice Of the arch
angel replaced by that joyous. almost
| dancelike tolling. And following this
there is the Obikhod theme Christ is
| Risen" which appears amid the
| trumpet blasts and the tolltng OF the
bell, constituting kind OF triumphant
coda.
The composer himself has given ex-
preston to the theories and principles
| that he had in back of all this. OF
them he says: I'm this overture were
| thus combined "reminiscences of the
ancient prophecy of the gospel mar
| rative and also general picture OF the
Easter service with its pagan merry
making The capering and leaptng OF
| the biblical King David before the Ark.
| do they not give expression to mood
of the same order as the mood OF the
idol-worshippers' dance?
Dance Music of Church.
Surely the Russian Orthodox Obikhod
! is instrumental dance music Of the
church, is it not? And do not the
waving boards of the priests and sex
| tons clad in white vestments, and in
| toning Beautiful Easter in the tempo
of allegro vivo, transport the imagina-
ton to pagan times? And all these
Easter loaves and twists and the glow
ing tapers 3 How far cry from the
socialistic teaching of Christ! This
| legendary and heather side of the
holiday. this transition from the gloomy
and mysterious evening of Passion
! Saturday to the unbridled pagan
religious merry-making on the morn of
Easter Sunday is what I was eager to
reproduce in my overture"
| That Rimsky-Korsakoff has accom-
| plished all that he set out to do is
more than obvious. He has given ex-
uberant expression to that strain of
mystical heathenism of which he was
| so fond He has built his Easter on
plan of augmented rejoicing, which
reaches the pinnacle of its enthusiasm
! at the very end. Needless of the
mournful cry of his countrymen, he has
| given the most out of what he hoped
might be the glad tidings of his Lords
resurrection, in sincere musical
/ tribute.
Perhaps there are few that viii be
| hearing his overture this Easter day.
/ Appropriate it seems, however, to re-
! member him, and to hope that the
Easter bells of which he was so fond will
continue, as has been their wont-un-
/ moleSted.