MUSIC

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2120, 11 April 1914, Page 2

MUSIC

TUX tutptM Cat .l : A Mo£|o*l MasSJah, ■ the most estr.iardiiift.tj* apfjitfitiona in contemporaneous musical Ufo is Erich Korngald/tho youthful eomposor of Vienna, Korngold's "Sy.wphoniettn" was porfornved by Jiikjscii at the eighth Fkiljiarmoiiie concert, and {says the Berlin correspondent of the Now York "Masieijl .Courier,- , .) j.tta sue* ,coss was of such a acnsalioMl character as is rarcSy witnesifyit at ifcso concerts,- •■ Korngold composed this worSj. at the age of fifteen, It is ■diffi.eMt to concoivti in vrfcafc, 'direction the boy emild' "jrnprovo so far as''technical Siagtery is . concerned. , . Iα structure,- 'in form, aM above nil. iti his haiidjiiig of tho Orchestra Korngold \n tft-day, .in .spite of his groat youth, fully tho equal of some of the beet eotitanperw wwii* posoTs. Hk poivere arc qnctmny. In rhythfmc effects and suiriptuous ooteiir■iftg, as well as in his nianiiof of w.Qfkins out his thernos, tho bey iV greatly inuuenosd by Strauss. There are'alii} aecas.kihal Puccini roniimsceitfses-.'. liottv <svGr, there is so much that is striking and pr;ginal and amazing in the scoto of his "Synjphrroietta" that oho is utterly.at a lesstor wards t© express one's. admiration. Kortegold's work niiglrfc .properly be called a. symphony, for it lasts nearly fin lteur: and each of tho four movements assumes proportions that would justify the namft of symphony. The attention of the listener -is chained at the very start with tho. flji.ening motive i?i as* ■cending , fourths,.. Korngold cttlls-. thin theme'"Jlotif des.frolvKcljsft Herzens" Xmotive.of tho cheerful' heart), The first movement is rich in. iixernaiicfija-. tcfial; miieh of it very beautiful, and all through this movement on& is aiiia/.od at tho polyphony, tho sVcn'ith, of ; the harmo/mc! , stractuire, "■ and .tfe' 'beauti-Wl : . and brilliant orclrestTatfon... It H a mpveaeiit fujl. of couirast, colou.r .and life. The versatility of iho young com* poser is' manifested by the great .contrast bcUyeert this ffiovenient, ■ the scherzo ani.the aiieJarite, Tliere are somo marvellous contrapuntal effects in Wio BclioKft, a jhoTethent that .flow and then has $. suggostiori of Bruckner. The andante opens with a lovely, 'b.feau'fif.yl,, dreamy theme for tlie English liprii, Ife soft, jnouniful, comjtlitinjpg chafijeter is qufte compelling, It is in Uu> an>. dnnte- chiefly thit the. jnfhjenßfs of the is evinced,- The .finale, an allegro.Riocosfti"ore.SentS ordinary conip.Msations l theraatically, pdypbonieally, harmonically end above all rh,vtliniically. TJiq.,tempo ehaiwcg every feo.or threo bais-4f4 f 3/4, 7/4 a-nd i>6 ' ferth. This : . moyeraent itiakes tre'm*»dous demands tipdji tho : skill and attention of thc ; eonductof and the men in the oMestfa. Nevertheless, there is sojaefchiiig- -irondlrfully ■ oleßtrifyiug this Indeed, .th?- .trtiolo epmp6sitio.n i$ the wgrk of ft .:Cteative..Benius of a most es-'. tfasirdmary oiiai'acter. " It Eofiigold succeeds to emancipating himself ffom .the influenca , of Strauss and Piieemij he may became the musical njessiah for -whisk our epach is Miiging. \Yith all of his wofiderful powersj it must ftevertkei-ess-ije confessed thafe the': boy tojs not yet reireafcd. great origin-. ality -Qf tiicmatio The next two -or tll?'ee.yeai:s- will tell the stetry of his permaiiont infltteuco upon the inline* aiato mitsieal fuiure, . ... A Charpentlef Failure. ■ ■ GrUstoyoGharpoatior,. wjio eaffted.'a ttcmpOser'' o{ Louise , ' has "■■produced q, &i|uro-iii •Julieji," which i$ as 9 "lyric liofini," If was. pracluceol iti jfcvv , . JMi ' oft , '^e :J .'lvitKuoar'i4.BO aiicti-CSef- , 'iJPWJbSffteg- .wles, - snjifeceivied b'msi- from tho critics... S.ays tho "SJasieal ■Courier" ;^" "It is diffipuli? •te.-gpeak with .patience , ■ of such a. hodgepodge of stupidity, tri.te : -, : ness, aitd' ■musical , impotenco as js re.rcakd in.'Jwii.fen.j' .'by "Gustave Oharpontier, a. 'wpr'k lie- lacks the. hatdihood ■ to de.s'ignate'as,opera', bat- instead,calls a 'lyric poem.!. If ib is uot-opftsi, it , : has no., business on the fitage of the MetropoliteE, atid aflef noaiHig the stork last Thursdajy. .evening,'. i*!eb:ru.ary v , 2G, ftitelligeht- v ftujio ' 6'xperts 'aste'd' theiuselrea and; each other )viiy 'Julieii , n>s nrodueed here;, ■ipaTtiiju'l.atly aa all idcouiits of Us Parisian preniiere flgrscd. as te; the Utter iueffectivoness d the ffo'rk;'- It lias net been beard &hy» n-her.e- else ovitsids of Paris, althpujh the initial-performance there took place spmo-- sis nibfttlis or jnore ago, The tttituijo of the tlw York pufolie, vvhieti is frank, left 110 doubt tta tt> the; re-' 2e.pHo.il. of the work Th.osolay i>peTargooTs. who were asked for aij *x- [ pfessioii of ■■ opinion by the 'Mjisicgl pourior' tepr : es<iKtative, were unftninious: In callijiff 'Julien' an excessively lttg,. (lreajiingl.flss., an.4 bprssomo.co.nTpt)3.itidJt' The few' intisiciaiis profes* sioiiiil'niiisicians of New York rarely itteffid opera—■doiioiuuiefl; the musis as a iiielttUßo of;' Louise ,, :'Cqflrgiinement do . la Mttso, , 'La % f io due Poete-' (all Works by Ckqrpcntiof), atfil..pointed o-iit. whole . ijages of the seafq timt )\&& been lift- i -■d ' f torn himself, '§uph liberal «nd ;iisadorned lias iiever be- : 3uyred' before in the history ef mitsio,' said one Anjcrican composer,- 'but-1 dolot bfame Charpciitier for his method., 13 the rehashed music is so ntuch itit-. fer tljan, the s.pi.i3«lo&g' and common-. pjneo parts of the score which pass as ■ new.'- , ' • . "Ohsrpentie.r, tljenj tike Mascagni ind li.eqnGiitallo,. is a ono-syorkaom'-poscrV N i)cbussy is wiser. Fearing inability to duplicate the 'Pclleas ct Uolisnatdo' success, he now writes songs, piano pieces, and orchestral numbers, And liß does them well. Debussy is a: keamerj too, but a practical one." tfiQiiartt Bonvlck's Triumph. Leonard Berwick, the distinguished Eiifilish pianist, dbo played to thin jciichcs ill AV«Hiiigtoii less than, two fears ago, ins beeii hailed as England's;:' greatest pianist) and his yceent i-etitals, 11 London have plncod him 011 .a -lovel frith tho finost- virtuosi of tko. p|a.iip;-. 'arto'-of o-thoj opuiitries, -; Says'tlio Lrflndon corj-psjwiidqiit of the.Jfo* York 1 'Jlusica! Bwwiclt is iiJj m\c[vto porsanaltty in. tho musical world; if t«-cl*y, in that hocombinqsiu a wontorfully *dl balanced degree the tj.ualiiicii of tho scbfrJaFi tho musician, and ;bo virtunso. He Ims iong had. an >stablisiiQ.d reputatiou for his roiutogs )f tho elrsssic. school; Bach, JJralnns, ind .Bcoiliovon fl.ro truly a . colossal .riiiity when li«s.rd ihr-oiigh tho mCfltein if this .gifted iiiterprofoi'- ■ In Brahms wirticnHirly ho ©urges the. iraSterity.it spirit to a nicety of discretion, wtfWßg, siifficSeirt d tho spirit, "of liunvaneiioss .0 clarify it aU, and .g.ivp it tho «igECStian of afsiho'ticbcaiitv. Soinething >f this same Brabftsiflii austority: pefnc*tea tho Schumann fantasia, Mid m iko wanner Mr. Berwick, lii ljis mtfefv irtitation of tho wort, transmitted tlie •cdoemistK ttuch of poetifi and injagWa- ■ -.ive fowling, mrtking of tho grgairtic vork a thing of beauty and tsmjoend--.nt sifmificancft, inusicaHy, and, _jf on© ii-a.v RflV so, toehnionlly, ftho. Hi.s next! recital 'will he dovokd irt its entirety so Heefheven." Mfltes. lif.r fflibv, a eorviccftWe tenor, itoniior- . ,v well known in Cliristchtireb, has &ce« «p ifesidoiico k\yaiM6|<)«. te E% is to stof at the RoyiU Choral ,SoMfs concert In nid of ffio Upper Hutt. .oiiot'ftiawl nest Wock. • Mr. Pivlnam Griswold, tlie- American ■ jM'itoiMs. ftwl woll-kuovvii oporat-io at*- : >isi, died Inst month. > ■ Teresa Oarrcfio, the .eminent pianistf icloirfttolliOi , eixtietli birthday oil ©ft;oiii:bor 22. . . MndiHdo Mclba, tfe trucpß o'.E Engish sopranos, who is to visit Australia igiiin at the cad of tho year, is now SI. pears, of asp* ...-■-••■