Evening star., 1935-04-09
MUSICIANS OF
VIENNA GIVE
FINE RECITAL
Quartet Dra,Us Enthusi-
astic AppImse-Paris
Artists at Night.
BY ALICE EVERSMAN.

1t is very seldom that musicians of
the class who attend the festivals Of
chamber music at the Library Of Con-
gress are so thoroughly enthused over
the performance Of other musicians
that they lead a special demOnstra-
ton. Yesterday morning this took
place after the playing Of the Bee
thoven Quartet in B Flat Op. $780,"
by the Kolisch Quartet Of Vienna, the
personnel of which comprises Rudolf
Kolisch and Felix Khuner, violins;
Eugen Lehner, viola, and Benar Hell
fetz, celliSt.
Starting with spontaneous applause
at the close of the quartet, the emo
ton OF the audience forced it to its
feet to honor the performers in a dis
tinctive manner for q superbly deliv-
cred Interpretation. The quartet
played the long Beethoven number,
with the original grand fugue tnclud-
ed, from memory, feat OF musician
ship in itself deserving of special rec
ognition. But 1t was not this tour de
force alone which could cause a
crowded auditorium to seek further
means Of expressing its appreciation,
but rather the resulting unity Of per-
fection in execution and musical un-
derstanding far beyond the ability of
any other organization that has per-
formed in this same auditorium.
Never has the music OF Beethoven
been presented with such combina-
ton of aliveness, charm, delicacy and
depth as the four musicians achieved
yesterday. 1t literally glowed with
beauty, dazzling the listener with a
play of irridescent color and with an
newly unearthed poetry that has
hitherto escaped discovery. The mu-
sicians have reached that ideal state
OF union where not the slightest
divergence in thought Is observable.
yet there is no sensing Of binding
form that restraints the well directed
flow of personal feeling. In fact, it
was this individual elan which regis
tered in spite of the necessity of ad-
justment one to another and which
generated the candent flame that ran
as binding thread through the sew
eral movements
These Viennese artists are separately
blessed with an equipment Of beauti-
full tone and fluent technique. The
fusion of these splendid endowments
makes for the finest balance and,
when handled as was done yesterday,
the result is as near perfection as can
word ensemble" was demonstrated
for the first time in its complete sense,
and there Is no doubt that playing
from memory is the only way in which
the finest meaning of this often-used
phrase can be arrived at.
The Beethoven number was followed
by Alban Berg's Lyric Suite" work
of six movements, each with an emo
tional title attached. Since Mr.. Berg
has explained his intent by this means,
he has given a clue by which one
may follow him into realm OF per-
sonal feeling which he has sought to
express by the same half definite and
unresolved phrases which an emo
tional experience would take. An at
mosphere Of mystery charged with
surging emotion is pictured in an
original use of various instrumental
means of his own invention. His
music comes under the designation Of
modern, and by reason Of its unusual
ness, foreign to ears just charmed
anew with Beethoven. However, Mr..
Berg has clearly projected nebulous
state in which strong, yet delicately
pointed, feeling finds ecstatic play. The
composer of "Wozzeck" has something
to say in his lyric transports, albeit
in harmonies difficult to grasp at
first hearing.
The last number was the Quartet
No. S in B Flat" by Bella Bartok, which
was commissioned by the Library of
Congress and played yesterday for
the first time. Containing more
marked continuity than the preceding
number, 1t has less imaginative flow
and tends to hardness Of idea in
expression that contains little play
of light and shade. The Koliach
Quartet gave 1t as fine a reading, and
the interest of the public was held
undated to the last.
The concert of last evening intro
duced the Paris Instrumental Quintet,
two members of which-Rene lie Roy,
fiutist, and Pierre Janet, harpist-