Besprechung des Konzerts mit der 4. Symphonie [am 20.11.1922] in The Observer Nr. 6861 (London) auf S. 10, signiert "P. A. S.":

"   MUSIC OF THE WEEK.

       BRUCKNER AND STRAUSS.

     Two composers who have, or have had, big reputations in Germany, yet have been practically unperformed here, are Bruckner and his pupil Mahler. On Monday Coates and the L. S. O. gave us the famous "Romantic Symphony," the fourth of Bruckner's nine. I, for one, was grateful, for I have been curious to hear a Bruckner symphony, but I would not go a second time to hear this, nor do I think I shall ever be called on to do so. Bruckner is elementary, yet enormous. He says simple things solemnly. He is like Madame de Staël as Voltaire describes her; he "talks folios." He is the club bore at his worst. At one time they pitted Bruckner against Brahms. Hear this symphony and think of that! Bruckner applauded Wagner, so the Wagnerites applauded him. We found traces of his Wagnerism on Monday, bits of "Tannhäuser" or "Lohengrin," especially perhaps in the first movement. But he had none of Wagner's wonderful instinct for the finding of themes, those printed on Monday's programmes being the most amateurishly colourless lot I ever saw. And he had none of Wagner's or Brahms's sense of the organic; the step-by-step construction of his movements forced itself on one's attention as one listened (or tried not to), almost as though one actually saw him writing the piece bar by bar. The Scherzo is the only movement in the symphony that merits a second thought, and it is but decent "light music." Poor Bruckner got little applause on Monday. But I did meet one member of the audience who enjoyed him. She said she liked him (a) because he was not harsh and modern, and (b) because he was easy to listen to. A little bewildered, I could only reply that such fine negative qualities could surely be equally enjoyed without even coming to the hall.

     On Thursday was performed some Strauss that was new to us all [... 1913 "Ariadne auf Naxos" erfolglos ...], but Strauss, like Stravinsky, knows the frugal housewife's dodge of hashing up the remains of Sunday's dinner and serving them anew on Monday. Result, a "New Suite–Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme." [...].

     I should think that Arnold Bax must now consider that week is lost in which he does not appear at least once to bow his acknowledgments to an admiring audience. [...].

                                                P. A. S." (*).

 

The Tampa Tribune Nr. 48 (Tampa Florida) beleuchtet auf S. 32 [recte S. 60?] (= S. 16 des 4. Teils) in einem großen Artikel den Stellenwert der Musik im gesellschaftlichen Leben Amerikas:

"        MUSICAL TAMPA

     In the edition of Musical America published in New York [... jährlich 600 Millionen Ausgaben für die Musik ... über Musikerziehung, Chorvereine etc. ... vermeintliche Überlegenheit Europas ... Musikleben in der Hand von Ausländern ... Zurücksetzung amerikanischer Musik ...].

     The following notice, clipped from a New York Herald of recent date [19.11.1922], fully substantiates what has just been said. [... Monteux ist Franzose ...].

     "Among scores announced as having their first performance in this country by the Boston Symphony Orchestra this season are: [... u. a. Honegger, Strawinsky, Scrjabin, Goossens, Holst ("Planets") etc. ...]. Symphonies by Bruckner and Mahler will be added to the German list. The standard classics will compromise [sic] the bulk of the programs."

     Now if American composers are so frightfully bad, and Europeans so wonderfully good, where are all the new Europeans operas? [... etc. ...]." (**).