Evening star., 1938-07-17

tions, one Is astounded at the genius
OF the man and is hard put to decide
whether he is greater as soloist or as
composer. No violinist today fulfills
both meters SO perfectly as does this
unmatchable master.
The Paganini concerto has been for
many years a show piece for violin
lists and little else. It's technical DIM
culties set the stamp on the powers
OF an artist or student, but it had
not much more than its virtuoso fare
to interest the public. Kreisler has
taken 1t and made of it truly thrill
ing work, both as TO what he has done
with the violin part and for his or
chestration. No composer today has
quite the sense of the dramatic that
Kreisler has and this gift he has
brought to bear on the concerto, so
that it has lift to IL that cheers the
spirit.
He HAS used the principal melodic
theme time and again, first in the
violin part and many times In the
orchestra, yet its recurrence Is so
timely that 1t is never boresome. The
several virtuoso passages he has treat
ed so as to give great variety to them
and to bring into play the entire range
Of the violin. His playing OF it Is
superb, fiery and dazzling and richly
toned with the inimitable Kreisler
quality. He is ably matched by Mr..
Ormandy and the Philadelphia Or
chestra. In fact, one feels that here
Is an ideal combination of similarly
inspired artists who have allowed
themselves to be carried away by the
youthful vigor, the temperamental
swing and the high artistry of the
veteran of the violin.
Playing the Prokofef concerto is
also discovering a kindred spirit in
modern dress. For here, too, Is the
dramatic and the melodic feeling that
makes for great music. Heifetz Is re-
ported as saying that this concerto
OF the Soviet composer is one Of the
few great concertos written for the
violin and certainly it is not difacult to
agree with him after hearing his
Interpretation. The concerto was COM
posed little over two years ago and
performed for the first time by Robert
Soetens and the Madrid Symphony
Orchestra, under the direction of that
| great conductor, Enrique Arbos, on
December l, 1885. Jascha Heifetz in
troduced 1t to America in December,
1887, when he played 1t with the
Boston Symphony at Symphony Hall,
Boston. A few days later he recorded
it with the orchestra directed by
Serge Koussevitsky.
THE fact that Prokfieff is a mod.
ernist and Of the Soviet way of
thinking may lead people to believe
that his work must necessarily be
both ultra modern and propagandis,
in character But when you listen
to the second movement in particular
"A movement which, believe 1t ol
not, moved the Boston audience tc
tears-you cannot help but be con.
vinced that here Is a composer who
transcends all nationalism or era
dating and speaks the language uI
the musical great. 1t is superb music,
the kind which mingles a heart-stir-
ring warmth with rich musical
substance that no true lover Of music
can resist.
The composer, who is a top-rsnking
pianist by special profession, has writ
ten in many taxing passages. These
technical passages are the only ones
that bear the touch of modernism
and modernism that is original and
intriguing. But beside these pyro-
technic measures he has put bits OF
exquisite cantabile that are NOTHING
short Of the inspiration OF genius His
orchestral writing Is also magnificent
full and sonorous, although he leads
out with the violin predominating
The entire work is rich in strength
freshness and truth, and how often
can these attributes be connected with
the ultra -moderns?
IHEIFETZ'S playing of it has d re-
lease from all inhibition which
the artist seldom reaches. His tone L.
unusually lovely with a warmth and
vibrancy in those lovely catabile pas.
sages that Is unearthly in its beauty
The tricky technical moments are
child's play, of course, for Heifetz
but they, too. have a deeper source
than ordinarily directs his virtuosc
display. 1t Is glorious addition tc
the violin literature, combining tn,
best in modern dress with the beauti.
full old fundamentals which few car
bring themselves to renounce in the
name of musical progress And, oi
course. nothing could be finer thar
the work Of the Boston Symphony
guided by a man who has dons q
much to promote new composers, snc
who has never been wrong in hi,
estimate Of them.