Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11

VOW that the German Opera Com
~ pany has pulled. up sticks and
nv baggage and gone on its way
mindful of the cheers that wendell
their way heavenward during the
early part of the week. music lovers are doing
away with beer and pretzels and sitting down
to some Of the most distinguished "recitalist"
weeks of the year
We have with us during the coming seven
days mr. GAglf whose vocal tonsfl$ are dug
almost as deep as the late CaTuso's; Josef HOf-
mann vho-to sOme-typifes the spirit Of the
mightiest keyboard VirtuosO, and Kreutzberg
and GeoFgi-all brought to this town by MRS.
wilson-G Greene, whose musical intuition has
landed some Of the biggest catches OF the year.
The dance wizards. KreutzbeFg and Georg1
who have made vital impression during tho
past year in this country, are Of especial inter-
est, since they are pupils of that colossal ex-
ponent Of modernism, Mary Wigman, who threw
more than couple Of dance bcmbshells into the
National Theater last Friday afternoon. They
have, however, by themselves proved their
mettle. And they are as likely 10 stir up the
souls Of those who crave the very depths Of
dance Interpretation as they did the past year.
An Of this comes within clOse-packed week.
And more-nuch more. For, under the patron
age Of Mrs. Lawrence Townsend, comes Claudio
Muzio, foremost lyricist Of the Chicago Opera
Company, and San MalO whose powers as .vio-
linist have not been demonstrated heretofore In
this city And, fncidentaIly-to correct q state
ment in these pages last Week-hr. GigH win
positively appear under the Townsend banner
in the very near future. and not exclusively at
Constitution Han, as was prophesied by the
Wilson Greene STAFF.
MISS PEARL WAUGH lends the interesting
Az statement that when. recently, Mr.. Iturht
found that he was talking to an important
lady from Washington he said: "I would Ike
to live IN Washington. It is such beautiful
city"
7 Under the amusing heading, Modernism
Takes on It's WHISPERS" Deems Taylor has
contributed an article TO MeCaRs which ID
provocative of much that is going on in the
way Of musical thinking in this day and age
Says Mr.. Taylor:
There are signs that the musical reign of
terror is nearing its end: that the modern COM
poser, having been On o glorious 20-yeaT spree
of experimenting with polytonality, atonality,
quarter -tonality, monotonality, or what have
you, Is awakening to the SOLDERING realization
that, IN the long run, an artists prospects OF
permanent usefulness ARE dependent much
more upon what he has to say than upon his
manner Of saying It. Two new works recently
heard in New York exhibited the almost for
gotten spectacle Of two composers throwing on
all disguise and presenting their musical ideas
as simply, "a clearly and As el0Quently IS pos
sible.
1.-The first of the two was the Little SYM
phony' OF Ernest Krenek. Mr.. Krenel, as you
may remember, Is the composer Of the notorious
johnny Spieit AMf.' the jazz opera that 90 ex-
cited Germany q couple Of seasons ago and that
did not In the least excite New York last year.
In his symphony. which h written for q COM
parattvely small orchestra, Krenek has abjured
all the naughty musical expressions that made
him one Of the outstanding bad boys Of music
and has gone IN for directness and simplicity.
The opening measures Of the first movement
would not have shocked Mozart himself: I'M
fact, they are Mozart Later the composer
abandons Mozart I'M favor Of something enough
like American JAM to show that he thinks there
Is future for It.
"On the whole, IL was o mistake for MIR.
Krenek TO declare himself IN plain terms. Minus
the false WHISPERS Of ultra-mOdeTn rhythmic
and harmonic devices, his music turns out to be
about - pondeFable o. the music Of Jerome
Kern, but lacking Kern's spOntaneity and
melOd1c charm. Mr.. KTenek need puzzle us no
longer.
The other piece Is q different story. It is
an orchestral tone poem, The Enchanted Isle,'
by, Of all things, an American. It's composer.
Louis Gutenberg, q veteran member Of the
League Of Composers. has IN his time made
dutiful not very radical. experiments with
the various 'alittes and has upon occasion es-
sayed, HE good American, TO make an hon.
est woman Of jazz In The Enchanted IsIe'
he has apparently attempted nothing more
earth-shaking than 90 write some beautiful
music. And he has succeeded.S