24
February 15, 1923
MUSICAL COURIER
Hall in Scranton. “It is pleasing to write,” said the critic of that paper, “that Miss Richmond, a Scranton girl, has not only acquired remarkable pianistic skill, but also displays a singular poetic nature in her playing. This was clearly defined in her excellent performance of the Chopin nocturne. The work is a lovely, inspiring melody, and harmonically most interesting. Its theme, which occurs three times, is usually played with equal volume each time, blit Miss Richmond played it first piano, then pianissimo, and lastly forte, and this alone should establish her excellence as an interpreter of Chopin. But her playing of Mendelssohn and Schumann were quite as powerful in their influence, the prelude and fugue of the former being a welcome offering to those of us who still love Mendelssohn. This fugue, with its noble and persistent left hand octaves, was played with fine judgment, and later in the caprice, Miss Richmond gave a rare exhibition of staccato, which was a great pleasure to listen to. She received a warm and cordial greeting, was recalled several times, and as encore numbers gave Grieg’s Papillons; a capriccioso by Schutt; and־ Juba Dance by Nathaniel Dett.” Miss Richmond is a pupil of Elizabeth Quaile, the well known pedagogue of New York. Another Quaile artist, Patricia Boyle, a gifted blind pianist, recently played a group of Tschaikowsky pieces at the Wur-litzer Auditorium in New York.
A Short Interview with Myra Hess
Myra Hess, the talented English pianist, is one of the most grateful artists to interview, for she goes into a conversation like into her playing, with heart and soul. After talking to Miss Hess you catch yourself thinking, “what a relief to find such simplicity, talent and modesty combined with intelligence and charm. Her main thought is of what she still wants to accomplish. “The only, thing I am afraid of,” she said, “is that I might stop progressing. But up to now that danger has not yet shown itself, for I get so tired playing the same programs during a season that I feel I cannot do them full justice any more, and I have to go on to new things. It gives me the same feeling as when I have had a picture hanging in front of me for too long a time I lose my sense of perspective and cannot see it any more as when it first was there. I have to change it or take it away.
“Last summer,” she continued, “I spent nearly the entire time teaching, but this year I am going to devote most of my summer to working up new and interesting programs. There are many worth while and beautiful works by modem composers that the public should not only hear, but learn to appreciate. And it is not after a first hearing that anybody who is not a musician can pass a judgment on those works. I have a splendid example of wisdom in my old master, Mr. Matthay, a man who never one moment stands still, but progresses with time. He is now not any longer a young man, but he will never pass a criticism on any intricate modern composition until he he has heard it over and over aga.n, and has been able to judge its merit.
“I am sure the audiences want to hear what is being written now. Just as they go to see plays by living authors and read books as they are coming out. In England, where in the last few years we have had quite a lot of modern music, it curiously enough has given the public a much better understanding of the greatest of all masters—Bach. This sounds rather like a paradox, doesn’t it ? But is not Ba-ch nearer the moderns than any of the other classics?” And Miss Hess smiled her delightfully whimsical smile.	S. J.
Harold Land Recital in Yonkers
Harold Land, baritone, gave one of the most notable and delightful song recitals in the history of Yonkers, January 24. He was assisted by T. Tertius Noble at the piano and Faulding DeNike, cellist. The baritone had twenty numbers on his program, which he sang in five languages. He was in fine form in the opening song, and kept getting better and better, until at the last he surpassed all his former efforts, singing in a noteworthy and distinguished manner which captivated the capacity audience. His program follows : In Youth Is Pleasure (Peel), My Lovely Celia (Old English— Wilson), Love Is a Bubble (Parry), Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal (Quilter), Mary Gray of Allendale (Wil-5°rn. ’ Jr,ome.an<^ ^ (OW English—Carmichel), Ombra Ttf1. alr	the Opera Xerxes (Handel), Psyché
(Paladilhe), Mandoline (Debussy), J’ai Pleuré en Rêve SUe}’0״J?CCTa. PolTorosa (Sibella), Si Tra I Ceppi 4fÎan1״}J ^,h hm$y ^ <Li'y Strickland), Little Lamb, Who Made Thee? (Frank C. Butcher), At Night (Rachmaninoff), Die Lotosblume (Schumann), Tal Du Sagte Unge Nattergal (Hakon Boerresen), Hvis Du Har Varme ianiœr (Hakon Boerresen), Philosophy (David Emmell) and tommy Lad (Margetson).
Vreeland Soloist with Newark Lyric Club
Not only has Jeannette ^ Vreeland made strikingly successful impressions as soloist with male choruses, but also with women s clubs. Her recent appearance with the Lyric Uub brought out the following comment from Newark’s critics:
Miss Vreeland quickly ingratiated herself with chorus and audience. Her voice, a bright, clear and finely carrying soprano, has been so well schooled that her tones are freely and firmly emitted and are easily bent to her intention in conveying the poetic, romantic or other contents of the lyrics ״ ®i*ay?׳ In purity of English diction, she is a model.”-— Mr. hlamgan, Newark Evening News.
Miss Vreeland, who was heard by the club for the first time, has a splendid soprano voice, of unusually fine technic
NewaTk Led3 ^ ^ '6?"״ charm of interpretation.”—
Harriet Van Emden to Sing in Poland
Harriet van Emden, American lyric soprano, who will be under the management of Daniel Mayer next season, has just been engaged for a tour of Poland in March. Her success in Holland and other European countries has been so pronounced that a manager from Warsaw decided to intro-duce her to Polish audiences. She will give twelve recitals m Warsaw and the provinces and will then return for ״״־*?* r,ecit^,s !" Holland and will also make her debut ri״ , a d'•״ uh€ ls !?0?H f°r.next fal1 in European coun-untfl A*priT' avai'aNe in this country only from January
from the operas of Verdi and Puccini, in which the singer achieved more than a passing success. This artist sings the most difficult and lengthy cadenzas with confidence and ease, and always on the pitch.״
Gilbert Ross to Return for Debut
Gilbert Ross, a young American violinist, who has been appearing in Germany, recently with great success, will return to this country the latter part of February to make his
GILBERT ROSS
American debut, which will take place at Town Hall on Tuesday evening, March 13. A few press comments on Mr. Ross’ recent appearances abroad are appended :
The violinist, Gilbert Ross, is an artist of great ability. He is so secure in his control of his instrument that he achieves all technical effects with unhampered tone and unusual clarity of presentation.—Frankfurter Nachrichten.
The young artist Gilbert Ross gripped us from the first note by the nobility of his cultivated clear and facile tone, without a trace of sentimentality or excessive temperament. His steel-like and yet flexible wrist and his highly developed finger technic enabled him to accomplish a virtuoso’s achievements, but the ease with which he attacks them gives an impression of musicianship to his performance. It was a blessing to hear Bach once more in the chaconne, so often mishandled as a bravura piece. In Sarasate’s Gypsy Airs Gilbert Ross unleashed all the dazzling fireworks of double stopping, flageolet tones, and pizzacati with resounding tone, which brought forth several encores and stormy applause.—Neues Tagblatt.
The violinist, Gilbert Ross, who appeared for the first time in Stuttgart on Tuesday, was a surprise. In spite of his youth he at once placed himself in the front rank of concert violinists. Striking was the ease, the elegance of his bowing, as well as the unusual development of his left hand. An uncommon clearness and cleanness characterizes his playing, his tone is noble, and his technic is altogether flawless.—Schwäbischer Merkur.
Gilbert Ross, whose great, glowing tone and clean, effortless technic, combines with fine native musical feeling, will be an- acknowledged and honored guest in Munich hereafter.—Bayern Curier, Munich.
Gilbert Ross will soon belong to the elect of his kind. Attack and bowing could hardly be more consummate, his intonation is flawlessly clean, the tone is large, beautiful and of spiritual charm, and the interpretations of the artist also make a sympathetic impression. Spirit and temperament have been well mated in Ross, artistic insight being wedded to warmth of feeling.—Münchner Zei-tung.
Althouse and Gruen Please Omaha
Paul Althouse, Metropoitan Opera tenor, assisted by Rudolph Gruen, pianist, gave a delightful program at the Municipal Auditorium of Omah, Neb., on January 16, scoring “an artistic triumph,” to use the words of Henrietta Reese of the Omaha Bee. Commenting further on the concert, she said in part:
The recital Tuesday evening was notable for several reasons. Paul Althouse is the possessor of a tenor voice of unusually fine and beautiful quality. It has sweetness and is lyric yet it also has the body and carrying power which make it dramatic. His voice seems to have grown greatly in breadth and dynamic range since he sang here many years ago, although the impression of the splendid work he did at that time has long remained with us. Among the special features of his singing is a mellifluous legato through which he pours forth a wealth oi tone and with which he glorifies every number. Of more than passing interest is his diction, which seems to leave nothing to be desired. His singing is clear and understandable, smooth, polished and satisfying. As an interpreter Paul Althouse spans the gamut of human emotion. He is capable of giving the thrills when the thrills are demanded. The Lament from Pagliacci, sung as a closing encore, was the climax of the evening; The Great Awakening by Kramer, a dialogue song of great dramatic tensity, and The Blind Ploughman by Clarke, another novelty with a deep emotional appeal, all three of these tested the singer’s interpretative skill to the utmost. . . . Rudolph Gruen was a delightful pianist who made the accompaniments an integral part of each song, and whose solo work was intensely musical. He possesses a clear and vital technic, a wholesome tone, and well grounded musical sense. His interpretation of the G minor Ballade was full of interest. The essentially pianistic MacDowell concert study, op. 9, No. 12, was given with fine tempo and freedom, and following a brilliant Liszt rhapsody, Mr. Gruen gave an exquisitely shaded performance of the MacDowell To a Water Lily. Mr. Gruen was also represented upon the program by The Phantom Ships, a song of unusual subject and interesting treatment, which was very cordially received.
The World-Herald says:
Paul Althouse entertained 5,000 persons at the city auditorium last night with a program of French and English songs in which he showed his remarkable range and timbre, and pleased one of the largest audiences that has yet attended a program of the Chamber of Commerce Business and Professional Woman’s division series.
Mr. Althouse was accompanied at the piano by Rudolph Gruen, who played three solos during an intermission between the French and English parts of Mr. Althouse’s program.
Quaile Artists Score in Recital
According to a headline in the Scranton Republican, “Ruth Richmond’s playing was poetic, clearly defined and enthusiastically received” when she appeared recently in the Town
Roselle Wins Praise in Chicago
On January 9, Anne Roselle, soprano, well remembered by Chicago music lovers for her success at Ravinia last summer, appeared at the closing concert of the Morning Musicales, the interesting series arranged by Miss Kinsolv-ing, at the Hotel Blackstone. “Miss Roselle earned for her part of the program much praise,” wrote the critic of the Daily News. “Her rendition of the air by Verdi disclosed a voice which has high range, clarity and pleasant quality, and Chanson Norvigienne, by Foudrain, brought out Miss Roselle’s interpretative talent and good French diction. She has the. gift for song recital and the audience attested to this fact by much applause.” According to the Evening Post: “Miss Roselle sang pleasingly. Her tone was of good quality, ample range and well under control,” while other^ critics’ spoke in glowing terms of “her dashing personality” and “fresh high voice.”
On February 11, Miss Roselle sang in Boston with the Boston Symphony Ensemble in the series given under the direction of the Boston Athletic Association.
Gigli Delights Sing Sing
Beniamino Gigli, popular tenor of the Metropolitan Opera Company, sang, January 28, to more than 1,400 inmates of Sing Sing Prison.^ Mr. Gigli felt very happy and fully re-paid by the genuine delight and sincere appreciation expressed by the prisoners.
Mr. Gigli was to have sung there on Thanksgiving Day, but at the last moment he was called upon to sing at the opera. He then promised them a concert just as soon as he could make it—and made good.
Hazel Bachschmid Wins Success in South
At Murfreesboro, Tenn., Hazel Bachschmid, colo'ratura soprano, scored a success in two recital appearances. According to one of the critics, “Her programs presented all classes of songs, from the classics of Handel to the modern songs of American and French composers, with selections
Mr. Emanuel Ondricek
Director of the
“Ondricek School of Violin Art״
of New York and Boston
presents his protégée
LITTLE RUTH PIERCE POSSELT
The amazing eight year old American violinist
m a recital
at Carnegie Hall, Tuesday afternoon, March 6th at 3. P.M.
Program
1.	Chaconne...............Vitali
2.	Concerto D Minor—Wieniawski
a. Allegro Moderato h. Romance c. A la zingara
3.	a. Hymn to the Sun
Rims ky-Korsakoff-Franko
b.	Spanish Dance Op. 21 .Sarasate
c.	Fantasie on Russian Themes
Wieniawski-E. Ondricek
Management: Haensel & Jones Aeolian Hall, New York, N. Y.