The New York herald., 1875-11-24
ADJUSTMENTS.
HANS Won BULoW.


The pianist who has set all New York in a fervor OF
excitement and whose eccentrlcties and wild language
about everybody and everything connected with his
country have aroused the Indignation of all Ger
concert gocrs appeared last night in Plymouth
church. Brooklyn. About six hundred people were
present-a very large audience considering the in
clemency Of the weather. The pianist played the fol-
lowing works Fantasia chromaticoe fuga and gavotte
in ID minor, Jean Sebastian Bach; sonata, opus 81,
No, IN fiat, Beethoven; Prelude and fugue, opus
35, No and four Lieder ohne o5rtc Nos 10 81 a. 3
Mendelssohn; Nocturne No. @ opus 81 in G major
waltz opus AZ Berceuse, opus 81, Polonaise Maire,
in A fiat, opus So, Chopin, and ''Gondoora Taran-
teila," from Liszts "Reminiscences of Venice and
Naples The feature of the recital the wonderful
playing OF the two Bach works Both, in the Berlin
edition of Book, have been edited by Bulow The
young and ever attractive Chromatic Fantasia and
Fugue stands the greatest of the masters piano works
Hans Won Bdlow in his Introductory remarks to the
edition referred to- speaks in the oulogistc
oft, He says that Bach tho first to introduce
this work romantcism in the literature OF the piano.
The great genius Of the master is here revealed s
highest colors. HIS son Friedeman and his friend
Forke have already testified to the SURPRISING gran
deur Of the composition The editor INDUCES in very
long dlsquisition on the manner in which the work
should be performed and certainly the pianist carried
out TO the fullest extent the ideas advanced II
entirely delightful performance Tho gavotte in D
minor was another triumph for who may be re-
garded as an earnest disciple in tho school OF the
"fatner OF music.
Tho sonata Beethoven the third and last Of those
dainty little works comprised under the title opus 81
gave Bdlow opportunity to display his talents as a
vrtuoso the best possible advantage As Beethoven
player he is inimtable, and some Of our best local
pianists may learn much in listening to hm-not that
he always catches the inspiration from the musical Je
hovah but he is always intelligent and thoughtful Ii
is not within the province of talent to climb
the opmost heights of Olympus and to commune with
Jove himself to grasp his thunder and TO hurl
il on an audience But the most daring Phaeton who
grasped the reins OF the Sun chariot without
curing the penalty OF terrible fall has been Hans Won
Blow. Beethoven, beneath his skilled fingers, Is
pleasure and poem. The prelude and fugue of Men
delssohn the rendering of which have spoken at
length before succeeded by four OF those exquisite
songs without words that have set the piano world
crazy. Here Bdow was at home. He interpreted each
tone poem with finish and effect that made every
thing delightful The Interpretation of the Chopin
works unsatisfactory that first impressions
of Hans Won B1low player OF Chopin carried
out TO the letter He cannot play Chopin. Tho poetic
spirit OF the Polish composer has respondent spark
in the breast OF Bdow. Even the Mlitary Polonalsen
opus SO, where one would look for effect dull
dreary and unnteresiing the concluding work, by
Liszt, interpreted in a style that carried
former remarks about Bnlow's playing. As
interpreter of LIsz he occupies the first place in this
country The work selected not that even the
composer would like to acknowledge to-day. II is
tawdry sensational and inCoherent In respects
But the wonderful playing of Bdlow made up for
some of the inherent weaknesses Of the composition
A lady Miss Lizzie Cronynl sang during the evening
selections from Rossini, Rubinstein and Gerdigani
and showed that she possessed OF soprano voice
OF the most ordinary kind, with very little musical
training Miss Cronyn made anything but favorable
Plymouth church cannot we'll be considered 1t is
very well for preaching, but very bad for music