Evening star., 1936-01-05
FRESH. IMPETUS MARKS MUSIC OF FIRST WEEK
Comments by Hans Kinder, Conductor, on
Program by the
National Symphony Orchestra
Thursday at $3.50 PM, Constitution Hall.
Sooists-Elsa Alsen, soprano; Paul Althouse, tenor

SololStS-ElSa AlSen, S0pr
All-Wagner program:
From "Das Rheingold"-
'Donner Invokes the Storm
'The Rainbow"
"rhe Plaint OF the Rhine Maidens."
bow Bridge That Crosses the Valley"
"Brunnhildes Immolation" tinale from
'Gotterdammerung."D
ELSA Alsen)
From "Lohengrin"-
"Preiude to Act III"
Finale, "Lohengrin's Farewell"
paul Althouse.)-
INTERMIssIoN.
From Die Walkure"-
Ride Of the Valkyries."
"slssiinde,ss Entrance and Indication OF
"siesmund's Love Song"
Duet, "Siegmund's Sword Song"
elisa Alsen and Paul Althouse, sololsts.D
Finale. Magic Fire Music"
THE success of our all-operatic
concert of December Is was sc
gratifying that. when the re-
L grettable Hines of Mr.. John
Mccormack was announced to US de-
cided to substitute for the regular
orchestral program which we hac
planned for January 9 concert
rather similar to that which had been
so successful, with the difference that
instead of excerpts from the operas
of different composers / would con-
centrate on the greatest Of them all
namely, Richard Wagner.
In consequence. we will have ex-
cerpts from four Of the masters great
est works of his early. middle and later
period. "Lohengrin" represents the
full blossoming of the former;
"Rheingold, the transition, and the
"Walkure" and "Gotterdammerung
the beginning of the third and most
complete period Of creation of this in
credible genius.
THE "Rheingold" music has in it,
in embryonic form, that which
was utilized to large extent in the
three subsequent works which com
pose the trilogy of the Ring OF the
Nibelungen. which is Wagner's most
gigantic achievement.
OF this work we will play the finale
the Entrance of the Gods, which
consists of a number of different cpl
sodes. starting with the invocation OF
Bonner. the God of Thunder and
Lightning. At his command, a thun-
derstorrn is evoked and breaks. The
gods behold a rainbow bridge leading
from the earth to their future abode.
Valhalla. The song Of the Rhine
daughters deploring the loss OF the
Rheingold, which is to occasion havoc
in the ensuing adventures Of the diff
fereht persons of the Nloelungen Saga
is heard, and toward the end, Wotan
and the gods enter Valhalla In great
and impressive procession.
"Gotterdammering,"
WHERE "Rheingold" is, so TO speak,
" the first and complete project
of the Ring" the Twilight OF the
Gods" is its apex, of which, again.
the finale is its highest point. Sieg-
fried. the hero, is treacherously slain
and Brunnhilde joins him on the
funeral pyre. The Rhine maidens re-
take possession of the golden ring,
which has been the curse Of all who
came in contact with it. The Rhine
itself overfiows, and, with a magnifl-
cent conglomeration of all the differ
ent themes, the great work (and with
it the entire trilogy) comes TO Its
tragic and Overwhelming finish. Never
before had Wagner shown such grand
eur of inspiration nor such mastery
of both conception and execution.
'Lohengrin."
THE VorSpiel to ''Lohengrn" is the
L high point of Wagner's earlier
works. The Holy Grail (the vessel in
which the Savior's blood was received
when out of love for His fellow men
He died upon the cross) was taken
away for a time from unworthy man
kind. At length it was brought back
by a host of angels from heaven, and
delivered into the keeping Of COM
pany of holy knights on Mount Salvat.
pure in heart" who are strengthened
and blessed by its presence. The
angels return to the azure sky in a
glorious light, and disappear from
view. This picture is musically pre-
sented with uncanny realism which,
however, never descends to mere illus
tration, but which gives us the spirit
of rapture and enhancement that
such glorious occurrence would
evoke in a genius such as Wagner.
In the prelude to the third act the
Joyous celebration of Lohengrin's and
Elsa's wedding is heard. Elsa had
been previously warned by Lohengrin
that she must never ask him his name
or origin-to which she consented
However. Influenced by Ortrud, Elsa
fears that Lohengrin is not OF the un-
questionably pure origin he has been
believed to be by every one else, and
breaks her promise by asking him his
name. The die is cast, and Lohengrin
according to his prediction, must leave
her forever.
We end the salient points of this
opera by the finale, which consists OF
Lohengrin's farewell.
Both Miss Alsen and Mr. Althouse.
from the Metropolitan, are renowned
Wagner exponents and were selected
by ToScanini himself for performances
under his distinguished baton.
"Die Walkure."
IN THE second half of the program