SYMPHONY HALL, BOSTON I HUNTINGTON AND MASSACHUSETTS AVENUES Branch Exchange Telephone, Ticket and Administration Offices, Com. 1492 FIFTY-FOURTH SEASON, 1934- 1935 CONCERT BULLETIN of the Boston Symphony Orchestra INCORPORATED Dr. SERGE KOUSSEVITZKY, Conductor Richard Burgin, Assistant Conductor with historical and descriptive notes By Philip Hale and John N. Burk COPYRIGHT, 1935, BY BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Inc. The OFFICERS and TRUSTEES of the BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Inc. Bentley W. Warren President Henry B. Sawyer Vice-President Ernest B. Dane Treasurer Allston Burr Roger I. Lee Henry B. Cabot William Phillips Ernest B. Dane Henry B. Sawyer N. Penrose Hallowell Pierpont L. Stackpole M. A. de Wolfe Howe Edward A. Taft Bentley W. Warren W. H. Brennan, Manager G. E. Judd, Assistant Manager [965] Old Colony Trust Company 17 COURT STREET, BOSTON # & SB -' SjTi^^LJv Executor • Trustee Guardian Conservator • Agent ^Allied with The First National Bank 0/" Boston > [966] Contents Title Page . Page 965 Programme . 969 Analytical Notes: D. S. Smith " Epic Poem," Op. 55 971 Roussel Symphony in G minor, Op. 42 974 Rachmaninoff Pianoforte Concerto No. 2, Op. 18 1002 Walter Gieseking (Biographical Sketch) 1008 . ; Rimsky-Korsakov Introduction and March from " Le Coq 1009 i d'Or" " " Entr'Acte: The Age of Pastiche (Constant Lambert) . 986 Friends of the Boston Symphony Orchestra . 989-996 Announcement Bach-Handel Festival . 1014-1015 The Next Programme . „ . 1017 Special Concert Announcements . 1018 Teachers' Directory . ....... 1019-1020 Personnel Opposite page 1020 [967] —Clmntiler & Co. TREMONT STREET AT WEST r cAn Exceptional l)alue^ A New RINGLESS Chiffon Stocking BY ^Vanity tyair Spring Colors . They have everything you MACAROON need for smart, fashionable SUNBRIGHT appearance. Perfectly knit- SUNDARK ted of the finest quality SUNDIAL THRUSH silk, and cleverly reinforced TOWNWEAR for serviceability beyond SMOKE your fondest expectations. We predict that when you see them and feel them you cant resist laying in a season's supply at this price. All silk heel, plaited sole and toe. Street floor. [968] FIFTY-FOURTH SEASON, NINETEEN HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR AND THIRTY-FIVE Twenty-first ^Programme FRIDAY AFTERNOON, April 12, at 2:30 o'clock SATURDAY EVENING, April 13, at 8:15 o'clock RICHARD BURGIN Conducting D. S. Smith Epic Poem, Op. 55 (Conducted by the Composer) \_First Performances^ Roussel Symphony in G minor, Op. 42 I . ALLEGRO VIVO II . ADAGIO III . VIVACE IV. ALLEGRO CON SPIRITO INTERMISSION Rachmaninoff Concerto for Pianoforte No. 2 in C-minor, Op. 18 I. ALLEGRO MODERATO II. ADAGIO SOSTENUTO III. ALLEGRO SCHERZANDO Rimsky-Korsakov . Introduction and Wedding March from "Le Coq d'Or" SOLOIST WALTER GIESEKING [Baldwin Piano) The works to be played at these concerts may be seen in the Allen A. Brown Music Collection of the Boston Public Library one week before the concert [969] . JORDAN- CO To announce The Opening of Our New Bridal Shop. We've enlarged our quarters on the Second Floor, Main Store, and we're better prepared than ever to plan, advise, select and shop for your trousseau and all the odd and sundry incidentals thatperplexthe bride-to-be. And speaking of trousseaux, we've just unpacked some very charm- ing new wedding dresses, rang- ing from $16.75 to $165 in price. Write or phone our Bridal Consultant, Miss Ann Rummelhart for an appointment. Telephone HANcock 9ooo. THE BRIDAL SHOP-SECOND FLOOR MAIN STORE [970] EPIC POEM Op. 55 By David Stanley Smith Born at Toledo, Ohio, July 6, 1877 The title " Epic Poem " has no reference to any particular person or event, according to the composer. " However, in the mystical intro- duction of the work, the faster music that follows, with its graceful be- ginning but martial and threatening development section, and the solemn music at the end, the listener may be aware of a succession of emotional events that may be not out of harmony with the idea of the epic." The work dates from 1925, but has recently undergone new study and extensive revision. It is practically two movements of a symphony, allegro and adagio, bound into a continuous whole. Though the key system violates the old canon of unity of tonality prescribed for the beginning and end of a composition (the tonic shifts from F to A flat) the design is rounded off by the reappearance of the first subject on the final pages, after hav- ing given way to other themes. This first subject is the material of a rather slow introductory passage leading to the allegro, the same series of notes (E, G, F, A) serving as the main subject of each of these divi- sions. The allegro section fulfills the demands of the sonata form by SIX PIANOFORTE VOLUMES VOL. NET *401 TEN CLASSICAL PIECES, Edited by ARTHUR FOOTE 1.00 Unhackneyed pieces by composers ranging from Rameau to Franck. *408 TEN BACH PIECES, Edited by CUTHBERT HARRIS .75 An excellent collection for study and recital use. TOLD IN THE HILLS, by LEE PATTISON 1.00 An outstanding modern work for advanced players. *398 TECHNICAL PRACTICE, by ISIDOR PHILIPP 1.00 (Planned for half-hour practice periods.) An invaluable book for pianists. *432a 40 PEDAL STUDIES, by TRYGVE TORJUSSEN, Op. 70, Book I .75 Short studies illustrating the correct use of the pedals. *424 FIRST YEAR FOLK MELODIES, Arranged by PAUL ZILCHER .75 12 short pieces based on folk tunes. Published in Schmidt's Educational Series The ARTHUR P. SCHMIDT CO., 120 Boylston St. [971] presenting, in addition to the principal theme, subsidiary motives and a development episode. After a shortened recapitulation the music slows down and leads into the adagio movement, with its own themes. One of these is a heavy passage for strings; the other a more genial cantilena for violins, which works its way forward after several interruptions. The adagio is less bound to classic tradition of design than is the allegro. It is a rhapsody rather than a true slow movement. The score of Epic Poem is dedicated to Hugo Kortschak, of the Yale Music faculty. It is scored for three flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons and double bassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, harp, triangle, bass drum, cym- bals, and strings. Toledo, Ohio, is the city of Mr. Smith's birth, but New Haven has become his home, for, succeeding Horatio Parker as Dean of the Yale University School of Music, he has held that position since 1919. David Stanley Smith was the son of " a self-taught organist and composer, a business man who played the organ in Toledo churches as an avoca- tion." His mother was a singer. Attending Yale, he was induced by the influence of Parker to devote himself to music. He went abroad to ex- tend his musical studies, and joined the faculty at Yale in 1903. In addi- tion to teaching classes in composition, he conducts the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, a professional organization directly affiliated with Yale. LAMSON & HUBBARD Care For Your Furs? YES-WE DO FUR Our Fur Storage STORAGE covers all risks Rates 3% on reasonable valuation SUITS • DRESSES • SPRING COATS 304 Boylston Street, Nr. Arlington.. .Kenmore 3350 [972] Mr. Smith has written much music in many forms. The Chicago Or- chestra played his First Symphony in F minor, Op. 28, in 1912, and his Second Symphony in D, Op. 48, in 1918. The latter was also given by the New York Philharmonic Society, the composer conducting. In 1931 he conducted his Third Symphony, Op. 60, at concerts of the Cleveland Orchestra. That Orchestra recently gave the first performance of his newest orchestral composition, " Tomorrow, An Overture," a com- panion piece of " 1929 — A Satire," played last season by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Bruno Walter. Other compositions that have received public performances are " Prince Hal," An Overture, Op. 31; "Impressions," Op. 40; "Cathedral Prelude" for organ and or- chestra, Op. 54; Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 69; Sinfonietta for String Orchestra, Op. 65. The Boston Symphony Orchestra gave his "Poem of Youth," Op. 47, November 11, 1921; and "Fete Galante" for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 48 (with Georges Laurent) , April 13, 1923; both performances were directed by Mr. Monteux. In the field of choral composition there are larger works, the princi- pal one being " Rhapsody of St. Bernard," presented at the Chicago North Shore Festival in 1918. Chamber music that has received public perfonuance includes: Six string quartets, the most recent, Op. 71, having been played this season by the Gordon and Pro Arte Quartets; Sonata Pastorale for Oboe, Op. .- "SPRING IN TOWN" -THE COSTUME CONTINUES WITH US INTO EARLY SUMMER-OUR LATE SEASON INTERPRETATIONS IN COOL SHEERS AND CRISP PRINTS EMBODYTHE VERY NEWEST EXPRESSIONS OF PARISIAN FANCY-TAFFE- TAS-PUFFED SLEEVES-SKIRTS THAT ARE CIRCULAR OR GORED AND A LITTLE SHORTER- Huruiitth droa 'Wenm warn [aa!£ffi3Sa^SyS£^ffi^^£^E [973] in for Violin Piano, Quintet for 43 J Sonata A and Op. 51; Piano and Strings, Op. 56; Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 59; Sonata for Piano, Op. 61; String Sextet, Op. 63; " Scenes from Tragedy " for Violin and Piano, Op. 67; Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 72. There are also " Vision of Isaiah," Symphonic Poem for Chorus, " Soli, and Orchestra, Op. 58, " Four Melodies for orchestra, and a string sextet, Op. 63, which have not been performed. J. N. B. SYMPHONY IN G MINOR, Op. 42 By Albert Charles Paul Ro'ussel Born at Turcoing (Nord) , France, on April 5, 1869 It was on October 23, 1930, that this symphony, written for the Boston Symphony Orchestra's fiftieth anniversary season, was first per- formed. The composer, then visiting America, was present.