Evening star., 1940-11-07

formance of a work by an Ameri-
can composer and the local pre-
miere, as far as can be ascertained,
of neglected symphony by
Tschaikowsky rounded out the
novelty angle of the performance.
Rachmaninoff has a quality pos
sessed by few artists-he holds his
admirers to an unabated enthus-
iasm. And if there . be some of
luke-warm inclination they will find
themselves soon joining with the
others and perhaps becoming the
most ardent converts. Last eve
ming he was presented in the dual
role of pianist and composer, as
soloist in his second concerto. AS
alluring as always proves to be the
opportunity to hear the composers
own interpretive idea of his work,
it is especially so when the artist
and composer is Rachmaninoff.
He brings a certain aloofnesS to
his playing, a sort of transference
to another plane that no other
pianist achieves He is impersonal
in any exhibitionist way yet per-
sonal in the human element which
he infuses into his interpretation.
The music as he gives it out be-
longs neither to him nor to the
listener, it is something that hangs
between them for the contemplation
of both.
The Concerto No. 2" came forth
directly from the composers SUBJ
conscious mind if ever a work of
music did. 1t was drawn from un-
der an almost inpenetrable layer
of lethargy, so the story goes, by
the influence of a physician who
understood mental suggestion. His
repeated assurance that the COM
poser would work with great facil-
ity" and that the concerto will be
of an excellent quality was fulfilled.
One of the most beautiful numbers
for the piano, it combines brilliancy,
poetry and dramatic effect, all
woven together with the unmistak-
able flush of inspiration.
The tone color which Rach-
maninoff creates is of special purity.
1t takes on an ethereal tinge in
lyric expression. is bell-like in rip
pling passages and richly sonorous
without hardness in bravura effect.
This play of color was present in
his performance last evening. al
though the poetic element predom-
mated in his Interpretation. The
composer was in a genial mood as
he acknowledged the warm greet
ing given him on his entrance and
must have taken pleasure in dis
playing the beauty of his work,
rather than its power and bril-
liancy, of which there is a great
deal The ovation accorded him at
the finish spoke of the reaction of
his listeners. The great pianist
made DR.. Kinder share the honors
with him. DR.. Kindler's directing
of the orchestral accompaniment
was unusually fine.
DR.. Kinder has striven TO ac-
quaint his public with every variety
of symphonic literature and his res
direction of the Tschaikowsky
Third Symphony" was part of his
plan. There is much Tschaikowsky,
the Russian, and Tschaikowsky, the
musician, in this symphony, but lit
tie of Tschaikowsky. the man. Con-
trary to his later custom, as found
in his more popular symphonies,
this is a mental and not an emo
tional work. One feels that it was
constructed. not set down in glow
of feeling. There are bits where the
composer sought. with no pro-
nounced success. for the right ex-
preston, and, again, where memory
served him choice morsels to weave
in a new guise Some came from
the music of his people, and here
he is at his best in the sharp
rhythm and the melody and the
sincerity of his handling Of them.
On the whole, the reasons for its
disuse are apparent, and even the
orchestra's fine playing of it could
not make it otherwise.
Nor could one feel any great
amount of excitement about William
Howard Schuman's American Fes-
tival Overture" which was the new
work serving to open the program.
1t shows craftsmanship and ingenu-
ity, but is angular in its thematic
material with little suavity of idea.
Indeed, it is noisy and rough, and,
in its fugue, labored in its devel-
opmert.
Quite the loveliest number of the
program, excepting the second
movement of Rachmaninoffs con-
certo, was DR.. Kindler's transcript
ton of Corelli's "Sarabanda, Giga
Badinerie" It's contrasting moods
are beautifully balanced and ele-
CANT in their simplicity. DR.. Kind
lers arrangement is real contri-
button to the orchestral repertoire.