The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-26
JOSEF uormAyN,s nEcrrAn.
The Most Interesting Pianist Heard Here
Sine Pnderewslxi.


Sine Paderewslsi.
Josef Hofmann's piano recital at the
Hyperion yesterday afternoon was the
most interesting musical event New
Haven has known in many long day.
Since the appearance of Ignaz Pader-
ewslSi there has been heard here no
pianist who has aroused such enthusi-
asm as was displayed by the unusually
critical audience at the Hyperion yes
terday. 1t was a large audience for a
piano recital and it represented the
musical culture of this city and sew
eral outlying towns. The majority had
heard Hoffman, in his "Wunderkind'
days, and, remembering the charm and
spontaneity of his playing as boy,
were disposed to an amiable and cor
dial attitude toward his perform
ance as a youth. But it Is doubtful If
many realized that the boy had devel-
oped into a master. The public had
thought of him always as the boy
whose short legs swung free of the floor
and whose small hands seemed utterly
incapable of grasping the huge chords
that he seemed to evoke by magic from
the keys. He is now a youth OF some
| twenty years. He is short of stature
and not at all distinguished in presence
or manners. He is quite unaffected
and natural, and hardly seems to notice
| the audience. From the moment ne
| begins to play his personality Is lost
sight of in the intense concentration OF
every faculty in the Interpretation OF
| the music. What mannerisms there are
| are characteristics of the man, not
those Intentionally adopted to heighten
| the effect of ones personality by COM
| parison even with so great an artist as
| Paderewski Hofmanns temperament
| is essentially healthy and sane There
| is the spirit of immortal youth in his
VEINS and it lends the impetus OF
young enthusiasm. His training and
education have been the best the world
afforded, and he has come forth, after
| the interim of retirement and study,
| equipped with marvellous technique
and a thoroughly well-rounded and
complete knowledge Of the musical art.
| Enormously gifted at the start, he has
l 6IlJOyGQ luG ttlleA loSSieeSS "
Anton Rubenstein. From him he
caught the color and warmth of his
| tone and the secret of climac-power.
| He is said to reproduce the colossal eff
| fects of the great master to closer
| degree than any other pianist Of the
| day. Surely for stupendous technical
power and breadth of climax his play
| ing of LISTS arrangement of the
'Tannhauser" overture Is unequaned
| in the present writer's experience Nor
| is it to be thought from this that his
| playing is purely initiative of his mas
| ter. His interpretations are delightful
\ ly individual and characteristic.
Space will not permit separate men
| ton of the various numbers of the pro-
gramme. 1t was evenly well done
| throughout. The Bach fugue was fine
| ly masculine and the Beethoven sonata
was beautiful in repose and exquisite
| feeling The Mendelssohn numbers
We're sympathetically played, and the
| Spinning Song had to be repeated. 1t
| has often been said that his Chopin
! playing Is the least satisfactory thing
| he does 1t Is not to be wished for that
a fellow of his age should play Chopin
otherwise. The melancholy and subtle
| ty will come with years and deeper
knowledge of life. The List and Ru-
| bernstein numbers were all splendid in
tone and technique. The "Tannhauser"
overture was played instead of the
Liszt Rhapsody. The encore pieces
were the Chopin-Liszt Chant Polo
naise" and Moskowzki's "Guitarre.'
| Mr.. BunneI deserves the utmost
gratitude for his enterprise in bringing
| Holman here. His efforts to provide
| the best of current musical talent for
this city are much appreciated. 1t is
announced that Holman will return in
/ May for an evening recital