The herald., 1898-12-29
PRINCE OF PIANISTS
HALF AN HOURS CHAT WITH
MoRIz RosENTHAL
His Taste in neutrality-suspicious.
of acknowledgements Composer.
First Concert Tonight

Moriz Rosenthal is here-Moriz Rosen
| thai, the artistic star pre-eminent in Amer
ica this season. Vigorous, intellectual, mag
netic, with superb musical gifts, Rosenthal
is also versatile and distinguished scholar
He is IA graduate of the Vienna university
and has attracted wide interest in his writ
ings and discourses upon literary and ar
tistic projects.
Rosenthal is young-also handsome with
dark, distinguished beauty and delight
full personality. He is magnetic in the ex-
treme, and the magnetism is felt-by even
an ordinary reporter-at once, in the firm
warm clasp of his hand, the hand which the
world acknowledges is electrifying in its
wonderful musical execution.
Rosenthal arrived in Los Angeles last Sat
urdhy, but he went. at once to Pasadena
for he finds the noises of the street distract
ing and he prefers the peculiar beauty OF
"the Crown of the Valley" which has in
spiraton in its purple peaks and restfulness
in the long stretches of orange bloom and
fruitage.
But yesterday the great pianist was DOM
iciled at the Hotel Van Nuys. There is a
great change in the artists appearance since
his visit here two years ago. Then he was
just recovering from long siege Of typhoid !;
now he is full OF vigor and strength. His
dark eyes are full of light, his face is rich
with color-both as artist and man he is
bracing and delightful to meet. His Eng
lish is pure and perfect, as indeed it should
be to man master of half dozen lau-
guages; his idioms are absolutely correct
and he converses with perfect ease.
He talked of the charm of California.
comparing it to southern Italy. lie touched
on the very charming and enthusiastic re-
ception the eastern cities had accorded him.
He said he should go from here to Sar
Francisco and from thence take wide jump
to the south, St. Louis, Memphis, New Or.
leans, etc.
Have you a favorite composer, Mr.. Ro.
senthal?" was askedl
'Oh, many" he said, "but perhaps four
more than others-Beethoven Chopin,
Schubert, Sehumann Chopin is perhaps the
richest as master of style"
Rosenthal is a vivid interpreter Of Cho.
pin, uniting the skill of virtuoso with mar
velous power and exquisite beauty of touch
Rosenthal has delightful simplicity and
no mannerisms. He touched little on the
cosmopolitan character of Southern Califor-
MIA and asked something of California wri-
ters. He expressed great admiration for
Bret Harte, whose works he read with much
pleasure. He also confessed great admi-
ration for his Polish compatriot, Sienkie-
wicz, personal friend, and heard with some
surprise of this writer's communistie en-
pertinent in Southern California "a in 1875.
Rosenthal also expressed appreciation of
Mark Twain, whose daughter, he says, is
now studying music in Berlin. While en-
joying fiction, it is not by any means thr
favorite reading of the great pianist, whose
poetic temperament and scholarly educa-
ton fit him for enjoying more classical lit
erature.
Altogether, Moriz Rosenthal gave a de
hghtful half hour to the Herald representa-
tive, and in all that he said the fneness of
the man and the artist alike was manifest.
His first concert will be given at thd Simp-
son tabernacle this evening at Sis p. IN.