Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-26
A SPLENDID RECITAL.
RosESTBaDs APPEARANcE HERE
A GREAT, POPULAR SUCCESS.
GREETED WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM.
inc Audience BesItated to Leave
when He He'd Finished III. Pro-
Greatest Player Of His Time.

u would really seem as though the re-
sources Of our language had been ex-
hausted ia piiing W praise Tor RosenthaI.
and the reviewer who should desire 20 be
original IN telling about the accomplish
ments Of this wonderful man approaches
the subject with full and despsirirz
consciousness OF his utter inability 10 sav
anything new.
The marvellous hold which the great
pianist has on his audiences Is msnifest.
e1 BY BIS ability. not only to keep them
interested during q recital Of two hours,
duration, but 70 work them 10 By HE
electric performance 10 pitch o. upre.
strained enthusiasm. and send them home
in q glow Of pleasurable excitement
The audience at the Academy lac, ,i,t.
was very large one. The attention
given % the player was that NJ me r,ost
Dreathiefs Absorption. and The arnIs,,ec
"as convincing evidence OF deep ana Elm.
core enjoyment
we oHeetness and intensity n Rosen-
that nature. with his wonderful syifts ~
Ihdtlnation and poetic feeling are potent
factors in drawing bic audiences and
h'inhg them under command
NOT MERE TECHNICAL SKILL
u is not mere technical accomplish
meht which his listeners seek or frd
though this important feature is present
in excess, as is every other neelful com
Ionent " the art OF pian0-playing The
IeAuit every one who heard Roeanfha1
last evening must acknowledge 10 be iu
ono word. perfection. Nothing is want
lng. neither In touch. IN dexterltv. I'm ro.
hnement and elegance. I'm keen compre-
hehsion of the composers meaning. in
grace Or pose or ease Of movement. in
tremendous strength. iu phrasing. nor Ga
that ven OF mysterious spirituality which
uit8 I0scnthais interpretations above
those ~ any other artist and quite into
tho realm ~ the ideal
IAcre was uumIstakable evidence. even
~ tho beginning OF last nights concert
a5 the Academy ~ Music began TO ON
up with an audience OF musicians and
fashionable. that the evening was like
20 bo an unusual one. and 90 o. proved
THE ARTISTS RECEPTION.
kosenthaIs reception was Of the sort
he probably likes best-cortalnly nothing
could have been IN better taste. At his
entrance The burst Of applause Was short.
though spontaneous, earnest. and warm
az the end Of each movement demonsrTS-
lions grow louder and more prolonged
until. ~ the end Of the third number. hc
was forced 20 give an encore. and 20 the
close Of The concert people sat SIN ia
their seats without showing tho slight
est inclination 10 move R0scnth.l de-
clincd oncorcs again and again. Only once
Gld hc reward DIS admirers by q beautiful
rendering ~ fubcnGteln'a "7OTesd0r
Ills breadth and power were best dlf-
played in Che performance ~ Ch0pin'f
B minor sonata. Ills treatment OF the
first two movements WIS inimitable This
reading fairly prepared The ohscryant lis-
tenor for Die treatment ~ tho slow
movement which for breadth OF style
and passionate feeling has never been
equallcd hero. The last movement was
powerfully dramatic iu treatment. and
tho reading. aa n whole. showed n pro-
founder sympathy With Chopin and
higher conception Of HE art than any
other pianist has shown within the ken
Of The prcFeut writer
The graceful arabcsques OF tonA carved
by Bach In his prelude and fugue were
PLAYED with rich color and tito sonata
OF Scarlatu was performed with an ahan-
don that WAS something ike fury. and
that held the audience breathleea
ROsENTHALS OWN COMPOSITIONS
E0tonthars own papilon aud Vienna
Carnival are genial charming. oharac-
tcrstic works The formal outline OF the
latter work is Ike that Of the best OF
LISTS Hungarian rhapsodies Mr. Rosen
th8l hos shown himself goo these comp9-
eluons 90 he real composer possessed
Of a firm mastery OF the formal material
of his art There IS never any obvious
straining after contrapunt0l construction.
the results are always fresh and eupho-
nlous.