The San Francisco call., 1897-12-16

opens again and Seidl reappears, followed by
fat man, with a heavy black beard, short
arms aud eyeglasses. That is Pugno The
orchestra begins, and then, with q series OF
metallic crashes, Pugno attacks the piano.
Your programme tells you he is playing Men,
delssohn's minor con certo. That is not
the point PuRno is playing That
is the point He is running scales,
playing tr1lls, hitting out SUGGESTIONS OF
chords, rushing up and down the key board in
volleys OF arpeggios, all very fast. You are as
tonished. Good. That is what you are there
for You applaud, so does every one else
After an encore he is allowed to depart A
few seconds and there enters a tall man with
black pointed mustache and beard ana the
most immaculate evening dress you ever saw.
Plancon. The whole audience shouts ah-h-h
Seidl plays the accompaniment on the orches-
ira with his little stick. Plancon's chest
henyes and he makes big sound The people
go mad with joy. He comes back four times
and then retires. Another big man with
bushy hair comes out, carrying a fiddle.
Ysaye. Seidl comes too. Frantic applause
Ysaye plays Your programme tells you it is
some thing by Vieuxtemps. Vleuxtemps was
fiddler. That does not count. He's dead
and Ysaye is playing ont of tune some times,
but no matter. He makes the fiddle growl
down in the low register and squeak away up
In the high one. He winds up in a sort OF
whirligig of bowling. and again the audience
cheers and pounds for five minutes, calling
for more, morel That is the cry of this Sun
day night audience with a voracious appetite
for feats OF musical skill.
And amid all this enthusiastic admiration
one must needs think of and pity the poor
girl who was hissed. laughed at-and ruined
Surely that Sunday-night mammoth crowd
must not be accepted as a preventative New
York audience. III it was then is New York
ages behind San Francisco where so brutal a
demonstration would be impossible Miss
Luta Van Cortland was extremely nervous.
and although she had sung in nearly 100 con-
certs in London and elsewhere with unvary-
ing success. on that occasion she fell below the
expectations of her audience, and that i'm
mense concou1se of people by way of giving
her courage began to talk aloud, laugh de-
Iisively, and finally drove her from the stage.
She retired amid the storm, overwhelmed
with the sense OF disgrace. She was taken
very i'll and now lies in delirium. The doctors
say she viii recover Dut Will never sing again.
Twenty years of hard work and study thus
rendered useless in one minute A similar
episode has never happened in America be-
fore. The whole city of New York is talking
about il.
Grieg. the n orwegian pianist and composer
who is highly es steemed in England, althou gh
took the leading part in Il concert at ST. James
Hall, London, lately. 1t was his first appear
ance since his recovery from a severe illness
with which he was attacked on his way tc
London. The house was packed aud the pro-
gramme was composed entirely OF music o.
his own composition. He led off with the
genial and thoroughly fresh sonata in I
minor, op z, justly 4 favorite work with mod.
erately advanced students. In thia, as in the
phara ri stir ta II OIN
op. 40, Grieg's slngularly pure and musica
touch enchained the attention of the audi
ence. He played three new minor pieces in
cluding wedding Day at Troldaugen," thu
composers country homo in Norway.
al Piccolo Haydn" which is to be produced
by the Italian Opera Company for the frs
time in America next Saturday, is one OF the
numerous works which were presumably
called into existence some years ago af ter the
success OF "Cavalleria Rus sticana," though il
has not the element of powerful interes
which was generally sought by the follower.
OF Mascagn!. Haydn, boy OF Is, earnestly
desires 10 acquire musical knowledge from
the maestro, Porpora, and, in order to be neal
him, does duty as a servant in the house. aided
and abetted by Porpora's favorite pupil, Arzo
letta. The great musician is com posing ar
opera which he is under bonds to deliver by
certain date. The time approaches and he il
In despair tor an air TO suit the grand scene
where Armida, the heroine, laments the faith
lessness OF her lover will not come to him