Books › Musical Courier 1911-03-22: Vol 62 Iss 12, 1911 › scan 47
Scan 47
Musical Courier 1911-03-22: Vol 62 Iss 12, 1911
16 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 48. See the scan on archive.org.
1HEMENWAY CHAMBERS.
2Phone 1439 R. R.
3BOSTON, Mass., March 18, 1911.
5Concertmaster Anton Witek, of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Madame Witek gave their second concert in Chickering Hall, March 14, before a thoroughly discriminating and most enthusiastic audience of music lovers. The program contained the Bach-Tausig toccata and fugue in D minor, and Beethoven sonata op. 57 (appassionata) for piano solos, while the Bach sonata for violin alone and the duo by Alkan for both instruments (played here for the first time) formed an extremely modern close to the severely classic offerings of the first part of the program. During a recent chat with Madame Witek the subject of great present day piano pedagogs was lightly touched upon. The query naturally followed concerning the master who stood sponsor for her own brilliant pianistic achievements. Rather unexpectedly the reply came that she was almost entirely self taught, aside from the short period of study with Leschetizky, although, as she quaintly explained, she felt more beholden to Hans von Bülow, who really fathered her artistic efforts, than to anyone else. Madame Witek's consummate rendering of the "Appassionata Sonata" which she had worked out under Bülow's guidance, and the brilliant musicianly manner in which she played it, proved that master to be a justly discriminating critic. The colossal breadth and dignity of the opening movement, the sublime pathos of the andante and the fleet and sparkling closing movement were all given with an artistic authority and largeness that spelt the last word in pianistic interpretation. Nor was Madame Witek less successful in her exposition of the Alkan number. To begin with it is a composition of rare and weird beauty, just such an one as would be conceived by a gifted Russian with a mental vista of vast, snow-covered desolate steppes, awesome virgin forests, and the fearful revolt ending in the wildest orgies of the human pigmy called man, against the fearsomeness of this desolation. Aside from this the duo fairly bristles with difficulties for both instruments and these were masterfully overcome by the artist pair who were recalled a number of times at the close. The Bach sonata for violin alone ending in the "chaconne," again brought Concertmaster Witek to the fore as a virtuoso of the most dazzling attainments, combined with the sterling musicianly dignity that made naught of his technical perfection as a matter for self display. And just the absence of this brought the nobility and grandeur of Bach's music in all its flawless purity and without the element of personal alloy directly to the appreciation of the hearer. The audience recognized this and responded by recalling Mr. Witek some half dozen times or more at the close of the number. With the educating of public taste by this extreme mastery, the constantly widening circle of hearers for Mr. and Mrs. Witek promises a most gratifying response for next season's announcements, when the demand for a longer series of recitals has now been virtually conceded by the eminent artist pair.
7Florence Hinkle, Adah Campbell Hussey, Charles Mitchell and Horatio Connell were the quartet of soloists at the performance of "The Messiah" given at Amherst, March 9, by the Amherst College chorus and orchestra.
9The Faelten Pianoforte School was well represented by Mary Helen Pumphrey, of the class of 1911, who gave a comprehensive recital program at Mt. Holyoke College, March 15, scoring an immediate and well earned success.
11A San Francisco clipping just received gives renewed evidence of the enthusiastic welcome with which Stewart's "Legends of the Yosemite" has been received in musical circles of the Far West.
13Edmond Clement in his first song recital in this city filled Jordan Hall on Thursday afternoon. Mr. De Voto was the accompanist.
15The Chromatic Club meeting of March 14 was made unusually interesting by the first appearance of Corene Harmon, a young Kentucky pianist, who has but recently returned from European study under such eminent masters as Godowsky, Gabrilowitsch, Pugno and La Forge. On this occasion she gained immediate recognition with her artistic rendering of pieces by Mozart, Chopin, La Forge, Schumann and Raff, displaying a brilliant tone,
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