The San Francisco call., 1909-03-08
.IH[vINNE DISPLAYS
GENIUS AS PIANIST
Playing of Chopin Group Re-
veals Singing Touch and
Talent for Big Things
"Short Arm Jolt" of Fitzsim=
mons Suggested as Syno=
nym of Power
BY Walter Anthony

Josef Lhevinne is a sensationalist
among pianists. In this he resembles
Paderewski. He is Chopin poet, and
in this is like de Pachmann; he is a
technician. with a wonderfully de-
veloped equipment of muscles, and in
this is like Bauer; but he is in no wise
like any of them after all. He proves
the futility of the comparative methods
to which music lovers are prone to sub
ject their judgments, for his genius will
not lie easily in pigeon hole fitted
to the girth of any other pianists
genius. He is an absolutely original
personality, and his fame must have
preceded him to this city.
Though making his first appearance
yesterday before a San Francisco au-
dience he was received by a large as
semblage in Christian Science hall.
ENCORE FOLLOWS ENCORE
When he played the Beethoven So
nata Quasi una Fantasia) he was
listened to pleasureaby; when he
played the Schumann Toccata the pleas
ure grew to enthusiasm, and Chopin's
A fiat Polonaise was greeted raptur-
ously He marched out on the plat
form after that number five times before
he sat down to an encore, which in
turn, drew another encore, and then
everybody felt about this interpreter of
Chopin what Schumann had said about
the composer himself-"Hats off, gem
tIemen; a genius,"
GENIUS OF TITANIC POWER
Lhevinne's genius is of big proper
tions. His best things are the largest
The pretty Nocturne in G major, in the
Chopin group, while played with
beautifully singing touch, proved that
the powers which labored over it's pre-
sentation were straining like dogs of
war to dash into the martial rhythms
and the cannonading of the A flat
Polonaise.
OF the two Chopin Etudes the thun-
derous one in B minor was the better,
and everywhere throughout the pro-
gram Lhevinne showed the titanic. He
has peculiarly developed talent of
nerves and muscles, which enables him
to build UP a thrilling climax in the
whirl of short run-like gusty wind
blowing about a narrow corner, spend
ing itself with sudden fury against
your window pane and going as quickly
as it came
His genius for this suggests the only
smile 1 can think of now-the short
arm jolt of a Fitzsimmons." He gath
ers his muscles together in an instant,
whipping out a power of tone quite
overwhelming; but with 1t all he does
not pound his plano away from it's
pure tone. nor jab the strings into
jangling noise.
TONE HANGS ON HAIR SPRING
His peculiarly sensitive nervous or
ganization exhibits itself. too. in the
Mendelssohn Presto-in E major; where
the smallest fraction OF time separates
the lightning like attack of his wrists.
His tone is hung on a hair spring.
The Liszt "Loreley" lacked the con-
vincing note, but the Rubenstein stac-
cato etude was a wonder of dynamic
variety and pure melody. The Schulz
Evler Blue Danube" paraphrase closed
the program. and again the player won
his hearers with his singing tone,
poetry of insight and fine vigor.
His sensational technic will gain him
many hearers, who will not appreciate,
perhaps, the finer qualities of his mu-
sicianship-but those will win all low
ers of superb piano playing.
He plays a different program next
Thursday night.