year. SYMPHONY CONCERT. audience for a new possession, the Beethoven seems to have wondered to richest so far, perhaps, of the whole himself when well on in the last movement of the fifth symphony, "whither am I going? What does the thing I am saying now have to do with my original conception? Why is this superfluous ob ligation of a closing allegro imposed on me? I can carry it through, but I am doing Mozart's and Haydn's will, not my own. Let me suspend formalities here a moment and go back to my scherzo." Thus the great composer made protest number one against the inherited formula of an overture finale. He spoke protest number two in the choral movement of the ninth symphony. The per Let it not be supposed, though, that the symphony was given in four separate parcels. If anybody went from the concert of Friday saying that he had sensed the logic of the first movement, felt the poetry of the second or caught the humor of the third as never before, he thereby admitted that he had never heard either Dr. Muck or Mr. Gericke conduct this work. The performance of Mr. Fiedler, as has been the rule with him in Boston, was not so remarkable for detail, for emphasis of particular mood, as for complete effect, for expression in the large. Beethoven is restored to honor at the Boston Symphony concerts. You will find, Symphony subscriber, if formance of the "Egmont" overture in you study yourself candidly, that Max November, of the C minor piano con- Fiedler has made over your musical certo in February and of the C minor thinking in three years as effectually as symphony on Friday afternoon all attest he has made over the tone of his orit. Distinguished reading of work chestra, left, right and rear-strings and from each of the master's three orches-brass. He has reformed American listentral fields gives Max Fielder rank with ers and German players. But his French the Beethoven interpreters who have woodmen? Ah, neither he nor his audipreceded him at the conductor's desk of ences would try to improve perfection. Boston Symphony. The Beethoven num- Something hitherto unplayed of Richber of the nineteenth program was given ard Strauss was on the nineteenth proin all three of its characteristic divi- gram, a piece Mr. Strauss wrote in his sions an extraordinary lucid presenta- young manhood after discharging that tion. The honesty and vigor of com-impressive duty of every intellectual poser and the honesty and vigor of con- German, the reading of Shakespeare. The ductor became interchangeable. Here dramatist who understood a number of was not Fiedler the German conserva- things about the stage not so well as tory professor appreciating the art of Schiller inspired Mr. Strauss to comBeethoven, the early nineteenth century pose a tone poem describing the events symphonist, but here was one good man that caused Birnam wood to come to recognizing another good man when he Dunsinane. The music is an instructive saw him. What becomes of our art study in orchestration, a valuable docuaffectations, can you tell, when Mr. ment for throwing light on the early Fielder is reading a piece he likes? One thoughts of a great composer. It gives thing we know, they cease to stand be- no such explicit account of the tragic tween our real life and the music. The doings of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as Fifth symphony, with all its certainty a certain other tone poem gives of the of aim in first movement, slow move- adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho ment and scherzo, with its open minded Panza. It has not the power for inconcession to usage, under protest, inducing a sustained mood in the listener the finale, was given to the rehearsal Sold in Five O'Clock sealed packets oniy that the work which stands next to it in point of time has-"Death and Transto stand or fall by this piece of music, figuration." If the tone poem theory had it would be likely to go down. A dauntless composer kept on from "Macbeth" Cto that favorite of Mr. Fiedler's in the Strauss repertory, "A Hero's Life." R. Strauss, tone poem, for full orchestra "Macbeth," op. 23 (first time in Boston); G. Faure, suite from stage music to "Pelleas and Melisande," op. 80; Goldmark, overture to "Sakuntala," op. 13; Beethoven, Symphony in C minor, No. 5, op. 67. C SYMPHONY HALL, BOSTON Telephones Administration Offices, 3200} Back Bay THIRTIETH SEASON, 1910 AND 1911 Boston Symphony Orchestra MAX FIEDLER, Conductor Programme of the Nineteenth Rehearsal and Concert WITH HISTORICAL AND DESCRIP- |
