Scan 28
Musical Courier 1901-12-25: Vol 43 Iss 1135, 1901
25 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026. Printed page 29. See the scan on archive.org.
1Prof. (Politely)—"Good morning."
2MA (As she and Miranda depart)—"I don't want his good mornings. I never heard of such impudence. Five dollars, and you a plant on a musical tree. I'll get the Oatville Messenger to write a piece"—(their voices die away on the stairs).
3LEONARD LIEBLING.
5Berlin Concerts.
6Musical activity has slackened a bit here after the rush of the early season. Critics and performers are sparring for wind, professionally speaking.
7Godowsky's piano recitals at Beethoven Hall are, without any doubt, the most important series of musical events now taking place in Berlin. The repertory of this artist seems absolutely limitless. He commands the entire range of piano literature, and from it he selects with consummate musical taste. Some of our great pianists are not always fair toward themselves and toward our great composers. Certain recital programs have too close a connection with the public and the box office. In that respect Godowsky is sternly dignified. He chooses his program to suit himself, not his public. He is one of the few musicians for whom Art—write with a capital—comes first, and everything else afterward.
8To those who have an eye for such things, Godowsky's latest program is an index to his absolute knowledge of all piano music. I append the program herewith: Prelude and Fugue, op. 35, No. 1, E minor, Mendelssohn; "Davidbündlertänze," Schumann; Nocturne, C minor, Field; Rondo Brillante, Weber; Ballade, Grieg; Six Studies, Chopin-Godowsky; "Islamey," Balakireff.
9I reached Beethoven Hall in time for the Chopin transcriptions. It is in these ingenious and eminently musical arrangements that Godowsky shows us his very best qualities. Some of our critics have taken to waving these monumental works aside with the cool comment, "Pooh, a profanation of Chopin." It is rather late in the day to break a lance with these gentlemen. Godowsky's Chopin adaptations have already won for themselves a permanent place in piano history. But I should advise these reverent commentators to beg, borrow or steal a few of the "Studies," peruse them carefully and note particularly the manner of Godowsky's "profanation." It would be a valuable lesson in harmony and counterpoint.
10On this night the pianist's success was unbounded, and he played as encores Rosenthal's "Papillons," Chopin's G sharp minor Study, and the same composer's B flat minor Prelude.
12Miss Zudie Harris, of Louisville, Ky, U. S. A., gave a most interesting and successful concert at the Singakademie. Her program consisted of two concertos, Mozart's, in D minor, and Chopin's, in F minor, works of widely divergent character and scope, requiring on the part of the performer extreme musical taste and a comprehensive technical equipment. With these qualities Miss Harris is blessed in abundance. She possesses, besides, poetry and versatility. With rare intelligence she differentiated between the simplicity of Mozart and the passion of Chopin. The touch, tone and manner of attack were adapted to each. Mozartian naïveté is not easy of interpretation on our modern grand piano. The tenderness of the second movement in the D minor Concerto and the buoyancy and lightness of the third were achievements far above the ordinary. Impressive, also, were Miss Harris' firm rhythm and her straightforward method of playing, free from any and all mannerisms.
13The Chopin Concerto was done with spirit and splendid technical mastery. The soulful romanza received a sympathetic reading, and the brilliant last movement sparkled with animation.
14Small wonder that Miss Harris was enthusiastically applauded, repeatedly recalled, and finally forced to play an encore, Rubinstein's G minor Ballade, read with exquisite tonal and pedal effects.
15The fourth Nikisch concert, with the Philharmonic Orchestra, brought no startling surprises of any kind. We are thoroughly familiar with the Leipsic director's interpretation of Beethoven, two of whose works, the "Coriolanus" Overture and the "Pastorale" Symphony, began and ended an entire scheme of program music. In both these numbers Nikisch was sympathetic, precise and vital. His depiction of the thunder storm episode, in the symphony, was a most effective piece of orchestral, or shall I say directorial, virtuosity.
16Richard Strauss' "Death and Apotheosis," one of the grandest of modern symphonic poems, was given an authoritative and impressive reading. At times, however, there was lacking some of the verve and convincing power which I have heard Strauss' stick draw forth in performances of this work. Nikisch does not seem fond of cross colors, glaring contrasts, and screaming climaxes; he is the great orchestral refiner, the gentleman of the bâton.
17The soloist was Erika Wedekind, of Dresden, an oldish, pale-blonde person, attired in a picnic gown of anemic blue. She sang two coloratura arias, Mozart's "No che non sei capace" and "A vos jeux, mes amis," from Amboise Thomas' "Hamlet." Her voice is a worn, monotonous soprano, devoid of all freshness and charm. The middle register entirely lacks vocal quality and the high tones are shrill and strained. The coloratura passages were uneven and unclear. The staccati were done without a semblance of art. Such things as breathing in the middle of a solid phrase, and "sliding" descending portamento passages proved Miss Wedekind to be without musical intelligence or artistic tact. Her pronunciation of French, at least, was original. In the face of this formidable array of faults it is but fair to mention that the singer has a rapid, sustained trill which persistently wanders from the key. Nikisch's selection of this soloist was a mistake. She did not fit into the frame of acceptance to which he has accustomed us.
18Gertrude Peppercorn did not repeat her good performances of last season. Excessive nervousness marred most of her numbers, and in nearly all there was the kind of technical flaws that should not occur in a well-prepared program. Some of the Chopin numbers were played in the style that last season made Miss Peppercorn appear to be one of our best female pianists. The Barcarolle, the cceave study, and the C sharp minor Etude were deserving of all praise. The same composer's Etude in sixths is yet far beyond the young lady's technical grasp. Only Godowsky and de Pachmann have ever played this study satisfactorily. Chopin's F minor Ballade lacked in breadth and passion.
19Arthur de Greef, a professor at the Brussels Conservatoire, made a decided hit at his concert in Beethoven Hall. De Greef is a pianist of absolutely reliable technic and most refined artistic instincts. In three concertos, by Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, he revealed a ripe musicianship that was as satisfying as it is rare. De Greef is evidently a man of intellect, for in his performance there was revealed a distinct, logical purpose, the purpose to present an art work objectively, to expose clearly its form, construction and content, without drawing the listener's attention from the piece to the performer. De Greef should be an ideal pedagogue.
20The Henri Marteau Quartet, from Geneva, consisting of the famous fiddler, Henri Marteau; Eugene Reymond, Woldemar Pahnke and Adolphe Rechberg, gave an exceptionally successful concert at Bechstein Hall. The program contained Mozart's F major Quartet, César Franck's D major Quartet, and a new Quartet, G minor, op. 54, by Joseph Lauber. Marteau's beautiful tone, his dignity and firm rhythm make him an admirable leader of chamber music. Uniting practice evidently did the rest, for these four gentlemen play with a degree of precision and accuracy that is barely reached by such old Berlin quartets as those of Halir and Joachim. The Lauber work is skillful in workmanship, but conventional in thematic and harmonic content. An allegretto scherzando, dainty and graceful, was by far the best part of the piece. A large audience was most liberal in its applause, and gave convincing proof that frequent and regular visits of the Marteau Quartet would be most welcome here.
21Vita Gerhardt and Anton Witek, two musicians well known in Berlin, are giving a series of sonata evenings, for piano and violin, at Bechstein Hall. Their first program presented works by Rubinstein, B minor; Beethoven, E flat, and Richard Gompertz, G minor (new). The performances were splendid, Madame Gerhardt's reliability and Witek's supreme musicianship forming a combination that is bound to produce high artistic results. I did not hear the Gompertz work. The papers praised it warmly.
22The celebrated Bohemian Quartet visited us last week and met with the same enthusiastic reception that has always distinguished its many Berlin appearances. The artists were as fresh, as spontaneous and convincing as ever. They gave a wonderful reading of Gernsheim's E minor Quartet, op. 66, a ripe work that is most unjustly neglected. Dvorák's characteristic F minor Trio and Schumann's A major Quartet, op. 41, completed the interesting program. Edouard Risler, the assisting pianist, must not be forgotten. In fact, he could not be forgotten, for he played so muscally that we were constantly reminded of his presence.
23Other excellent chamber music concerts were given recently by the Berlin Chamber Music Association (Septet, op. 7, by Fritz Steinbach), by the Georg Schumann Trio (Quartet, F minor, op. 29, Georg Schumann), Joseph Debroux (sonatas for violin and piano, by Benda, Gentiliani, Tennaillé, Bach, Händel, &c.), Professor Markees and Otto Hegner (Sonata for Piano and Violin, op. 54, E flat, by H. von Herzogenberg) and Piano Quartet of Messrs. Egidi, Seuffert, Werner and Dechert (Quartet, op. 3, E flat, by Ivan Knorr).
24Foreign violinists have rained down upon us so far this season. The latest week brought three, two from France,
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