Concerto in E-flat — “Dumbarton Oaks” (1938)

Composer Igor Stravinsky was given warm plaudits after the first hearing here of his Dumbarton Oaks Concerto for chamber orchestra. It proved decidedly the best work in his most recent vein that one has heard here, containing much power and color despite its limitation of instruments, and maintaining a cheerful gait. The players deftly surmounted its considerable difficulties of rhythm, complicated by the transparency of the musical texture.