Evening star., 1936-11-21

Ialn humber OF llSteneIS NdI1O tIley are
very welcome ones, l assure you'll to
hear the 'very latest" In the literature;
the wishes of countless composers who
want quite naturally that their works
should have . hearing; those Of GER
tain music enthusiasts who have very
special hopes that certain Of their own
(often little known favorites shall be
heard once again; the wishes Of the
soloists, principally those Of the prima
donnas (and these latter need not be
confined to vocalists onlyD; rehear-
sal time; the fact that a program
should have form and shape. begin
ming and an end, high point, cohe-
sion, contract, logic, so that the public
(and the performerS) are not asked to
constantly jump from one mental salto
mortale into another; conflicting pro-
grams of visiting orchestras; the
wishes of local managers and music
lovers and committees and composers
while on tour; then, the first years.
the limitations in numbers of players
and the technical development Of the
orchestra have to be very seriously
considered; then tstrange to sayD the
conductors own ideas, convictions,
predictions about certain special
works, and countless other considera-
tions of necessity enter in the scheme.
A ND when all is settled, and after
spending a large part Of each
Summer vacation in the prepara-
ton of the work and on the presum-
ably right and effective composition
of the 10 or so programs. and after
thinking to have done not so badly
with regard to the building of reper-
toire OF well over $50 different COM
positions Of all and every kind and
shape and message and description.
then somebody or other comes and
SAYS: why don't you ever play some
thing by Beethoven" And when 1t
is pointed out that in the short ex-
istence of the orchestra five of the
nine symphonies have been played
and nearly every other work by the
master in which an orchestra is en-
ployed (the three most important OF
the i've piano concertos. Nos. 3, and
S, the violin concerto. the Choral
Phantasy." all the more important
overtures), he or she will say: Il
hadn't thought Of that" And you feel
like saying: Please do next time y
All this is but intended as pleasant
preliminary to today's program, which
has as its high point the "First Sym
phony" by Sibelius.
We will open the program with the
great "Leonore, No. g." 1t is known
that Beethoven has written four diff
ferent overtures to his opera. OF
these, undoubtedly the synthesis Of
the entire opera is contained in this
particular overture, which as to
length. thematic material, develop
ment and spirit amounts more to
symphonic poem than to a conven-
tional overture.
CTART1NG out with the adagio,
- which, according to Gustav
Mailer, was indicative of the descent
of the jailer into the subterranean
dungeon where Leonore's husband is
kept prisoner, every descending note
seems to be very weighty with i'm
portance and the signs Of anguish and
sorrow seem to rise nearly tangibly
from the breasts of the unhappy
couple.
A transitional passage is followed
by an announcement Of the liberia
ton theme in pianissimo. 1t Is these
two themes which struggle for su-
premacy during the entire overture
until the releasing signal of the trum-
pet call, first in the distance and the
second time nearer by. is heard After
q long crescendo the second theme
returns in fortissimo. and the coda
of this overture is q veritable paean
of liberation, an ode to Joy. Needless
to say that it is rightly considered
one of Beethoven's most powerful
works.
THIS will be followed by gem from
l. Purcell's opera. dido and
Aeneas," the orchestral introduction
to a scene of witches casting an evil
spell which eventually results in death.
This is followed by an Air" on a
ground bass lin the form of a passa-
caglia). This ground bass never
changes, and the climatic freedom
with which Purcell sings his melo-
dies over these ever-returning four
bars without once falling into monot-
ony is indicative of his sheer genius,
especially in so confining a medium.
We will then play q suite Of four
Polish dances by Tansmann, a young
Polish composer. In these dances that
particular spirit of Polish music which
Is so essentially Chopin's comes once
more to the fore, although 1t is in
modern garb that 1t has been made
to reappear The dances are called
Polka. Kujawiak, Dumka and Oberek.
The first is gay, as polka should be,
and the second melancholy. like
slow mazurka; the third one is like
short and lovely nocturne, and the
last one exuberent. the typical national
Polish peasant dance. The instru-
mentation throughout is remarkable
and modern, and yet never for mo-
ment either fiat or unclear. The whole
work Is q decided acquisition to the
literature of the modern orchestra.
THE "Sibelius Symphony" is work
Of which 1t Is hard to believe
that it was the first effort in this form
that the composer made. 1t Is so def1-
mite, 50 full of conviction, so techni-
cally right, so splendidly and indi-
vidually orchestrated that it can but
remind one of the fable Of Minerva
springing fully armored from the head
of Zeusl Comment on this symphony
can but consist of what has been said
before about Sibelius, about his
strength, his virility, his uncompro-
missing adherence to his own ideals,
his originality. There Is this differ
ence between this and some Of his
later works-that its spirit is more
youthful, more, should nearly say,