Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-12


- conscious. 1t seems almost
as If the musical world were
more interested in the ways anc
means of the various symphonic
batons than anything current or
the musical market. New arrivals
established friends and the gen.
eral scheme and pattern of the
symphony programs are being
discussed with fervor that is
scarcely reminiscent of anything
that has gone before.
Evidence of this great wave OF
enthusiasm for the orcheStras
and their leaders is the fact that
these have commenced their ac-
tivitieS earlier than ever before
and have awakened both favor
able and unfavorable comments
from the critics at a time when
usually these musical sleuths are
still browsing on their vacation
farms. The Philharmonic-Sym-
phony has come to life whole
weeks ahead of schedule and
aroused large and greedy audi
enceS in spite of the, as yet, pa
cific Toscanini. Under what
seems to be the firmly distin-
guished hand of Erich Kleiber
this orchestra sprang week or so
ago into favor once more. And
with it came that enormous
curiosity about it's new conductor
and also about almost any
conductor in evidence.
DIN Downes recently pointed
out this interest has not always
been the case. Time was" he
says, when the conductor was a
stick waver, as SaraSate believed,
who held together band of play
ers too numerous for the men to
keep in time and rhythm with
each other without some central
signal station. The conductor,
then the mereSt factotum, re-
hearSed the band and beat time.
He was the most negligible per-
son on the stage, so far as per-
sonality,' so much Wanted today,
was concerned, and as an inter-
pretative force he had no impor-
lance"
To say nowadays that the con-
ductor is a negligible person
would be to punch ones own
ticket to the River StyX. If there
is anybody more engaging the
public's attention at this time. it
is only the President or some
member Of criminology, or COM
muters in planes from one con-
tinent to another. Certainly, the
half dozen or more geniuSeS in
the conducting racket" - this
word being now applicable to any
form Of physical, mental or spirit
ual eXerciSe-are among the liv-
ing immortals.
THIS vital and excited interest
in these leaders of orchestras,
may be laid to-what? OF all the
conductors that are coming to
Washington this coming season,
which of them is being looked
forward to with bated breath
and why?
It seems almost as II these
questions can be rolled into one
and answered with one long an
Swer At the beginning, however,
it seems only just to say that the
old, old nyth-that the more
personality the leader of an or
cheStra has the less value he is
as conductors no longer true.
Although people may be unwill-
ing to admit that they are very,
very fond of KousSevtzky as a
personality, they nevertheless go
to hear him because they can rec
ognize in his work the reincar-
mated magnetism Of himself. Also,
If personalities have nothing to
do with the leading of an orcheS-
ira, is it the machine quality of
ToScanini that the audience
wants to hear? Hardly. These
two men, as in the case of Sto-
kowski, and to lesser degree Ga
brilowitsch, Molinari and Soko-
loff, and perhaps the distant and
untraveled Mr.. Stock, have what
might be called "a way with
them" and that is what viii be
bringing them into spotlight ap-
proval when they come to town.
First and foremost, of course, in
the case of these neo-gods of mu-
sic Is their profound skill and
knowledge as musicians. This
has unquestionably landed them
where they are. But If it had
been merely a question of execu-
tive ability at the musical helm,
they would have hardly remained
where they are. Something more
than that-the devotion of the
men in the orchestra to their
leader, and his effect upon the
audience, and the command of
his baton, all have to do with the
success. And personality
They say that Erich Kleiber
has a sense of humor. They say,
too, that he Is perhaps a trifie
conventional, trifle unexciting.
But he Is among the recent re-
cruits to the new Grand Order.
He will be watched now with
green-eyed attention. His every
move will be observed. Although
he is not coming to Washington,
he should be studied from afar.
He may be very great person.
age amidst these conductor peo-
ple-and again he may not. It
Is too early for predictions.
IT was something of a pity that
the other night when Edward
c. Potter gave his talk on Music
Critics and Criticism" at the Arts
Club that various Scribes de-
voted to this muse from other and
perhaps greater cities couldn't
have been numbered among the
small but devout audience as
sembled for the occasion.
Mr.. Potter. with swift, merciless,
but completely justifiable ardor,
classified and sealed a pearly or
funeral doom on the brother
critics, and pronounced them
four -fifths sham and one-fifth
gold. He dotted his hat before the
Tdn1ap ar these wera the