Yesterday's Symphony concert, Mr. Monteux conducting, was the second of the Boston series. As often, the eagerly-awaited proved disappointing in the extreme; what was expected to be dull and prosaic was interesting and charming. The Dvorak of the F-major symphony shows himself a skillful musician, interesting if not thrilling, original if not "radical", pleasing if not powerful--altogether charming. Particularly in the first three movements did he display his fertile imagination, flowing melodic invention, and dainty skill in orchestration. There is a cleanness and purity that resembles Mozart, with none of the muddiness which occasionally mars the "New World".

The "Conte Feerique" of Rimsky-Korsakoff is lovely--but in the same way that all of this Russian's work is lovely. There are frequent reminiscences of "Scheherazade", and there seemed to be throughout strangely familiar harmonic, melodic, and even instrumental sequences, as in the throwing of a figure from trombone to trumpet, thence to piccolo, followed by a string development.

Mme. Alda, surely no longer in her first-youth, sang with a freshness and a warmth that many younger (and more popular) singers might envy. Her songs, Marx's "Marienlied" and "Hat die Liebe dich beruehrt", were adequate vehicles; "Vissi d'Arte" was sung with unusual feeling and understanding.

"Also Sprach Zarathustra", for which Boston has so long waited, was very disappointing. Hauslick has said that the program (of this tone-poem at least) was put in to give the music an interest which was not there. Perhaps he was not unjust.