Books › Musical Courier 1926-02-04: Vol 92 Iss 5, 1926 › scan 21
Scan 21
Musical Courier 1926-02-04: Vol 92 Iss 5, 1926
60 lines. Read by computer on 29 September 2026. Printed page 22. See the scan on archive.org.
1MUSICAL COURIER
3METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART CONCERTS SUCCESSFUL
5On January 30, David Mannes brought the fourth and last orchestral concert of the January series to a successful close with a program of unusual merit. He included the overture to Der Freischutz, Weber; first movement from the Symphony No. 5, in B flat major, Glazounow; Prelude in E major, and Andante in C major (for strings), Bach; two movements from the ballet music from Henry VIII, Saint-Saëns; excerpts from Wagner's Valkyrie, and Siegfried; Theme and variations from the quartet in A major, Beethoven; and one 1812, overture Tschaikowsky.
7Mr. Mannes conducted his excellent orchestra with authority and musicianship. During the past eight seasons he has done much towards developing a new crop of music lovers, which is apparent by the large and ever growing attendance at these concerts. The second series of concerts are scheduled for Saturday evenings, March 6, 13, 20 and 27, for which Mr. Mannes is already hard at work in the preparation of programs.
9DAVID MANNES CONDUCTING THE ORCHESTRA.
11One of the series of free orchestral concerts under the direction of David Mannes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These concerts are donated by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the Juilliard Foundation, and anonymous friends of the museum. This is the first picture ever taken in the museum during a concert. (Donald Townsend photos.)
13VIEW OF PART OF THE LARGE AUDIENCE.
15NEW YORK CONCERTS
17(Continued from page 20)
19tremendousness of the Allegro and the greatness of style of the whole there were the finely wrought passages, sensitivity of phrasings, subtlety and finesse of the Latin in the Funeral March, with the accentuations, rhythmic spacings and exactness of pace which disclosed the noble poignancy of the music's woe. The Roger-Ducasse number, in the character of an Elegy, is music woven around an Ancient Chronicle, flute and piccolo carrying throughout the air of the stately dance which is the thematical basis of the composition, accompanied in the distance with a lamenting wordless choir. It is of moody character and Mr. Toscanini lent his great imagination to weave it into a thing of color, and that peculiar asset of the conductor which makes for tonal beauty. The Paesaggi Toscani, an orchestral rhapsody on popular Tuscan themes which have been freely treated, has not much to commend it. The Maestro brought out all there is of interest in the composition, but folk tunes have to be embellished in a way that will not detract from their flavor, and this attempt left little of the Tuscan atmosphere. The Wagner was given a Toscanini reading. He fathomed the depths of this baffling music, drenching his hearers with the sorrow, loveliness and exaltation of the Liebestod and Verklarung. The orchestra reached its climax in this number with an effusion of sound of which there apparently seemed no end of resources.
21Irene Jacobi and Joseph Fuchs
23Irene Jacobi and Joseph Fuchs gave a recital of sonatas for violin and piano at the Steinway Salon on January 28. The program consisted of Sonata, No. 5, Handel; Sonata, No. 1, Bloch; Rondeau Brillant, Schubert. The performance was excellent throughout and was enjoyed by a good sized audience.
25JANUARY 29
27Geza de Kresz
29The first recital of the season by Geza de Kresz, violinist, took place at Aeolian Hall, January 29. He was assisted at the piano by his wife, Norah Drewett de Kresz, English pianist. The program opened with Goossen's Sonata, op. 21, in three movements. It is a thoroughly modern composition, with both piano and violin parts real solos in themselves and which the two artists had mastered in a finished manner. Mozart's Concerto in D major followed, and it was in this selection that Mr. de Kresz showed his splendid technic, a most notable and pleasurable feature, and likewise a lyrical, singing tone, capable of many colors and nuances, which his audience was quick to grasp and show appreciation for. In the prelude and fugue, themes by Bach, arranged for the violin only by Reger, again the beauty of tonal quality and a faultless technic won much sincere applause. The last numbers were Hungarian Dances, Brahms-Joachim, and Ravel's Tzigane.
31Mr. de Kresz is a member of the Hart House String Quartet, of Toronto, an organization which has received much attention for its splendid ensemble and the artistry of the individual musicians. Mr. and Mrs. de Kresz won for themselves at this recital the highest praise, and future concerts will be looked forward to by a discerning musical public.
33Ashley Pettis
35Ashley Pettis, true to his good American principles, gave several works by native composers on his program at Aeolian Hall on January 29. These compositions were: Improvisation and Fugue, by Albert Elkus (of San Francisco); Brook Over Pebbles, by Vincent Jones (a pupil of Carolyn Alchin and a teacher in the summer courses of New York University); Eicheim of Boston and the Orient, who contributed a Chinese sketch; a March Carillon, by Howard Hanson, of the Eastman School, Rochester, and MacDowell's Sonata Eroica, which perhaps represents the sort of American heroism and fidelity to nationalistic ideals that Pettis must have to fill up his program with these American works. MacDowell, at least, was a master, but these others—?
37Mr. Pettis also played Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Chopin and MacDowell—we put MacDowell in this list where he obviously belongs. Mr. Pettis made beautiful music of these great works. He has some indefinable thing about him that must be called charm for want of a better word. It augments his massive and facile technic and makes it worth while. It puts soul into the printed note, makes the works live anew, conveys to the audience the same thrill that was felt by the composers when they put those notes on paper. It would be absurd to call this thing masterly. It is not masterly at all. It is the unlearned part of this pianist's genius and is so marked that it places him on a par with the best. Americans should be proud of this American.
39Tillie Sper
41In the Wurlitzer Auditorium on January 29, Tillie Sper, artist-pupil of Edwin Hughes, gave a program before a large audience. Her program comprised the Weber sonata op. 29, the Schumann Papillons, Chopin Bolero, Debussy's Danseuses des Delphes and Voiles, Repper's The Dancer in the Patio, and Leschetizky's Tarantelle. Miss Sper, a young girl of about sixteen, is very gifted. She played the entire program from memory and proved to have a very fine musical understanding. This was particularly evidenced in her interpretation of the Debussy numbers—there was real atmosphere. Besides this, she has a good schooling, handles technical difficulties with ease, having finger fluency and dexterity coupled with imaginative feeling. Her work is very limpid and clean; she has assurance and a good tone. Worthy of particular notice was the excellent use of the pedal, with which she accomplished some original effects, yet without any blurring or overdoing. Miss Sper, who was sincerely enjoyed, was the recipient of many beautiful flowers and graciously added to her program.
43JANUARY 30
45Judith Litante
47One cannot recall a debut this season which had more interest than the first New York recital of Judith Litante, on January 30, at Town Hall. She began with Le Violette, Scarlatti, and the large audience present realized immediately that she was a singer possessing many splendid attributes. The voice is of a fine soprano quality and she uses it with great intelligence and artistry. Her diction is excellent and she has rare interpretive skill. She was quite the mistress of her difficult program. In the second group, however, Miss Litante's vocal efforts were most noticeable. Two Purcell songs were excellent, followed by two of Arthur Bliss' strange and weird compositions. His two Nursery Rhymes, The Ragwort and The Dandelion, were sung to the accompaniment of Mr. Tagliavaro, clarinetist. Highly amusing, both of these from the point of composition!
49For the third group he gave the first public performance of Alfredo Casella's Quattro Favole Romaneche di Tri- lusa, with the Italian composer at the piano. These are of the ultra modern school and difficult, and one feels at a first hearing that they will never prove to be popular either with audiences or singers. Yet one cannot imagine that they will ever be sung better than Miss Litante did them. Both artists were the recipients of much applause. The program ended with a German group. Conrad V. Bos, always a most reliable accompanist, added much to the general interest of the evening.
51Ignaz Friedman
53Ignaz Friedman was heard in his last New York recital of the present season on January 30, at Aeolian Hall. He began with the Brahms' Sonata in F minor. There is certainly no one before the public today who can play this classic with the variety of tone color and contrasting themes so perfectly pictured, as Mr. Friedman. One is unconscious of its length while marveling at this master of the piano. Following came a Chopin group. Here again he excels, always individual in his coloring, and on Saturday he played with rare skill. Of course, after these, the audience demanded encores which the artist granted willingly, playing additional Chopin numbers. The last group began with Debussy's Soirée en Grenade. Mennett by Suk, and closed with his own arrangement of Frühlingsstimmen, all meeting with instant approval from the large audience. With the final chord the audience rushed to the footlights, and many more encores were given. Friedman is indeed a master who knows his piano thoroughly.
55JANUARY 31
57Evlyn Howard-Jones
59From his very first number, Beethoven's rondo in G, Evlyn Howard-Jones, the English pianist, at his second New York recital, in Town Hall, January 31, again proved himself a master of the keyboard. He revealed taste and
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