Evening star., 1935-01-27
BEETHOVEN SERIES
SPLEND|DLY BEGUN!
Pro Arte String Quartet In.
tefprets Early Work in
First Concert.
BY ALICE EVERSNIAN.

The Pro Arte String quartet OF
Brussels yesterday afternoon opened
the series of concerts at the Library
of Congress, in which will be pre-
sented the complete cycle Of Bee
thoven's Quartets. The concerts are
sponsored by the Columbia Broadcast
ing System through the courtesy OF
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. Two
quartets will be played every Friday
and Saturday afternoon until Febru-
ary %, when the last one will include
three.
This opportunity to hear the cham
ber music of the great Beethoven, IN
progressive form, Is both rare and OF
inestimable value. 1t is perhaps the
most noteworthy of all cultural en-
deavors-making known for the first
time to many the personal angle OF
the development of Beethoven's gen.
tus-While to those already familiar
with the quartets in their entirety
these concerts offer an unique occa-
sion for refreshing their Judgment.
Quartet Has Balance.
No better choice for the interpre-
tation of Beethoven could have been
made than the Pro Arte String Quar-
tet, already the purveyors OF much
chamber music knowledge to the mu-
sic lovers of this city. An organlza-
ton of balanced artistry, the serious
character of the musicianship of the
four players is guarantee OF correct
and understanding presentation.
The first two quartets chosen were
the Quartet in F Major, Op. l8, No.
l" and "Op. IS. No. in G Major"
Both purely lyrical in style, their gay
ETY. carries no hint OF the searching,
troubled Beethoven so tragically por-
trayed in his later works, and no
display of that spiritual grandeur. with
its touch of the superhuman, that was
to definitely mark his writings in the
future. In these quartetS he sings
with free, untrammeled joyousness
interspersed with tender reverie, But
always there is present the thoughts
of a man with his eyes on the stars,
conscious of the glorious eXpanse about
them. where only the good and the
beautiful can be found free from hu-
man lettering.
Freshness and Yearning.
In gthe tender moments there is no
Sadness, but sweet yearning and hope,
while a fresh exuberance invades the
quicker motives with accentuated
rhythm and playful pauses. Perhaps
the finer of the two quartets is the Go
Major" with the adagfo contabile
expanding in fuller expression. and the
allegro. scherzo and allegro mol
to-" more inspirational in their con-
ception. It was also in this quartet
that the musicians from Brussels gave
greater reir to their interpretive feel
ing. which warmed their tone and
added grace to delivery.
In the quartet in F Major, No. /,
their reading bordered a trifle on the
sedate and thoughtful so that the
adagio missed the warm infection
the composer intended for it and the
lighter movement lacked delicacy of
spirit to add brilliancy to fine tech
nical presentation. The mood was dlt-
ferent with the opening movement of
the second quartet and grew in beauty
to the end.
The entire program yesterday was
broadcast, but some of the others, be-
cause of their length, will be heard
only partially over the air.
A large audience was present yes
terday and enthusiastically acclaimed
the famous players.