Norwich bulletin., 1911-03-21
JOSEF HOFFMAN,, PIANIST.
The Worlds Greatest Pianist Will APP
poar in Slater Memorial Hall March

The last number of thu musical Sc
rlos arranged this season for Slater
Memorial hall will take place on We'd
needay evening. March 90, on which
occasion the music lovers OF Norwich
and vicinity will have an opportunity
10 hear the greatest living pianist
josef Holman.
The New York Sun. whose Judgment
in all matters musical is considered
nuperlative Is most lavish in it's praise
Of Hofmann's playing. and we present
herewith. in full. a criticism from the
sun of a recent concert given by Hof-
mann in New York:
Josef Holman. the distinguished
pianist. gave his third recital of the
current season at Carnegie hall yester-
enc of titanic proportions 1t read
thus: Prelude and fugue. by Mendsl-
ssohn: -Vecchio Menuetto. Sgambati ;
sonata. opus 81, commonly called APP
passfonata.' Beethoven: barcarole, c
minor nocturne. vaIse in A fiat ma jor
dy I'm q minor and intermezzi in A
major aud r minor, Brahms, and
.Etudes SyInphoniQues.' Schumann.
Here IS list OF compositions fted
IN search the marrow of q pianists
art That Mr. Holman interpreted il
notably. indeed triumphantly, testifies
10 the richness of his equipment and
the fillness OF his now mature musical
nature. His Beethoven rea dings have
grown largely since he first began to
show Tire qualities of greatness as a
technicaan.
Mr.. Holman has always possessed
the keenest sensitiveness to beauty of
tone. nnish of phrase and variety of
accent. But in his earlier perform
ances he seemed to value these chiefly
1or their own sake and TO esteem COM
Positions principally by the opportu-
nH rx.r he Of
These Qualities of external beauty.
He 10 longer plays the piano in this
manner. His mastery of the art of
singing music on his chosen instru-
ment and OF importing to the song a
snarvelous wealth of tone color are
now the means by which he presents
1oFEe and deep conceptions of the spir-
1emnl side OF music Naturally his in
NUpretation Of Beethoven gives him
mmple scope for the revelation of his
capabilities
But without doubt his hearers YES
sWday found something even more
1nDvtnR In his Chopin readings. The
6GRczrole In one of the most familiar
or the compositions of the Polish mas
ser and II is played extremely well by
many pianists. but we doubt whether
rny local audience ever heard il per-
lDrmcd with more. delIcacy of taste
Than that which Mr.. Hofmann brought
% it, Interpretation yesterday after
noon
Again. his reading of the G minor
uocturne reached an astonishing level
OF piano virtuosity as well as of in
ferpretatsve eloquence. The manner
in which he built up the stupendous
climax in the middle passage with the
octave commentaries was something
within the grasp only of supreme
1uon1vch of the keyboard. His teach
er' Ruoinstein. might have wept for
Joy 20 hear such breadth and depth of
tone applied TO such splendid musical
purpose
'~These readings were matched only
by that of the Schumann number.
which Mr.. Hermann played with noble
conception and great glory of tone
There were moments in IL so beautffuI
~ TO be altogether ravishing, but its
hi<h merit was its completely rounded
~--1sefry as n reading and it's inti-
c-,zfe realization OF the real spirit OF
&4fumanr's ina gination.
such a piano recital is indeed an
1e-r--'1x exhibition OF the art of the
$1ferprrtative musician. Such inter-
r>tation - creative. II makes the
susie live and breathe II gives US
0N that mighty composers have. Of
frred 10 US. together with the precious
Rift< OF the living personality. The
musician who plays as Mr.. Hofmann
did yesterday afternoon is in a GER
tain sense a public benefactor, and he
deserves a tribute Of affectionate graf
1fude- This his great audience tried to
give him.
X1cEets for tho Holman concert are
mDW 81 sale at the store of George A.
1&n fs>s<dssion. including reserved