The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-23

the closing OF the opera season in New
York.
Now that the opera company has de-.
parted into the East, where Mr.. Alvarez
is regarded as a greater artist that3Jean
de Reszke, and only Nine Sembrich ocrs
cupies a position similar to that accorded
by New York. the really musical people
OF New York are having a chance to listen
to real music"
A little further on he compares the
merits of various pianists. He says OF
Harold Bauers playing:
t.PianiSts admire it because it is SO
finished, and these same pianists are not
satisfied with the playing of Mr.. sPader-s
ewski because 1t so often breaks the
rules. 1t has taken me years to arrive
ut q comprehension of the attitude Of the
piano players toward the great pianistS.5
One pianist. for example, regards Rosen-
thai as the greatest player in the world.
NV opinion of Rosentllal Is best shaped
in the words of the German who, on
hearing him for the first time, said:
You would think there were six men at
the piano, but should not care to hear
him again. Another looks upon Mr..
Jcseffy as the king of all pianists. and
here 1 find myself more i'll sympathy
with the view, though it runs a little
too far for me. But the beautiful deli
cacy of Mr. JoSeffyss nuancing is some
thing which have now failed to admire,
and the intelligence of his conceptions of
music by Brahms and Tschaikowsky lifts
him out of the rut
But the typical pianlst's idea of piano
playing is purely technical. He sees and
hears wholly through the etudes Of
Chopin and List.
The typical pianist would starve mu-
steal soul to death in six months. He
would feed it on perfect double thirds
-i,-t
pedaling, till it went sick of flawless
nullity and poisoned itself with doses Of
Hungarian band.
When q great MUSICIAN, a musical poet,
with the faculty of communication, seats
himself: at the piano and treats the double
thirds and sNths and octaves as a literary
creator treats handmade paper and De
Winnie type, the typical pianist is OUT
ragged, and expresses himself in no mean
terms. But nevertheless the typical
pianist is just a printer. while the real
author is the poet-musician, who is no
respecter Of types.
Nine. Emma Calve gave her first New
York public concert at the Waldorf-As-
tora last Monday evening, being assisted
by MN. Salignac and Gilbert, Of the Met
ropolitan Opera Company, by permission
of Mr.. Maurice Grau. The programme was
composed entirely of popular French
songs, ranging from the "vieille chanson'
Of the thirteenth century to the present
popular love songs and satires, of Beran-
ger, Jules Juoy, Deroulede, and Darcier.
Among them were LA Chanson du roi
Renaud,' the Oldest known song in the
French language; 20 l1agali." very old
song of Provence; Les Pyrenees," an
accent ballad of the Bearnaise, and Sur
la Montague which Nine. Calve herself
has translated from the Provencal. The
diva halls from the South of France, the
ancient land Of the troubadours, and
many Of these songs as handed down
from generation to. generation i'll the pop
uar memory, have been familiar TO her
from her childhood. Others she has dis
native province, nd still others she mas
disinterred from ne musical archives of
the National Library in Paris
Baltimore during the past week enjoyed
a, short season of French Opera. Inc
operas selected for production at Music
Hall were Wednesday night, La Julve
Thursday, Faust; FRIDAY, La We de
Boheme'; Saturday matinee, William
Tell" and Saturday night, La Clio
conda.''
a specia1 performance of Mr.. Paderew-
skis opera, Manu-" will be given at the
Metropolitan Opera House, under the ol-
rection Of MIR. Maurice Grau, on TUESDAY
evening, March 18th, for the beneflt OF the
Actors Fund Home. The original cast, IN
Guiding Nine. Marcella Sembr1ch, NINE.
T ,ouise Homer, Nine. Van Cauteren Miss
11ri+z; Scheff. Mr.. Won Bandrowski, Mr..
N1hlmann. Mr.. Blass, and Mr.. David Bis
nham. will appear, and Mr.. Walter Dam
rosch will conduct Nine. Sembrlch ana
ali Of the artists, as well as the chorus,
hallct orchestra, and house attaches, nave
GENEROUSLY volunteered their services FOR
th;s occasion. and the Maurice Grau opera
COMPANY has given the use OF the opera
House.
n,,o Handel and Haydn Society, Emil
,,amo,,Ia,,er conductor, will sing Bach's
ras.ion music in Symphony Hall, GOOD
1, ,IE evening March 2sth. me ss, society
,,,il, have the assistance of MISS Cnarlotte
-, - sonrano: Miss Gertrude May
e,.a;,, controlto; Mr.. William Rleser'
800, AR. Willard Flint. bass, ana WI.
cu,iIvm Miles, bass. a masHiiiceiie
ohostra Of about seventy players: i.l:ue
IN from the best musicians > ~ .a ~ nc
has been engaged, says e'le i'o'.ot
cript-
;o, 1,rohman is authority lot tne
a,,t that Jan Kubellk'S Share "
s'.o 1.nceints of his American tour, VIVA
e..e To an end next week was sloou,
s,r:.'O 600. He gave seventy. coii1s, ~
S1rtv cities since the 1irst d.
EaI on December 2no:
er-onna Adams sails for Europe
:" Nrarch 26th, in order to DC preseh.
e. Ibe opening Of the season at wv 10y
6.ardan. where she has been engaged ~
sr,e in addition to the roles Oh ne, net, T. =