The San Francisco call., 1905-03-23
New Lion Sways
With Bow Hearts
Of Fair Sex.
Produces HARMONY
of Magic Sort
From Violin.


.Alhambra stage last night-did 1 say
walked"? II should be "strode, -
lion-like-and like a lion tossed back
his name, one felt that things were
coming. They came. They all came.
TWO notes Of the Bach sonata, that
began what one is obliged to call the
programme Cfor want Of a better
name for last nights picnic OF the
g0ds). and Fritz Kreisler had his au-
dience hanging on the tip Of his bow.
There they stayed until he tossed them
Of at the end Of the Airs Russes"
that closed the programme. through
romance, clsssicism. the tripping
archism OF Pugnani, the everything
else Of every other school that the fid-
der delved in.
do not want TO die tonight Sister
Anne-not until Saturday, after the
isst Kreisler programme. William
Morris wanted q Bach sonata on the
harpsichOrd TO die to- the same on
the kreisler SUrsdivarius would be
EoOd enough for me. The truth is
that one finds oneself inarticulate in
The presence Of playing of this kind,
or else in the midst of a simple de-
hauch Of superlatives. For this is the
alClin-playing that one has dreamed
of complete litany of loveliness.
II has all the stately breadth and
yirihty Of Joachim's in his best days;
all the glitter. passion and wickedness
of SaraSates when it was most Sa-
rasate. all the delicacy, tenderness,
preciOusness, coquetry Of Norman Ne
Ilda s. when that charming lady was
hsr most charming self. And with
these there is a technique absolutely
without limit; an eclectic sympathy
that sweeps the centuries in vain for
r..-
that simply mowS down everything
particularly If the everything happens
@ DE feminine-befOTe il. AS TO that
there Is every symptom that the Kreis-
lar alteration is going 10 be of the
strenuous kind that centered round
Eaderewskfs saffron halo-the violinist
almost impertinently, unnecessarily.
end lastly happens TO be the archtype
Of the other kind Of handsomenesS.
And what a tone Ye gods. what a
tone this man has, 1t is more than
the depth Of the cello tone yes. a
great organ diapason. that Kreisler
gets out Of that tiny wooden box he
1Ucks under his chin Then there are
s. ken harmOnies so heavenly fine that
the angels must have lent them.
Honey. gold. silk. the voice that roses
lost" the living simmer of diamonds,
the impdity Of mountain waters. the
tone in turn suggests. AS 70 his phrase
it has the utmost nobility. the utmost
luminOusness. Booth must have read
Shakespeare as Kreisler reads Bach.
with the same utter musicalnesS, the
same precious intelligence. Rejane.
again with Moliere, suggests the wit,
the delicate. supple cOQuetry, the suave
grace of the violinist's Scherzo in the
NieuXtemps concerto (No. ,. T sharp
minor).
The programme began with the Bach
Mn
was nOticeably nervous in the prelude,
dragging timidly behind his majestic
associate. This did not at all put out
Mr.. Kreisler. however. and the audi
ence rose frantically TO the occasion.
In the ensuing gavotte Mr.. Ormay
was. like the rest Of US, compelled into
sympathy by the enormous magnetism
of the other man, and ever after"
did well. His tendency is to be a
shade-just the merest shade-behind
the beat The two menuets were an
utter delight, and the saucy gigue.
IN piquant contrast then came the
Nieuxtemps concerto, it's modern ro-
manticism as eloquently Illuminated
as the classicism Of the preceding num-
Der. Dramatic in highest degree, and
with its climax as cleverly arranged
rs z Pinero third act, was the finale
Of the work Absolutely thunderous
v as the applause following it. A pre-
lude and allegro Of that delightful old
ancient, PUgnani, followed, and one
could have sworn TO viol da gambia
quality IN Mr.. Kreisler's tone. The
Interpretation was in the perfect idiom
Of the period. Couperin, With the
Chanson de Louis XIII and a pavanne,
Porpora-who so loved Handel-with
a forgotten menuet. Dvorak with a
'hUmOresque. and Paganini at his
really uusical-or so Mr.. Kreisler
makes il appear with the twenty
fourth caprice-completed the third
group. Six times after il Mr.. Kreisler
bowed himself of the stage. but
wouldn't give an encore. Afterward
asked him why he made US work 80
hard for an encore. Il want you to
come to the other concerts" he said
With the Wieniawski Airs Russes"
the recital came to an end, but for the
rather treacly Romance Sans Paroles
Of Tschaikowsky that / don't think we
deserved, Mr.. Kreisier. Three more
recitals there are-at the st. Francis
this evening. at the Alhambra Friday
evening and Saturday matinee. and
you can't afford 20 miss a note.
RI.ANCHE PARTTNC5DON