Books › Musical Courier 1928-12-13: Vol 97 Iss 24, 1928 › scan 27
Scan 27
Musical Courier 1928-12-13: Vol 97 Iss 24, 1928
106 lines. Read by computer on 29 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 28. See the scan on archive.org.
1New York Concerts
2(Continued from page 27)
3first and greatest of these, Berlioz, whose fame today rests on his mastery of orchestral effects and not as a melo- dist. Meyerbeer, with his grandiose ideas, put the "grand" in grand opera, said Miss Silberta. Halevy, Gounod, Bizet, and so forth, took the things that other composers had done and burned away a lot of the dross and created for us the French school that we have today, which is neither vulgar nor ostentatious. The Frenchman, concluded Miss Silberta, no matter what emotions he may wish to portray always does so with a certain amount of suaveness and charm.
4The speaker was assisted at this recital by John Carroll and Vivienne de Veau in songs and operatic arias, and both artists, judging by the spontaneity of the applause, gave great pleasure to the audience. Miss Silberta displayed fine musicianship in the accompaniments she played for the two vocalists.
6December 6
7Old Masters Trio
8Under the title Old Masters Trio, Ella Backus-Behr, pianist; Hans Lange, violinist; and Leo Schulz, cellist, gave the first of their chamber music concerts this season at Steinway Hall on Thursday evening. Schubert's E flat trio, Mozart's work in similar form in G major, Beethoven's A major sonata for cello and piano and Bach's Chaconne for unaccompanied violin gave much pleasure to a discriminating audience. As at their former appearances this combination of excellent artists played with fine ensemble and beautiful tone.
10Philharmonic-Symphony
11A great performance of a great work was Vladimir Horowitz's playing of Brahms' B flat piano concerto at the Philharmonic concert at Carnegie Hall on Thursday afternoon.
13GEORGE S. MADDEN
14ULTRAIST IN TONE PLACING
15Singing Scientifically and Mentally Taught
161425 Broadway, New York Tel. Pennsylvania 2634
18ANITA FONTAINE
19ACCOMPANIST—COACH
20817 Steinway Hall, New York Tel. Sedgwick 5372
22M VON STEUBEN
23SOPRANO
24Leading Soprano—Philharmonic Band of Newark
25Mgt. ARTHUR CULBERTSON, 33 West 42nd Street, New York
27WINIFRED PLETTS
28COLORATURA SOPRANO
29Mgt.: Annie Friedberg, Fisk Bldg., New York
31LUCREZIA
32Direction
33Maud Winthrop Gibbon
34129 West 48th Street
35New York City
36Phone Bryant 8400
37Baldwin Piano Victor Records
39POMPILIO MALATESTA
40BARITONE METROPOLITAN OPERA COMPANY
41Accepts a limited number of pupils in
42VOICE
43OPERA—CONCERT—COACHING—REPertoire
44Studio: 215 West 88th Street, New York City. Tel.: Schuyler 6390
46EDWIN ORLANDO SWAIN
47BARITONE
48Mgt.: ANNIE FRIEDBERG
49Fisk Building, New York
51GIUSEPPE BAMBOSCHEK
52Operatic Coach
53CONDUCTOR METROPOLITAN OPERA COMPANY
54Personal Address
55Hotel Mayflower, Central Park W. at 61st St., N. Y.
56Columbus 0060
58MARIE STONE LANGSTON
59Mezzo-Contralto
60Address
613605 Hamilton Street
62Philadelphia, Pa.
64That the brilliant young Russian belongs to the outstanding keyboard virtuosi of the day his previous appearances have proved beyond a doubt, but even his most ardent admirers must have been surprised at the sure musicianship, the breadth, the compelling rhythm and the grandiose spirit which this master of some two dozen years brought to bear on Brahms' monumental work. On a par with atmosphere of bigness which much of the concerto demands was the delightful treatment of the lyric episodes, than which the profound Johannes has written no finer. The lovely singing tone and the sensitive, yielding rhythmic liberties, never artistic in the slightest degree, lent the warm, rich melodic line an almost Chopinesque character—and yet it was real Brahms for all that. The sparkling finale was simply irresistible in its jollity and scintillating brilliancy, calling forth salvos of applause from an enraptured audience.
65Preceding the concerto Mr. Mengelberg presented a Hebrew Suite (first time) by Nicolai Berezowski, the twenty-eight year old leader of the second violin section of the orchestra. The suite consists of five movements, each bearing a descriptive title, and as its name implies, the material used consists of selected Hebrew themes. A pupil of Rubin Goldmark, the young composer does credit to his able teacher in his instrumentation. His work abounds with effective and colorful moments and his harmonization is interesting and apt. A little monotony results from the unvarying oriental flavor of the music with its constantly recurring augmented intervals. Of ultra modern cacophony there is a grateful absence; the numbers are distinctly pleasing, producing the desire for a re-hearing of the composition.
66An excellent performance of Beethoven's seventh symphony concluded a really enjoyable program.
68Sylvia Lent and Lasalle Spier
69At Town Hall the charming Sylvia Lent, violinist and Lasalle Spier, pianist, gave a recital of two sonatas, by Mr. Spier and Ernest Bloch, with the Chant du Roxanne, arranged by Koschanski, as a separating number.
70Mr. Spier's work, which opened the recital, is in four movements designated as: fast and passionately, ardently, jolly, gayly. It proved to be a work of light character, brimming over with a certain sense of humor not often found in compositions of this type; for this very reason, plus the fact that the composer was obviously trying out combinations of new and old tonalities it held the attention. He developed them with a sensitiveness and interesting understanding which fitted the playing of Miss Lent, as she is an artist of delicacy and finesse.
71However, one must not get the impression that she is not capable of more dramatic work; she is, and she displayed this fact in the Bloch work which is vibrant with a tragic undercurrent. The work is difficult, technically; it involves a sound understanding of modern musical values and taxes the performers from many standpoints but especially in that of tone accuracy. To play this work as Miss Lent and Mr. Spier did, on this occasion, means to be possessed of excellent musicianship. Le Chant du Roxanne is an ingratiating number and was most appropriately placed between the sonatas.
72Miss Lent always remains the same elusive creature, which quality many envy; there is a spirituality about her that radiates an idealism seldom encountered in these days of materialism.
74December 7
75Philharmonic-Symphony
76Repetition of the Thursday afternoon concert of the Philharmonic-Symphony concert, on Friday evening, December 7, brought nothing new, impressing one with the fact that the high point of interest lay in the splendid performance of the Brahms piano concerto in B flat by Vladimir Horowitz; he sank any virtuoso tendencies in the blending of his instrument with the orchestra, so demonstrating true musicianship. Also, one who followed the orchestral score of Beethoven's seventh symphony found certain effective details not marked in the score, but brought out by conductor Mengelberg. Carnegie Hall was crowded to the last seat.
78Biltmore Musicale
79Lucrezia Bori, soprano; Joseph Macpherson, bass baritone, of the Metropolitan Opera Company, and Raoul Vidas, violinist, were the soloists at the last Biltmore Musicale, December 7, giving an especially interesting program. Mr. Macpherson, in his opening number, Infelice, e tuo credevi, (Ernani), disclosed a rich, full voice, sincere musicianship, and artistic tone; his encore was the lovely, serene Italian song, Per la gloria d'adoravi (Buononcini). In his second group the serious beauty of Mary Helen Brown's Night, the tender pleading in Would God I Were the Tender Apple Blossom (Bibb), and the roving adventurous spirit in Densmor Roadways, were well contrasted. one of two readings
80Lucrezia Bori, soprano; Joseph Macpherson, bass baritone, of the Metropolitan Opera Company, and Raoul Vidas, violinist, were the soloists at the last Biltmore Musicale, December 7, giving an especially interesting program. Mr. Macpherson, in his opening number, Infelice, e tuo credevi, (Ernani), disclosed a rich, full voice, sincere musicianship, and artistic tone; his encore was the lovely, serene Italian song, Per la gloria d'adoravi (Buononcini). In his second group the serious beauty of Mary Helen Brown's Night, the tender pleading in Would God I Were the Tender Apple Blossom (Bibb), and the roving adventurous spirit in Densmore Roadways, were well contrasted. one of two readings
81The first tones of the Bach Prelude in D expressed the fine schooling of Mr. Vidas, with the clear tone, splendid rhythm, and fine double-stopping which only a great artist can achieve. A human voice could not have given to the lovely romance, built upon Pergolesi's Nina, a more ravishing tone, or expressed more poignantly the depth of longing and love. Villageoise, a charming encore number, was a village dance arranged by Vidas from a folk-song (Dimistroseco).
82Miss Bori, in a stunning white georgette gown, gold embroidered, with effective close-fitting black hat, sang a group of French songs; the first, Oh, quand je dors, contained appealing tones of great beauty; her lovely high C in the second Liszt song was beautiful. Chanson de Marie Antoinette was naively sung, and held the quaint charm which Miss Bori's great artistry can give. Les Filles des Cadix (Delibes) had dash, swing, and fleeting colorful atmosphere, her encores were Clavelitos (Valverde) and Jota (DeFalla).
83The pure beauty of the singer's voice was best expressed in the Mignon aria, Connais tu, in which she combined a beautiful legato with a glowing, sympathetic tone, and the appreciative audience insisted on several encores.
84Frederick Bristol was accompanist for Miss Bori, Rudolph Gruen was accompanist for Mr. Macpherson and Mr. Vidas.
86Olinda von Kap-Herr
87Olinda von Kap-Herr, a young violinist from Munich, gave a recital at Town Hall on the afternoon of December 7 and proved herself to be an artist of decided personality and charm. She played the Kreutzer Sonata brilliantly and no less so pieces by Pugnani-Kreisler, Brahms, Sarasate and others. The accompaniments were sympathetically played by Kurt Ruhrseitz.
89December 8
90The English Singers
91A festive spirit hovered over Town Hall on Saturday afternoon, December 8, when the English Singers gave their second concert consisting mostly of Christmas Carols. Cuthbert Kelley gave a brief description of the origin of the numbers, which added much to the general enjoyment. This little group of singers is unique, as they have long established, and they sang as charmingly as always. The packed house waxed enthusiastic and the afternoon was a complete success.
92The Boar's Head, This Glad Day (Byrd), I Sing of a Maiden (Shaw), Hodie Christus natus est (Sweetlinck), Down in Yon Forest (arranged by Vaughan Williams) and other numbers comprised the program.
94Philharmonic-Symphony Society's Children's Concert
95Walter Damrosch initiated a big, wideawake, thoroughly interested crowd of children into some of the mysteries of the construction and orchestral functions of the horn, bassoon and trombone at the regular Saturday morning children's concert at Carnegie Hall. A leader from each group was called upon by Mr. Damrosch to step forward from the orchestral ranks, display the particular instrument under consideration and to play certain fundamental tones and tone groups, for the benefit of the children. Mr. Damrosch also explained something of the construction of each instrument. Numbers played by the orchestra were Weber's overture to Der Freischutz and excerpts from a Tchaikowsky anta- duce, in which the horn was illustrated; Bizet's The Dra- goons of Alcala from Carmen, illustrating the bassoon, and Verdi's March from Aida, illustrating the trombone.
97Ida Deck
98Ida Deck gave a recital at Town Hall on the evening of December 8 and proved herself as she had in previous New York recitals to be a pianist of skill and taste, possessed not only of sentiment but of considerable vigor and vivacity. She played a program of classic and modern works, some of them being unusual in New York piano recitals, and was enthusiastically applauded by a good-sized audience.
100December 9
101Austin Conradi
102A thoroughly musicianly and enjoyable piano recital was given by Austin Conradi at the Guild Theater on Sunday afternoon. From the beginning of the program the audience was alert and responsive to the offerings of the pianist. Mr. Conradi opened his recital with short numbers so as to allow the usual latecomers to be seated and not remain standing throughout a good part of the program. His first offerings were the Bach-Busoni Chromatic, the Brahms Intermezzo, Mendelssohn's Scherzo, and Chopin's Berceuse, all played with clear technic and fine artistry. But the prin- cipal selection of the afternoon was George Boyle's sonata in B major, which was given a splendid rendition under Mr. Conradi's skilful fingers. He played with dignity and yet with real feeling and understanding of the work. This sonata was written by Mr. Boyle in 1916 when he was connected with the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Balti- more, of which Mr. Conradi is also a member of the faculty.
104New York Matinee Musicale
105American composers were featured by the New York Matinee Musicale (Rosalie Heller Kline, president), at the first concert of the season at the Hotel Ambassador. The well balanced program was in three parts, opening with a performance of Harold Morris' concerto in G minor, in which the composer appeared as soloist, the orchestral part being played on a second piano by Walter Chapman. This concerto, which was brilliantly played, has character, and
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