Evening star., 1938-03-13
Beauty and Freshness
In Symphony Program
Director Kinder Comments
On Music Chosen for Next
Wednesdays Concert.

a short suite by Corelli which think
also will be little or not at all known
to the public Of Washington.
1t Is curious how these works. which
even on the face Of them are i'm
effective, seem to have been
neglected. At least / have
not heard Of performances of either
of these works, nor of the previously
played Manfredini Symphony, nor OF
the Locatelli which we played last
year. or even the wonderful Mozart
one in A major, one of several others
Of the same interesting and evidently
satisfying quality, that is If We are
to judge by the reception accorded
them by our Constitution Hall au-
diences. I am certain that the same
will be the case with this particular
suite Of Corelli which consists Of a
superb Sarabande, a lovely Gigue and
a mastery and witty Badinerie.
WE WILL also have 'frst per-
formance in Washington Of
work by the young English composer.
William Walton, a member Of the set
of young artists. including Aldous
Huxley. the Sitwells and others In
fact. Facade was inspired by some
of Edith Sitwelrs poems. They are
too long to quote here. They are often
taken TO be cynical skits, supposedly
written with the tongue in the cheek.
Although some Of these poems are un-
doubtedly concerned mainly with the
sound Of words rather than with their
meaning" nothing can be further
from the truth. After all, Shakespeare
did the same thing with his willow,
Willow poem. These poems have a
definite artistic intention, and at the
initial performance the music was
used to relieve with its gayetv the
rather acid seriousness Of some OF
them, which were recited through a
megaphone The suite by Walton
consists Of Polka, Valse, Swiss Yodel-
ling Song, Tango (also called Paso-
doble) and a Sevillian Tarantella.
Although this latter title may seem
contradiction in itself, I think tha
the rhythm is proverbial tarantell
rhythm in typical six-eight, but tn
color and the mood is influenced b:
Spanish music. 1t is an exceptional
jolly work of one of the youngest an
most highly talented composers
the day.
Symphony No. in c Minor" Brshm
1T is curious to realize that Brahms
First Symphony" now universally
ecosnized as one of the greatest
works in the literature, was received
at first with 81 spicion, with antaeon-
ism, and even omplete condemnation
by the "connoisseurs." This could be
more easily understood if it had car
ried in it the germs of new and revo-
lutionary ideas, If its orchestration or
its harmonic structure were such as
to shock the conservative or the bour-
geois, if it had introduced a new art
form, If, in short, it had violently
broken with the past. These new ways
are naturally objected to by the pro-
fessors
But it was and had been Brahms
pride and conviction to continue in
the classic mode, to try and aim to he
worthy Of Schumann's praise. VIZ.
to follow in the great traditions of
Beethoven, and in doing so he became
(this not consciously the great pawn
in the classic camp, the antagonist OF
the new Wagner-Liszt faction. and the.
man who was held up by the classicists
as the savior OF pure" music.
However, in the early S0s an emf
nent Boston critic wrote: 1T will
never be loved like the dear master
works Of genius" And today 1t is
loved just exactly that way! In fact,
so much 80 that elucidation Is no
longer necessary.
GUFFICE it to say that the introduc-
ton is of glorious. intense, pas
sionately throbbing rhythm, real
portal, an arch of magnificent span
and grandeur. through which We enter
into the main part, which with its
full-blooded organism defies compari-
son with nearly all other works OF its
kind unless it be Beethovens Fifth:
that the second movement is Of psalm
like poignancy with lovely second
theme in the oboe, with an occasional
outburst of passion in the strings, and
a soaring, starlike violin solo toward
the end. The third movement, takin
the place of the scherzo, Is gentle,
whimsical grace itself.
But it is in the introduction to tn
finale that Brahms shows himself j
quite unearthly grandeur. 1t is hel
that he becomes of the stature Of tn
great bards of the world, giving us on
of the deepest and most sublime utter
anceS human ears ever have hear
This music will remain as long as h
manity remains. 1t is like unto natui
itself, 1t is cOsmic in its intensity sn
in its scope. The horn and flute solC
after the superb turmoil of the sta
are like the suns rays breaking throue
the clouds, the ensuing chorale (whic
after the entire grandiose dSVelopmer
of the last movement, comes back
the beginning of the coda). tn
warmth of the main melody OF tniS
last movement, they are all so many
strokes of genius for which Brahms
had carefully prepared himself (He did
not write this, his first symphony, until
the age of As as his opus 68J And
eventually it came into its rightful own
and swept the musical world. No won-
der every conductor wants to test his
mettle with this spiritual masterpiece,
the Hamlet of music! In the full
sense Of the word, it Is one Of the
"eternals"
This concert is in Constitution Hall,
Wednesday at $50 pm.