Scan 7
Musical Courier 1926-05-20: Vol 92 Iss 20, 1926
53 lines. Read by computer on 29 September 2026. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1PHILADELPHIA, PA.
3[Editor's Note: The Musical Courier is informed that a certain person is wrongfully claiming to be its representative in Philadelphia. Margaret MacDowell Coddington is the sole authorized representative of this paper in that city.]
5PHILADELPHIA, PA.—The closing concerts of the Philadelphia Orchestra season were given on April 30 and May 1, featuring the annual request program. The numbers chosen by the votes of the subscribers were: Wagner's overture to Die Meistersinger; Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture; the Cesar Franck D minor symphony, and Stokowski's orchestration of the Bach Passacaglia. Each one was beautifully played, while an added effect was gained in the 1812 overture by the addition of several extra trombones and trumpets. In the last part of the composition Dr. Stokowski had the players of these instruments stand, thereby producing an astonishing volume of sound. The Passacaglia again shone forth as a gem from a master's hand. Outstanding events of the concerts were the special presentations made to Dr. Thaddeus Rich, concertmaster and assistant conductor, as he is to leave the orchestra after twenty years affiliation with it. Dr. Stokowski relinquished the baton to Dr. Rich for the conducting of the symphony (which he did extremely well), thereby unloosing a storm of applause. At the close of the symphony on Friday afternoon, Frances A. Wister, president of the Women's Committee of the orchestra, presented him with a silver coffee set and tray, from the committee, the Germantown and Chestnut Hill Women's Committee, the West Philadelphia Women's Committee and the Delaware County Women's Committee. Miss Wister spoke of Dr. Rich's faithfulness and great service to the orchestra and voiced the admiration of his fine musical talents. Dr. Rich said, in reply, that he was retiring for purely selfish reasons, that the plans he had made for himself made it necessary, that he was leaving with regret and that his relations had been most pleasant. On Saturday evening, following the intermission, William Jay Turner, representing the directors (in Mr. Van Rensselaer's absence on account of illness), expressed their regret at Dr. Rich's retirement from the orchestra and presented him with an order for a Steinway piano. Dr. Stokowski also spoke briefly, saying he had argued by the hour with Dr. Rich, trying to persuade him to stay, but all to no avail; that he considered his going an inestimable loss to himself and the orchestra. Dr. Rich again conducted the symphony, and again received a great ovation. Dr. Stokowski conducted the Passacaglia, thereby closing another eminently successful season.
7The closing concert of the season of the Philharmonic Society of Philadelphia was given on May 2 in the Academy of Music with Leopold Stokowski conducting. The entire Philadelphia Orchestra was used and gave a superlatively fine performance. The special feature of the program was the first public performance of Ernest Hutcheson's concerto for two pianos and orchestra. Although the soloists were to have been Guy Maier and Lee Pattison, the latter being ill, Mr. Hutcheson was secured to play the part with Mr. Maier. The concerto is in one movement and distinctly pleasing. It takes into consideration the many possibilities of the use of two pianos with orchestra, and the interweaving of the themes is beautifully done. Of course the two soloists did very fine playing. The purely orchestral works were Dvorak's New World Symphony in the reading of which Dr. Stokowski even seemed to surpass his former excellent interpretations; Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun, in which William Kincaid, Marcel Tabuteau and Anton and Joseph Horner did notable work on the flute, oboe and French horns, respectively; and Stravinsky's Fire Bird Suite which pleasantly closed a brilliant program and season.
9Frances McCollin's compositions are being used extensively. Recently A Roundelay was sung by the Mendelssohn Club at its concert in the Academy of Music, April 29, N. Lindsay Norden, conducting. Her Cherubs at Play appears in the April number of the American Organ Quarterly.
11A program of outstanding musical worth was given for the New Century Club on May 5 by Mary Miller Mount, well-known pianist and accompanist; Jeno de Donath, Hungarian violinist, and Winifred Clark, contralto. The opening number was the beautiful Grieg sonata in F major for piano and violin, played by Mrs. Mount and Dr. Donath. The splendid interpretation given by these two fine artists met with marked enthusiasm from the audience. Following this, Miss Clark sang numbers by Reichardt, Bohm and Saint-Saëns in a charming manner, displaying a voice of rich timbre. Her later group contained four appealing compositions, Hindoo Chant by Bemberg, O Lovely Night by Landon Ronald, Danny Boy by Weatherly, and Summer Night by Thomas; In addition, she gave a pleasing encore. Dr. Donath's soli included the Bach air on the G string, Kreisler's arrangement of a Bach Gavotte, Menuetto by Mozart, the Chanson Triste and Caprice by Veesey (the latter played for the first time in Philadelphia), Dr. Donath's own arrangement of The Sailor's Last Voyage by Alhacs (played for the first time anywhere), and Hejre Kati, by Hubay, in addition to encores. Dr. Donath's playing is an inspiration, emanating as it does from a master mind and wonderful musician. His tone is pure and true, and his technic entirely satisfactory, while the interpretation carries a definite message to each one in the audience. As a pianist and accompanist, Mrs. Mount is so well known as to need no comment, but the firm beauty of her tone, perfect accompaniments and understanding interpretations are a new pleasure at each hearing. The audience though not large was extremely enthusiastic, thereby displaying its good judgment. M. M. C.
13Elisabeth Rethberg's Spring Tour
14The spring concert tour of Elisabeth Rethberg has just closed. Her appeal proved universal and everywhere she made an equally strong impression upon critics and public. An autumn tour, preceding a series of notable appearances at the Metropolitan Opera House, took her from Denver to San Francisco and along the Pacific Coast. There, too, her successes were outstanding.
16To the warm-hearted west, Mme. Rethberg was no stranger; she knew Chicago, from a season in opera at Ravinia Park there, and she had made her summer home in the Rockies above Denver. This latest singing journey brought her into close touch with the South—Richmond, Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, Palm Beach. There the charm and enthusiasm of the people appear to have made her regard it as a land of eternal spring.
18At Charleston, The News and Courier, in its review of her concert, stated that "she triumphed deservedly and inevitably," while the audience which at that concert had been aroused to such enthusiasm, attended in great numbers a reception given the singer later. During its progress high appreciation was voiced in a speech. Cosmopolitan Palm Beach heard Mme. Rethberg next; an audience of the Old South had been followed by one in which Europe and America mingled. But results were identical. The News next morning described her voice as of "a range of vocal beauty that entranced her listeners."
20At Savannah, the Girl Scouts came to her dressing room after the concert to give her three hearty cheers; in New Orleans, The Picayune said in its criticism: "The Loreley singing with fatal seductiveness by the Rhine waters must have been such in voice as Elisabeth Rethberg." At Richmond, The News Leader said of her concert: "No singer who has appeared in Richmond during the present decade has approached the sublime heights upon which this young singer stands secure in attainment achieved by the few in any century of song."
22Already Mme. Rethberg had sung twice in Washington, D. C., earlier in the season, her second appearance being in a musicale at the German Embassy with the Ambassador and Baroness von Maltzen as her host and hostess and the diplomatic corps among the guests. Consequently, she returned there for this latest concert to sing to a wide circle of adherents.
24Many concerts followed, too many to enumerate. At Cincinnati, where she had already appeared with orchestra this season, The Post said of her return concert: "Superlatives alone are adequate to express the impression she made." The Chicago Tribune declared: "She rejoices in one of the loveliest voices of this generation." In the same strain, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre, Indianapolis, Kansas City acclaimed her and are linked with the many other cities which have paid homage to her art.
26Elisabeth Rethberg, with her lovely voice, wears this attribute as crown—versatility. She has learned and sung upward of eighty roles in opera, and with big success; she has a repertory of 1,000 songs. The moods of those songs become as so many pictures to be painted by her in glowing colors with the splendid technic of interpretation which she has made her own from complete experience.
28New Program System for Goldman Band Concerts
29During past seasons of the Goldman Band Concerts, under the direction of Edwin Franko Goldman, it has been the custom to arrange a different program for each concert, and during the entire season but few compositions were repeated. The interest in these concerts has grown to such an extent, and the educational value has become such an important factor, that it has been found advisable to inaugurate a new system of program making. In the event of rain the concert is generally abandoned and the program for that particular evening entirely lost. It sometimes happens also that the latter part of the program must be abandoned because of rain. Certain evenings are devoted to Wagner, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and others, and a great amount of time is given to the rehearsing of these programs. Should it rain on one of these evenings the program is lost for the season and hundreds of requests pour in asking that the program be rendered at a later date.
31Mr. Goldman has given careful study to this matter and for the coming season has adopted the following system. No programs will be repeated in their entirety, inasmuch as the schedules are arranged far in advance of the season. During each week, however, the larger and more important compositions will be performed on two different evenings. This system will have a good effect in numerous ways. First of all, it will give an opportunity to those who want to become more familiar with certain works an added opportunity of hearing them and will also give to those who are forced to miss the first performance a chance to hear it later. In the past it has also been a very difficult matter to rehearse five entirely different programs each week. Under the new plan considerably more time can be devoted to the rehearsals.
33That the gift of the members of the Guggenheim family is being appreciated more than ever is attested by the fact that thousands of people have already written for the advance program schedules for the coming summer. These program schedules for the fifty concerts will interest all music lovers. They are now ready for distribution and may be had free of charge by sending written request to the Goldman Band Concerts, 202 Riverside Drive, New York City, and enclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope for reply.
35Festivals of Music of the Past
36The inauguration of the art center which Wanda Landowska is establishing at her home in St. Leu-la-Forêt, near Paris, will take place this coming summer. The undertaking will be devoted to the cultivation of the Music of the Past, and specifically, to the performance under the most favorable conditions of rare unpublished works from Mme. Landowska's extraordinarily rich and voluminous library—works of too delicate and subtle a character to appeal to the mass of the public.
38Many of the foremost contemporary musicians, writers and other artists whom Mme. Landowska numbers among her friends will foregather at St. Leu for these festivals, whose signal feature lies in the fact that the executants will be exclusively instrumentalists and singers who are carrying on studies in style and interpretation under Mme. Landowska. These works will thus be performed with complete deference to the true traditions of the great masters of the past.
40ELISABETH RETHEBERG.
42EARLE SPICER
43BARITONE EXTRAORDINARY
44Will Sing Songs Next Season of International Interest.
45He Won His Réclame in Europe First, Only to Be Endorsed by the Press of This Country as Well.
47NEW YORK (Sun)—"Aroused his hearers to enthusiasm."
48LONDON ENGLAND (Daily Express)—"One of the most artistic vocalists we have heard for some time."
49PARIS (Tribune)—"Has many endowments that should endear him to people who like to listen to really good singing."
50MONTREAL (Gazette)—"Baritone of unusual range and melodious force."
52BOGUE-LABERGE CONCERT MGT., INC., 130 West 42 St., New York
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.