The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-14

negie Hall in New York. prominent
 music critic writes as follows:
 When the group of famous young Liszt pupils swept over Europe toward
 the close of the previous century, they demonstrated conclusiyely that the Alt
 meister had founded a school, and like a veritable Wotan, surrounded himself
 with a band of heroes to protect his edifice against the encroachment of tho req ctionaries--in this case, spinelesS followers of the pallid Parisian style
 of piano playing that so long domn-
 ated the keyboard art and found its
 culmination in the faded romaticism of Thalberg and his disciples.
 "If Liszt was the Wotan of the new art. then Arthur Friedheim certainly represented the Siegfried, for of all the many Weimar pupils who called them selves "favorite," the one most entitled to the appellatlon was that same Fried heim Those who were acquainted with
 the life at the little musical schloss where Liszt held court, remember the
 particular affection which the great
 man always displayed toward the young
 Friedheim, and his colleagues of that time often speak of the unusual dls
 tinction he achieved in their estimation
 through being selected frequently by
 Iiszt as their soolst at concerts and | 1tSIlNdlS Wnltn IHb IdHiOuS COinpOSSl conducted.
 "Frledheim's association with Liszt
 meant more to him than merely the ac-
 quirement of piano lore, and through
 hard study and the intelligent utiliza- tion of every moment spent with his illustrlous teacher, he pushed his gen eral musical development far beyond that of most of his fellow pupils In 1 Weimar. He laid the Aoundation there for that broad Knowledge of the tone | art which was to enable him later to conduct symphony orcnestras success fully, and to compose tn opera which was received with much favor in Ger
 many.
 with the first series of recitals given by Friedheim after Lisat sent him forth equipped with the Nothing of piano
 mastery, the keyboard hero at once conquered that all devouring dragon, criticism, and has held the beast in fawning subjugation ever since. And no
 wonder for in Friedheim are united all
 the artistic virtues best beloved by the fraternity that fulills noble mission at an ignoble wage. Those critics wno cry for uncompromising artistic sin- cerity, a technical equipment that seeks not to display but only to interpret and a penetrating insight into the purpose, method and moods of composers-such | exacting searchers always have found 1 in Friedheim the actual embodiment or | the ideal they profess to worship. "As for the public, more inclined to acclaim less severe musical joys while l they respected Friedheims fine regard | for the formalities of his art, they loved l his novel manner of disregarding the lhackneyed order in his programmes, hts
 unswerving fidelity to his belief in Liszt ] as composer, and his peculiarly buoy | ant and full blooded piano attack, a youthful characteristic which Friedhem has retained--more's the joy!--through | all his many years of public playing. There Is no need to go into details of the Friedheim performances of last Sunday afternoon, and to enumerate singly the many valorous deeds of the | 1n all three roles Friedheim displayed
 the qualities of musicianshp, tone and tcchnic which have won for him the
 high place he holds in the ranks of the worlds great pianists. if any separate e items impressed themselves on the ls- ltcner's memory above the general stand
 ard of excellence, they probably were the powers of musicaf characterization
 displayed in the Beethoven variations | Ca work too seldom heard nowadays),
 the extraordinary finger agility brolght
 Into play for the Weber excerpt and
 the Chopin study in thirds. the bravura investing the Rubinstefn performance,
 and the wealth of poesy and passion
 employed to sound all the picturesque phases of Liszts matchless Paganini
 transcriptions.
 | Tn conclusion cams encores galore,
 Insisted upon unanimously by an audi