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MUSICAL COURIER
March 22, 1923
glee club is a splendidly trained body of singers and the voices blended finely and sounded rich and most effective. Mr. Hackett was heard to admirable advantage in the Ewig Weibliche. He sang with a clarity of tone and diction that was heard over the other voices. The second movement, Gretchen, was beautifully played by the orchestra; in fact, the entire work received a worthy hearing and the audience was warm in its response to Mr. Monteux, the glee club and Mr. Hackett.
The only other work on the program was Handel’s concerto grosse No. S in D major for string orchestra, the solo violinists being R. Bürgin, J. Theodorowicz; solo viola, G. Fourel, and solo cellist, J. Bedetti. It was charmingly rendered.
HERMA MENTH
Herma Menth, pianist, gave her recital on Saturday afternoon, when despite the St. Patrick’s Day parade, a fair sized audience attended and enthusiastically applauded everything she offered. Flowers were fairly piled upon the stage, and the little bobbed-haired artist seemed in her choicest of moods.
She began her program with a group which comprised Scarlatti’s Pastorale, very well done, indeed, a gavotte (Gluck-Brahms), Rondeau Les Barricades Mysterieuses (Couperin), and Gigue (Loeilly-Godowsky). Her second number was Liszt’s Fantasie and Fugue (on the theme B—A—C—H), ׳and here her real artistry had its full play. Her technic was good and her conception of the work was all one could desire.
After this came another group, all Brahms—Ballade, op. 10, No. 1; Intermezzo, op. 117, No. 1; Three Vaises, and the B minor rhapsody. Then followed a Debussy group— Prelude, Sarabande and Toccata. In the interpretation of both composer’s works she showed careful study and painstaking practice. The final group likewise offered contrasting shades, and the pianist scored again in her complete mastery of her instrument. Dohnanyi’s Rhapsodie, op. 11, No. 3; Moussorgsky’s Children’s Frolic, Gounod-Liszt’s Faust Valse, ended the printed program, after which, needless to say, many encores were added.
ANNA MEITSCHIK AND MICHAEL PRESS
Anna Meitschik, contralto, and Michael Press, violinist, were heard in joint recital on Saturday evening, in Carnegie Hall. The concert which was under the auspices of the American Society for the Promotion of Trades and Agriculture Among the Jews, attracted only a fair sized audience.
Mme. Meitschik, who has been heard in New York as a member of the Metropolitan Opera Company during the
Remember the Name
MAX GEGNA
Russian Cellist
Granados and Weber-Tausig. As in former years, this exceptional pianist gave a pleasing account of himself, displaying fine technical skill and feeling in his rendition of the various selections.
SATURDAY, MARCH 17
PAULIST CHORISTERS
The first of three concerts by the Paulist Choristers was given in the Town Hall on the evening of March 17 and was enjoyed to the utmost by a large audience. Father Finn, organizer and conductor of the choristers, arranged an interesting program which included both sacred and secular numbers. As it was St. Patrick’s Day particularly appropriate were I’m Off for Philadelphia in the Morning, sung by James J. Byrne, an Irish folk song arranged by Arthur Foote and several other Irish melodies. Jack Huber, boy soprano, was exceedingly well received in The Little Red Lark. The next concert of the Paulist Choristers will be given on March 27 at the same hall.
BLIND MEN’S IMPROVEMENT CLUB
A concert in aid of the Sick and General Fund of the Blind Men’s Improvement Club of New York was given at Aeolian Hall, Saturday evening, March 17. The artists participating were Della Baker, soprano; Byron Hudson, tenor; Carl Mathes, pianist, and Mr. Haitowitsch, violinist. Edward C. Harris and David Sapiro were the accompanists.
Miss Baker sang songs of several American composers, including on her list William A. Fisher, Wintter Watts, Edward C. Harris, Pearl Curran, Frank LaForge and Robert H. Terry. Her strong, clear soprano voice was an effective medium for the dramatic expression of these songs. Byron Hudson displayed a smooth, lyric tenor voice in two groups of interesting songs, including Martin’s Come to the Fair, Campbell Tipton’s Hymn to The Night, Aylward’s Beloved It Is Morn, Clay’s I’ll Sing Thee Songs of Araby, Passing By (Purcell), She Is So Innocent (Le Coq), and the Old Welsh air, All Through the Night. Mr. Hudson’s fine interpretation and excellent delivery of these songs called forth most enthusiastic applause. Carl Mathes rendered a group of Chopin numbers and MacDowell and Liszt compositions with a brilliant technic and feeling for color. The violinist displayed a musical nature and facile technic.
All of the soloists were heartily received and responded with encores. A good sized audience attended.
BOSTON SYMPHONY: HARVARD GLEE CLUB AND ARTHUR HACKETT SOLOISTS
The Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its next to the last matinee of the season on Saturday afternoon, March 17, a large audience being in attendance. The feature of the afternoon was the rarely heard Liszt Faust Symphony, which was given a masterly reading by Mr. Monteux and his men. In the third movement, the Harvard Glee Club, Dr. Archibald T. Davidson conductor, and Arthur Hackett, tenor, took part and added materially to the success of the work. The
adequate diction in four languages, and an almost imperceptible variation in the style with which she attacked her varied program,” while the Mail said: “The voice was big and full, in the middle register the most pleasing, and of distinctly operatic timbre.”
FRIDAY, MARCH 16
GUIOMAR NOVAES
For the benefit of the Manassas Industrial School, a very large audience assembled at Aeolian Hall to hear Guiomar Novaes, the brilliant, gifted, and pianislieally popular young Brazilian artist. It is not the custom of the Musical Courier to review critically concerts given for charity, but even did this paper do so, there would be nothing but praise to record. Mme. Novaes was at her best, which means that her remarkably lovely tone, extraordinary technic, and intensely poetical and musical interpretations were in evidence throughout her performances. She was applauded to the echo in Beethoven’s op. 8, sonata, Schumann’s Papillons, a Chopin etude and mazurka, Stojowski’s Chant d’Amour, a prelude and etude by Scriabine, and Liszt’s Mephisto Valse.
JOSEF AND ROSINA LHEVINNE
Josef Lhevinne again demonstrated his right to a reputation for pianistic excellence, seconded, on March 16, by a half who if not better is just about as good. Mozart’s sonata in D major for two pianos •was a delicate appetizer and was skillfully accomplished with tonal clarity and rhythmic grace. Rosina Lhevinne exhibited a fine unanimity of style and purpose with her husband. A modern group was played later in the evening which included a first performance of Busoni’s new Duettino Concertante, after Mozart (how long after was not stated, probably a hundred and twenty-five, years), two Vuillemin dance numbers, replete with Spanish rhythm and sanely calculated color, but much too short, and a manuscript caprice by Ernest Hutcheson in which this worthy pianist-composer allowed himself more melodic than harmonic latitude and succeeded in producing a gay, pleasing accumulation of effects one has heard before. The artists were persuaded to add several encores, among which was the always delightful Arensky Valse.
Mr. Lhevinne interpolated a Beethoven sonata, op. 109, and a Chopin group, and added Liszt’s Rhapsodie, No. 12, and many encores at the close. All the tonal richness and tactful manipulation credited to this pianist was in evidence, and Carnegie Hall was filled with admirers who actively demonstrated their approval.
The Times said: “There can hardly be a clearer, rounder and more exquisitely modulated tone than Mr. Lhevinne’s or a more brilliant and secure technic. And in the pieces for two pianos Mme. Lhevinne seconded him admirably.” The Tribune said: “Mr. and Mrs. Lhevinne’s playing had great delicacy of execution, frequently attaining the freedom of expression of a single performer.”
MAX KOTLARSKY
On Friday evening, Max Kotlarsky gave a piano recital at Aeolian Hall. His program consisted of Schumann’s Etudes Symphoniques, Liszt’s Apres une Lecture du Dante, and other numbers by Liadoff, Rachmaninoff, Parsons,
LILY STRICKLAND
Composer of
—LINDY LOU”
(Published by G. Schirmer, Inc.)
LOUISE HUBBARD ROYAL DADMUN OLIVE KLINE FRED PATTON
Nevada Van Der Veer
GALLI-CURCI ARTHUR MIDDLETON OSCAR SEAGLE REED MILLER CYRENA VAN GORDON