Scan 7
Musical Courier 1909-06-02: Vol 58 Iss 22, 1909
7 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1LONDON, May 19, 1909.
2Arthur M. Abell, the Berlin representative of THE MUSICAL COURIER, was in London during the past week, and kindly consented to report upon the following very important concerts that took place. Busoni, Kriesler, Kussewitzky, Zimbalist and Godowsky, to take the concerts in the order of writing, were attended, and below will be found Mr. Abell's impressions and opinions.
4"To a Berlin critic it seems strange to go to concerts at a quarter past three in the afternoon. That would be an impossible hour in Germany, yet most of the concerts in London occur at that time. The season is now at its height and there are frequently six to eight concerts of an afternoon, and several in the evening. It is said that sixty concerts were given the past week. The general financial depression very visibly affects the musical life and few artists are winning material recognition here now, although there are many great artistic successes. It is understood that Covent Garden, even, is not paying. Ferruccio Busoni has given three recitals at Bechstein Hall with enormous success. His masterly, authoritative playing has made a profound impression. As the critic of the Morning Post wrote after his third concert, even the most conservative listeners 'were breathless with wonder.' Busoni's Liszt playing always is a thing apart, yet I do not remember ever to have heard him when he was in such complete and perfect sympathy with the master as on Thursday afternoon. The B minor sonata, a much maligned and much misinterpreted work, was a revelation as read by him. It seemed as if the spirit of the composer was hovering around the performer, and that he drew his inspiration direct from the fountain source. The sonata was the close of the program, yet the great pianist was in exceptionally good form the whole afternoon. His other selections were Liszt's 'Weinen, Klagen,' three choral preludes by Bach-Busoni, namely, 'Awake,' 'In Thee is Joy' and 'Rejoice'; the Paganini-Brahms variations; the barcarolle and six etudes by Chopin, and Mendelssohn's 'Midsummer Night's Dream.' There is a tremendous intellectuality, an enormous mental grasp in Busoni's conceptions. He is fully as great as a musician as he is as a virtuoso, and that is saying volumes in brief; for, as is well known, Busoni in the latter capacity represents the topmost peak of splendor. His technical command of the piano is phenomenal, and his is not good old fashioned mechanical technic; it is a highly individual, modern, vitalized technic. The mere manual part of Busoni's playing is so full of esprit, so wonderful in its absolute purity and perfection that it is a joy merely to listen to his virtuosity. What a difference there is in technic anyhow! And Busoni's command of the tonal resonance of the instrument is no less marvelous. From the thundering tones produced by his majestic ff chords, to the elf-like ripple of his pp runs, he compasses the entire gamut of dynamic display with absolute mastery. He is always a subjective performer, too, eschewing the beaten academic paths of interpretation. His conceptions are ever full of color and his delivery is always replete with vitality, as indeed his whole personality is magnetic and inspiring. A great instrumentalist, a great musician, a great pianist is Busoni!"
6"Russia ought to be proud of Sergei Kussewitzky; in him the country possesses an artist who is doing more to make known the creations of the younger Russian composers of the day than any other living man. Kussewitzky is the most patriotic Russian in an artistic sense ever I have known. Tuesday afternoon at Queen's Hall, Kussewitzky conducted a program of Russian novelties (for London), when he had the assistance of the London Symphony Orchestra and Fritz Kreisler. In Berlin we hear far more novelties than are heard in London. The violin concerto by Jules Conus was introduced to us there several years ago by Petschnikoff. I did not care for it then; I liked it better this time, but that may have been due to the superior performance by Kreisler. The great violinist was in magnificent fettle; he proclaimed the theme with breadth and accuracy, drawing a beautiful singing tone from his Guarnerius, and he made the passages (which, by the way, bristle with difficulties) stand out clear and distinct against the orchestral background. His technic scintillated, and each run was a string of pearls. His sweep of bow is magnificent, and his warm, vibrant tone is superb and wonderfully appealing. By virtue of his splendid musicianship and his ability to cast a spell over the audience, Kreisler made the concerto seem a thing of vital interest. He hypnotized his hearers. However, it is not really a work of much importance. There are some good themes; there are effective passages (also ineffective ones); it is very well written for the instrument and cleverly instrumentated. What it lacks is a potent, individual note. Kreisler's success was enormous. He stands today in the plenitude of his powers. The orchestra numbers were Scriabine's C minor symphony No. 1, Moussorgsky's fantasia 'Une Nuit sur le Mont Chauve' and George Conus' suit for orchestra entitled 'Sceres Enfantine.' George is the brother of Jules. This suite was new to me. It is a charming work, based on the Russian national idiom, and is full of color and individuality. There are ten numbers, of which six were played. The horse race and the berceuse are delightful bits of symphonic writing, and in the finale—in which a chorus of children sing a comic national song to variations—the orchestra is characteristically Russian. The suite was a favorite with Tchaikowsky and it deserves to be heard on all of the big symphonic programs. Scriabin is a personality who stands apart. In this first symphony he does not yet display a wholly independent mode of utterance, but there is so much that is interesting and beautiful in it that one listens with keen pleasure. Nearly all the
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