The San Francisco call., 1908-03-09
KRE|SLER IS APEX
OF ART OF BOW
Austrian Violinist Holds Vast
Audience in Spell of
WOndrous Melody
Ovation Given Musician Far
Exceeds Receptions 10 Pade-
rewski and kubelik
BY Walter Anthony

-
Never has there been so great an ova-
tion rendered an artist in this city as
was given yesterday afternoon to Fritz
hreisler. the violinist from Vienna,
when his program was completed He
had focused the nerves and sensibilities
of his big audience on the fragile beau
ties OF q Paganini caprice--the twenty
fourth-end had carried us to the tip
OF its highest peak on a tiny harmonic,
clear and sparkling as the spray from
a fountain spring; then he stopped, and
expected us to find our way home.
The concert was over, but nobody
moved, except for the artist, who start
ed for his exit. That was the signal
for the tumult. Tt was not a hyster-
ical clamor for more sensations. nor a
selfish shout for more exquisite salts
faction; it was more like the demand OF
Alpine climbers for their guide to tarry
and take them back. The rare air of
his art had been too exhilarating.
KREISLER Is KING
Paderewski was shouted for and men
and women made him the target for
their corsage bouquets. Madame Car
reno's medallion face has dimpled al US
with smiles at our cries of bravo;
Kubelik had his share of appreciation,
demonstrated by the laying on of gloved
hands and the stamping of many feet;
but the tumult for Kreisler was as all
those rolled into one. And, mind you,
he deserved it. For us there are Ysaye,
Kubelik and kocian. a trinity of vio-
linists; but Kreisler is king.
So we kept on applauding. Nobody
showed the remotest intention of leav-
ing the hall, and Kreisler kept on bow
ing without his violin. In the end we
had our way. and he came back with
his fiddle and his accompanist to play
two encores.
Even in his first number, HandePs
sonata in A major, the enthusiasm of
his hearers broke loose and severed the
four sections of the archaic number in
two. We couldn't wait for him to fin
ish, so anxious We're we to show him
we understood. He appeared to enjoy
the interruption, but declined at the fin
jsh of the allegro movement the insist
ant invitation to play again.
MAKES SONATA BEAUTIFUL
Even to the formal Handelesaue ca
/ dence, dear to the hearts of oratorio
singers, the sonata in A major was
made a new thing, and beautiful OF
! the Bach sonata in G minor, which fol-
! lowed, the fugue movement was best
and informed the audience that Kreis-
Ter could be a virtuoso, like Kubelik,
and could play through all the tricks
and positions of the violin to harmonic
/ trills in thirds when he chose.
The number was played. of course.
without piano, and the purity of Kreis
/ lers perfect intonation was made ap
parent, apart as it was from the tenn
pered scale of the keyed instrument.
! Kreisler tried vainly to avoid the en-
core his playing brought. but finally
/ gave up and showed how Bach's i'm
mortal G string solo sounded in the
ears of that greatest of all composers
when he penned the piece more than
200 years ago.
! Kreisler's playing is to the last de-
! gree authoritative. He does not play
/ like a virtuoso, ordinarily so called; he
plays like musician, composer and
/ poet in one. 1t is not his bow arm or
| the fingers of his left hand of which
| you are conscious; it is his heart. What
the composer felt, he feels, and tells
! you about it, directly, simply, sincerely
I 1t may be that he has some technical
faults. l sincerely hope he has for the
sake of those who enjoy discovering
/ imperfections. ] thought myself at first,
in the Handel number, that his bowling
lacked fieXibility, and was proud of the
discovery until he played little min
uet. which was as plant as a beam OF
| light and as bright.
wIELDs woNDROUS BOW
For the third division of his program
J ne prayed group OIL Ola time cOmpO-
sitions; Martini, Francoeur, Couperin,
Porpora and Tartini-Bach's contem-
poraries and poets ALL The ancient
| forms of perfect symmetry which these
men had made were filled anew yester-
! day ard the wine that Kreisler poured
was rich. warm and mellow To the
! spirit OF the eighteenth century the
! player brought modern note, emo
tional and fine. The audience demand
ed another encore and got Dvorak' s
! '.Humoresque" which Kreisler intro
| duced to America in 1902. Possibly
other violinists have played the plain
tive song, but it belongs TO Kreisler by
right of his exquisite Interpretation.
Then came Dvorak's "Canzonetta," ;"
! Wieniawskis Caprice" and the Paga-
ninI Caprice"
One of Kreisler's encores at the con-
! clus;on of the program was of more
4 than usual interest. 1t is a "Berceuse'
! composed by Mrs. Lawrence Townsend
| wife OF re American minister in Brus-
sells, and is a composition of more than
great merit. 1t was his last "finar' en-
core and was preceded by Hubay's
| Hungarian Fantasie."
/ Another concert will be given by this
| great violinist Thursday night and an
other next Sunday afternoon at Chris
! tian Science hall He will play in Oak
land Friday afternoon, March 8, at Ye
Liberty playhouse.