Scan 7
Musical Courier 1907-12-04: Vol 55 Iss 23, 1907
39 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1Godowsky's recital at Beethoven Hall on Thursday evening was sold out and scores of people were turned away at the doors. This is a significant fact in this season of enormous over-production. The sign "Ausverkauft," which is so beloved of concertizing artists (and which gives free ticket habitues such a sinking sensation) had not yet graced the box office window of any one of our dozen concert halls in daily use at a concert given by any pianist, or in fact by any instrumentalist this season, and it is already seven weeks old and has seen some 270 concerts. Godowsky has an immense hold on the public, and the public, after all, is the last and greatest criterion. At the same time I know of no artist more widely and enthusiastically acclaimed by the press or more universally admired by colleagues and musicians. But other artists find favor with the press and musicians who do not appeal to the public at all. Edouard Risler, the Parisian pianist, for instance, has enjoyed special distinction in both directions in this city, yet at his recent recital he played to empty benches. The artist who has great drawing powers like Godowsky stands on a very different plane.
3On hearing Godowsky again, last Thursday, it was not difficult to understand his power over the masses. Godowsky is a pianist by the grace of God. Such marvelous, such complete, such universal command of the keyboard as he has must challenge the admiration of even the most indifferent, and such a wealth of tonal charm, embracing all the colors of the rainbow, must appeal to every one possessing a love of the beautiful. Godowsky grows from year to year. An American, who had not heard him since he left Chicago, remarked to me on Thursday that he would not have recognized him as the same artist, for, added to all those admirable qualities he always possessed, he has acquired a breadth, a majesty, a power which he formerly did not have. This was his program:
5Prelude and Fugue, E major………………………………………Bach
6Sonata, E major, op. 109………………………………………Beethoven
7Gretchen am Spinnrade………………………………………Schubert-Liszt
8Das Wander………………………………………………………..Schubert-Liszt
9Novelette, F sharp minor, op. 21……………………………….Schumann
10Novelette, D major, op. 35………………………………………Schumann
11Sonata, B flat minor, op. 35………………………………………Chopin
12Nocturne, A sharp major, No. 1……………………………….Liszt
13Sonette, 104, del Petrarca, G major…………………………….Liszt
14Irrlichter Mazeppa (from the Transcendental Etudes)………….Liszt
15Paraphrase on Waltz Themes, from Fledermaus…………………Godowsky
17Working with the medium of the piano, which for the expression of the inmost soul life is a second rate medium, it requires an artist of phenomenal powers to work the public up to such a pitch of excitement as was manifested at the conclusion of this program. The audience was literally wild with enthusiasm. It would be impossible to say in which numbers Godowsky excelled, for he was at his best throughout at least the last half of his program. How true and beautiful was his interpretation of Chopin's well worn B flat minor sonata; how bewitching was he in "Irrlichter," and how forceful in "Mazeppa," out of the Liszt transcendental etudes! His reading of the two Schumann novelettes was full of poetry, deep feeling and great musical penetration. A perfect dream was the Liszt nocturne, while in his own new arrangement of the "Fledermaus" waltz themes he was inimitable. Godowsky is, above all, a piano poet. Sated as I am with music I listened to every note of his long program with the keenest enjoyment.
19At the third Nikisch Philharmonic concert a more interesting program was given than at the other two. Liszt's majestic "Faust" symphony was the clou of the evening and it was heard in ideal rendition. Nikisch was in superb form, and he unfolded the many beauties of the work with a master-hand. The vocal parts were in the hands of the Berlin Teachers' Singing Union and Felix Senius, the Russian tenor, who made his Berlin debut in this same work three years ago. Senius is one of the best concert tenors in Germany today, and his singing gave unalloyed pleasure. He has a voice of singular beauty and power, and his control over it is remarkable. He sings with a rare combination of musical intelligence and feeling. The choir was also excellent. A Gluck overture opened the program, and then came the Brahms D minor concerto, played by Gottfried Galston. The pianist was not in the best of form, so let us go over at once to his recital, which took place at the Singakademie on the following evening and at which he more than atoned for his shortcomings at the Philharmonie, shortcomings that seemed to be the result of physical weakness.
21This was the third of Galston's series of five historical recitals and was devoted to Chopin. He played the twenty-four preludes, all of the twenty-seven etudes, and the big A flat polonaise. The preludes were played with a great deal of charm, variety in tonal color and individuality of conception. He gave also a splendid reading of the etudes. We frequently hear the twenty-four preludes or twenty-four etudes at one concert, but I do not remember that any pianist has ever before played both and the three supplementary etudes in one evening. Galston had a rousing success.
23Saturday was the tenth anniversary of the death of Paul Kuczinsky, banker, music enthusiast, amateur composer and art Maecenas. A big concert was given in honor of the occasion at the Singakademie, with the assistance of the Philharmonic Orchestra, an excellent choir and numerous vocal soloists, under the leadership of Traugott Ochs, director of the Sondershausen Conservatory and Symphony Orchestra. The program was made up of works by Kuczinsky. They show a good technical knowledge of music and high endeavor, but they lack inspiration, and neither the loving care with which they were played nor the cherished memory of the noble author could wholly atone for this fact. However the concert was a commendable act of piety in memory of one who did a great deal for the art of music.
25Anton Foerster gave the first of his three piano recitals at Bechstein Hall on Wednesday evening. He played the Schumann F sharp minor sonata, seven Chopin numbers, Beethoven's G minor rondo, Scharwenka's "Theme and Variations," Schubert-Liszt's "Auf dem Wasser zu Singen" and Liszt's chromatic galop. Foerster was in fine fettle and delighted his numerous listeners with his admirable playing. He has a remarkably clear and foreful technic; he produces an excellent tone, and that he is a splendid musician was revealed by the penetrating spirit shown in Schumann's sonata. In the Chopin number he displayed beautiful lyric qualities. The climax of the evening, however, was his rendering of the Scharwenka "Variations," which was magnificently played. This is a beautiful work of great musical value, affording the pianist at the same time a most grateful task. Foerster's playing of it called forth a storm of applause, which was not calmed until Scharwenka himself, who was present, also appeared and bowed his acknowledgments. To an artist of Foerster's technic Liszt's chromatic galop is an effective vehicle for display. one of two readings
26Anton Foerster gave the first of his three piano recitals at Bechstein Hall on Wednesday evening. He played the Schumann F sharp minor sonata, seven Chopin numbers, Beethoven's G minor rondo, Scharwenka's "Theme and Variations," Schubert-Liszt's "Auf dem Wasser zu Singen" and Liszt's chromatic galop. Foerster was in fine fettle and delighted his numerous listeners with his admirable playing. He has a remarkably clear and forceful technic; he produces an excellent tone, and that he is a splendid musician was revealed by the penetrating spirit shown in Schumann's sonata. In the Chopin number he displayed beautiful lyric qualities. The climax of the evening, however, was his rendering of the Scharwenka "Variations," which was magnificently played. This is a beautiful work of great musical value, affording the pianist at the same time a most grateful task. Foerster's playing of it called forth a storm of applause, which was not calmed until Scharwenka himself, who was present, also appeared and bowed his acknowledgments. To an artist of Foerster's technic Liszt's chromatic galop is an effective vehicle for display. one of two readings
28Franz von Vecsey gave a concert in the large hall of the Philharmonie on Thursday evening, assisted by the Philharmonic Orchestra, under Ernst Kunwald. I could not attend on account of the Godowsky concert, but my representative, who was present the whole evening, informs me that the youthful violinist had a triumphant success and that he gave a splendid performance of the Bach, Dvorak and Vieuxtemps concertos, playing especially the D minor concerto of the Belgian master with a breadth and authority, a technical finish and a verve that made it difficult to believe that it was a boy of fourteen who stood on the stage. The Bach E major concerto was played with orchestra and organ. Young Vecsey, as I remarked in my recent account of his playing at the Philharmonie, has grown and matured to a remarkable degree in the last two years. He is a violin genius who has practically nothing more to learn in the way of technic. He has, moreover, the true musical instinct and his conceptions are always legitimate and healthy. He is said to have played with a great deal of warmth and temperament on Thursday. If he keeps on growing in this way, what will he be at twenty-one?
30Germany's two most successful contraltos—Lulu Mysz-Gmeiner and Julia Culp—gave song recitals at the same hall, the Beethoven, on consecutive evenings. I call them Germany's most successful contraltos because they live in Berlin, but in reality both are foreigners; the former being Hungarian and the latter a native of Holland. Madame Mysz-Gmeiner sang a mixed program of songs by Schubert, Wolf, Behm and Brahms, while Madame Culp was heard in Brahms only. Both singers are consummate vocal artists from a German point of view, although representatives of the Italian and French school of singing do not wholly agree with their vocal methods. But this much is certain: as interpreters of the German lied both are supreme. Madame Gmeiner is older, more experienced and a little more reserved, while Madame Culp gives all she has to give, at times even exaggerating a bit in point of expression. Both had large audiences and both were applauded to the echo.
32Sophie Heymann-Engel's first opera evening, which took place at the Royal High School of Music, took us back to the times of our ancestors, when they sat and listened delightedly to programs consisting of works such as Gluck's "Deceived Cadi" and Pergolese's "Maid as Mistress." Madame Heymann-Engel was assisted among others by Anton Sistermans and Willy Clodius, who in Pergolese's delightful rococco composition took the part of a silent servant. Madame Heymann-Engel has a remarkably light and pure coloratura voice of extraordinary flexibility and she sings with the naturalness and ease of a bird. She was most ably seconded by Sistermans, who rendered the role of Doctor Pandolfo with a breadth of humor not many would have sought for in him. All the artists scored a great success, both in this and the Gluck work.
34When Pablo de Sarasate was taken ill toward the close of last season, it was thought that his concertizing days were numbered. This happily was not the case, and he appeared again yesterday with his faithful artist-companion, Berthe Marx-Goldschmidt, in the large hall of the Philharmonie, and demonstrated that he still has much of that wonderful lightness of technic, elegance of bowing and charm of style that made him so famous. To be sure, he has completely lost his fire, and he did not enthrall the public as he used to, although he has retained his old drawing powers. He played two movements from Mozart's G minor sonata, Schütt's suite, op. 44, and some of his own Spanish dances. Madame Marx-Goldschmidt was also heard in a brilliant performance of several soli.
36A big charity concert was given before about 8,000 people in the large Exposition Hall in the Zoological Gardens on November 9, under the direction of Paul Prill, who was the conductor of the Mozart Hall Orchestra last season. The assisting artists were Marie Goetz, contralto; Paul Knuepfer, basso, of the Royal Opera; Therese Schnackenburg and Hildegard Hummel, sopranos; Alexander Sebald, violinist, and Anton Hekking, cellist. The acoustic properties of this hall are not good at the best, and as a society audience was present, which seemed to be more in a conversational than a listening mood, not much was heard of what took place on the stage. Even Knuepfer's powerful voice was not penetrating enough. Hekking refused to play until the audience stopped talking, so his soli on his superb new Cremona cello were thoroughly enjoyed. Madame Goetz gave an admirable rendering of the Delilah aria from "Samson and Delilah"; Alexander Sebald also made a splendid impression with his playing of an andante cantabile by Sgambati, and by a rousing virtuosic performance of Ernst Paragoni's rondo. He also played a new Cremona violin, the tones of which penetrated into the furthest corners of the immense auditorium.
38A Reisenauer memorial service was held at Bechstein Hall on Sunday morning. I was unable to attend, but I have received the following account from Prof. Arno
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