The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-15
MISSED A TREAT.
Those Who Failed to Hear Francis
MacmiIlen Last NIGHT.

the Great Unwashed Francis Macmil-
len's return American tour has made
him easily the most talked Of violinist
among the musical elect in this coun-
try. Sensational advertising methods
nave, however, never been adopted by
MIN or his managers and that is why
there was only q small audience to
hear him last night at the Grand, al
though his was undoubtedly the most
notable concert Of the year in Topeka.
But only the musical set had ever
heard of Macmillen-the great majority
are still ignorant of the existence of
any concert violinist except Kubelik or
any pianist except Paderewski- These
could fill an auditorium by sheer force
OF advertising but Francis Macmillen,
who has won the plaudits of the pub
lie and the press wherever he has ap-
peared this season. played before
handful
However it was an appreciative hand
ful-enthusiastic and intelligent. The
dience, local philosopher has noted,
may be determined by the way it leaves
the theater. At the one-two-three-
repertoires the people are putting on
hats and banging up seats during the
very death pangs of the heroine. They
see she is dying and 1t is all over and
they waste no time in getting out OF
the house, which is half empty when
the curtain finally does down. A little
higher up the scale We have audiences
ance is over but the struggle with hat
pins and wraps goes on just the same
and the search for dropped articles
keeps most of the heads under the
seats for five minutes before the finale.
Last night, however, the audience sat
motionless through the last number on
the programme, Paganini's Noise Fan
TASTE for the g string, and after 1t was
finished instead of a perfunctory patter
there was a perfect burst of applause,
wolf rod md ir,ci Sfn ant
tist after many returns to the stage,
gave an encore. There were encores
after all his other numbers, too, and
certainly no performer has ever made
more immediate and spontaneous
appeal to a Topeka audience.
This violinist, though young in years
and almost boyish in appearance, is
finished artist of the highest type. His
performance is technically hawless. he
has wonderful ease and precision OF
the left hand and the force. freedom
and subtleness with which he man1pu-
lates the bow is astonishing. The de-
cision and aplomb Of complete mastery
are his and he is unquestionably In
spite of his youth, one OF the ieading,
as he has been pronounceu, py
a great critic, one of the most reliable
yiolinists of his time. Moreover he Is
an artist of temperament and IN
dividuality, and his interpretatlve pow,
ers are as wonderful as his technical
night, the Andante and Finale OF the
Mendelssohn Concerto he aroused ms
audience to intense enthusiasm Ior tne
composition was given with nnlSn'
| a clearness Of tone and phrase anu an
| intellectual lift that carried immediate
conviction and held his listeners In a
| firm grip. His Paganini concerto IN
D major was chaste In style, ciassicai
in conception, pure in tone productlon
and highly finished in techn1c. But
hriIliant as they were technically the
more snowy numbers did not compare
with the romantic beauty OF SchuD-
ert's Ave Maria, the exquisite aoag1o
from the G minor concerto OF MAJ
To a Wild Rose. Charming too, with
a fragrance of forgotten days, was the
dainty minuet of Mozart and interest
! ing and delightful were all the otner
numbers of his memorable programme
Mr.. Macmillen was assisted by Mad
anne Rosina Van Dyk, prima donna OF
the Royal Opera Of Amsterdam, a gi1t-
ed soprano, the beauty or whose nign,
indescribably pure, sweet ana naWless
tones was only equalled by the mar
DeIibes Bell Song from Lakme and
two songs by David and Johann
Strauss and in encore the Last Rose Oh
Summer in English but with lascl.
mating Dutch accent. One could not
hut contrast the warmth and passion
of the violinist with the impassivlty
of Herr Richard Hageman, who IS
nevertheless a brilliant pianist and an
extraordinarily good accompanlst Dut
who far from displaying any OF the
symptoms of the divine frenzy ap-
peared to be working out the score by
mathematical rules. Faultless in at
tire, immaculate in person from the
crest of his faxen pompadour to the
soles Of his patent feathers, he sat at
the piano forte throughout the concert
calm, unmoved, frigid in demeanor and
appearance apparently determined to
sink his artistic identity completely in
the role of Mr.. Macmillen's accom-
PIANIST. But for all that he couldn't
conceal the fact that he was a master
of the pianoforte.