THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 20666, 13 December 1930, Page 14

THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

[Written by “ L.D.A.,” ter the ‘ Evening Star.’] “ Music gives tone to the universe, r wings to tho wind, iliglit to the lliniginiitiou, a charm to sadness, gaiety anti life to everything.”—i’lato. ' It is something of a coincidence that, after writing about Anton Rubinstein recently, I should liml occasion to make mention of another hue pianist and a namesake, to wit, Arthur, ot that ilk. This artist was hitherto unknown to me, but h.s remarknb o powers impressed themselves veiy lo - cibly upon me the other day, as 1 listened to his beautiful performance m Brahms’s pianoforte concerto, opus bo, surely one of the H.M.V., Company s supreme achievements in gramophone recording. Tho orchestral part of-the work was played by the London Symphony Orchestra under Albert Coates, and *so perfectly balanced is the ensemble that one sea reply knows what.to admire most—the brilliant soloist, the masterly ►instrumentalists, the Kilted conductor, or the composition itscU. unquestionably one ot the greatest, u mot tho very greatest, example oi ns class in qll musical literature. * * * * This concerto has never been performed in New Zealand, nor is it likely to be for many a day to come, since it demands from both soloist and orchestra a technical and musical standard to which J fear wc cannot yet lay claim, despite tho unquestionably hue talent to-be found in the dominion. Therefore it behoves every music Jo\oi and student to lose no time in making acquaintance with the work per medium of the gramophone, and 1 feel sure the general verdict will bo the same as mine; the records arc not only' elcctiieal, but electrifying. Personally, 1 have never yet heard gramophone music so nearly approach perfect ion as this wonderful reproduction of Brahms s genius. I*, » * The name of Johannes Brahms has, of course, long been accepted by the musical world as that of a supicmo master indeed, the “three lis JJach, Beethoven, and Brahms—embody the entire conception of standard classical music; but .there has long been a lurking feeling that the last-named leaned a bit on tho “heavy” side in his compositions. This, is evidenced by tlio absence of them in average conceit programmes—where do wo ever see Brahms’s name except opposite to tho hackneyed ‘Hungarian Dances ! ? And it is true of his early works to rate theta as “dry.” The first sonata, lor ainstance, is drier than Beethoven s last, and almost as dry as Oaniaru. -it Tho careers of those two masters, in so far as their output is concerned, present exactly opposing characteristics. .Beethoven’s early sonatas were, lor tho most part, simple in conception, perfect in form, and often ravishmgly melodic; some of them show absorbing dramatic, intensity, and perhaps half a dozen, by reason of their .spiritual inspiration, have become numbered among the world’s.; priceless treasures. But it is useless to deny a noticeable diminution of these salient features in the last decade of Beethoven's lilo, and the opus 81 may' bo said to represent the turning point. 1 am alluding, of course, to his pianoforte works. In these, and in some of Ids chamber music, Beethoven’s genius found its best expression; but where the orchestra was concerned 1 have always thought—and am nut afraid to assert-—■ Beethoven greatly overrated. His symphonies sound to me like laborious transcriptions of very ordinary piano music: themes are frequently of the most puerile nature, cleverly manipulated, of course, but they appear to mo to be more often than not commonplace to a degree.

In venturing to write tin’s I know full well that I am guilty of heresy in the eyes of the musically unco’ guid, but the critic must say what Jic feels, or for ever hold his peace. Net Tuesday is the IGOth anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, so this little expression of opinion comes at an appropriate moment, and having delivered it i feel better. There has always been—and still is—far too much cant and hypocrisy in relation to .Beethoven’s status among the great composers. No one questions his supremacy in the sonata form np to a certain point, hut to talk of his symphonies with bated breath and reverential mien is, to my mind, simply preposterous, for the truth is that, as orchestral composer, ho was'much inferior to Schubert and Mendelssohn amongst contemporary musicians, whilst to compare him with Wagner is like _ measuring _ David against Goliath—with this difference, that not all the slings and stones employed by tbo rabid pro-Beethoven cabal had the smallest effect upon W agner’s prestige and eminence. * * * * However, it was about Brahms that I began to write. A prominent critic once said of him that ho commenced where Beethoven left off, and there is a lot of truth in the remark. Certainly Brahms matured and improved in his later years, just as Beethoven fell away, and if his idiom is somewhat more complex than that of Beethoven, it is none the worse or Jess likeable on that account. No one with cars to hear could, when listening to the wonderful concerts 1 have mentioned, fail to recognise its composer as ono of the greatest masters of all time. Three years hence wo shall bo celebrating the centenary of Brahms’s birth. Perhaps when ho has been dead a hundred years his rightful position in the ranks of the mighty will be more generally conceded. * » * * A perusal of the London newspapers’ musical advertisement columns makes one’s mouth water. New Zealand is, admittedly, God’s Own Country; on the other hand, we are the devil’s* own distance from the hubs of activity in music and the fine arts. A friend, writing from London, toils mo she has the utmost difficulty m procuring tickets for the best concerts owing tortile-huge demand; also, she is almost daily, placed upon the horns of a dilemma in being at a loss which function to attend, as often there are half a dozen important events on ouo day. Even the children are being lavishly catered for. Every Saturday morning they have a concert to themselves at the Central Hall, Westminster, where an orchestra of 111) performers, conducted by Dr Malcolm Sargent, plays great music in a great manner, and with an uncompromising avoidance of the ' commonplace. For example, the programme on October 18 contained Mozart’s ‘ Figaro ’ overture, a Sinfonia from a church cantata by Bach, Schumann’s piano concerto, played by Fanny Davies—one of England’s 'foremost pianistes and, finally, Rossini’s overture to William Tell ’ as the sole concession to popular taste. The main feature about this concert is that the audience comprised somo ■2,ooo'school children who, ono and all, exhibited the liveliest interest and enthusiasm. Mueli honour is ono to the wisdom and enterprise ol the promoters.