The San Francisco call., 1907-01-03
Herr Hekking's Cello Recital
a Delicious Music Feast
Audience Is Slim,
but Mighty in
Enthusiasm
By James Crawford


Visits from violoncello virtuosi have
been so few and far between that won
Ger accompanied ohe regret provoked
by the slimness of the audience that
greeted Anton Hekking last evening in
Lyric Hall. The regret was occasioned
by so many music-lovers missing such
rare treat.
Perhaps the public's comparative
lack Of acquaintance with the cello
was responsible for the instruments
failure to draw where a piano never
cello in every boarding house parlor,
nor does the city directory contain
many names of persons processing
ability to teach others to play it.
Rarely is the cello heard in either solo
or single accompa niment. and seldom
is the piano utilized in other than one
OF those capacities. Indeed. the keyed
instrument was in aural evidence
while Herr Hekking drew from his
stringed instrument some melodies
that no pianist could equal He
proved that with proper handling the
cello can be made to yield music fit
for gods to applaud. This was the
programme:
Variations Symphoniques. Boellmann;
Andante funebre. Sinding; Air, Bach;
Melodie, Massenet; Rondo, Boccherini;
-NDELutnSs AtDDlHs LIdUihCitiS SNnA-
mann; Scherzo, Won Goens.
AS an exhibition Of the cello's possi-
bilities no less than as a feast of mel
ody, Herr Hekkings performance was
remarkable. Such exquisitely rich,
warm, pulsating tones have seldom
been drawn from a single instrument.
Indeed, sometimes the auditor had only
to close his eyes to Imagine that he
was listening to a we'll balanced or
-h Of cFr nj
heard harmonies silVer-toned as a flute
and legato passages like the voice of
a human being. With the player tech
nical difficulties seemed as nothing and
were cared for only as a means to an
end--the production of beautiful music.
The first number suf1ced TO establish
the mans complete mastery Of the in
strument. and the Sinding andante and
the Bach. air showed that he had genu-
inc depths of feeling without inclina-
tion TO run into extrava CANT emotion
alism. In those three numbers he made
the cello rhrob and vibrate with pas
sion and murrnur in the most plaintive
and caressing Of tones. His most
popular effort, the Sckumann "Traum-
rel" was played as if it were sung
by great antatrice-Schumann
Heink, for instance.
Mitchell Kellett accompanied, and
not always to the soloist's advanta ge-
His technique was good. but he had a
proneness to indulge too heavily in
forte during the cellO's softer pass
ages, an indiscretion for which he was
sharply and audibly rebuked during
the primal number.
The congreg cation was large in en-
thusissm, if not numerically. Indeed,
ii was something of a discovery to
hear so much applausive noise made by
so few people.
Herr Hekking will give another re-
cital tomorrow evening at the same
place. and this programme will be
played:
Toccata and Fugue lBach), Mr.
Mitchell Kellert; Concerto. Saint Saens;
Romance, MacDowell. lie Cygne, Saint
Saens; Arlequin, Pepper; o. Cara
Memoria, Servias.
A. matinee on Saturday viii bring
the eminent cellist's San Francisco en-
gagement TO a close. with these num-
bers: IntermeZzO and finale Grom
Concerto) Lalo: Kol Nidrei, Max
Bruch: Waldesruhe, Dvorak; Chant du
Soir. Schumann; Papillon, Pepper; Noe
turne. Concert; Berceuse, GODDARD; Ga
Vote, Pepper.