Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-10-08
FOUR ARTISTS COMPANY
A Splendid Concert at the Grand Opera
House Wednesday Evening.

l
Grand Opera House by the Four
Artists company. composed of the
following named: Lillian Ringsdorf,
soprano; Frederick w. Kickbusch,
baritone; Jacob Reuter-, violin yir-
tuoso and Anna Maud Van Hoose,
pianist.
Messrs. Kickbusch and Reuter- are
well known to our people, and they
were greeted by full house and re-
ceived an ovation at the hands Of
their hosts of friends.
The former is son of Mrs. f. w.
Kickbusch, Sr, of this city, having
made his home here until few yerrs
ago, when he went to Chicago to con-
tinue in the work of cultivating his
voice, to which he had devoted much
time in this country and in Europe.
Mr.. Kickbusch has always had a
wonderfully strong baritone voice,
possessed of rare and pleasing quail
tiles. With cultivation the power
has increased and there is resonance
and depth, artistic finish, and SYM
pathetic Interpretation, which places
him in the class of great vocalists of
our country. Mr.. Kickbusch has been
singing in concert work the past year,
mostly in chautauquas, under the
management of the Redpath-Slayton
Bureau.
Not only has his voice developed
wonderfully, but he has acquired the
artistic Interpretation, the capacity
to select a repertoire to satisfy the
most rigid critic, and he has shown
that he has the magnetism SO essen.
tial to an artistic career. He showed
himself equally at home in the rendi-
tion of the great Torreador aria and
the prologue from Pagliacci as in
the pleasing, delightful songs and the
difficult rendition of Schubert's beau
tiful song, "Ungeduld." His appear
ance was the signal for an outburst of
applause from his many friends which
increased with every number Of the
concert. After every number he. was
forced to give two encores, each one
received with more enthusiasm than
the preceding one, and when in COM
pliance with the call for an encore,
the pianist began the accompaniment
to ''The Heart Bowed Down." a spon-
taneous cheer went up, which he ac-
knowledged by a graceful bow. 1t
came from the people there who re-
membered his first singing in the
Bohemian Girl" staged at the time
by Mr.. Andrews and sung here by
amateurs, Fred Kickbusch, as "Count"
Mr.. Abercrombie as "Thaddeus," and
ILulu James as "Arlene," Mrs. j. w.
Coates as "Gypsy Queen" and j. w.
Coates as "Devilshoof" Who would
have thought at that lime, that two
first class singers were being devel-
oped who would delight the world in
few years afterwards, as is the case
with Lulu James Abercrombie and f.
w. Kickbusch.
The wizard of the bow, Jacob
Reuter-, was received with the same
acclamation; he is our old acquaint-
ance, having lived here for some
years and charmed our people with
his wonderful accomplishments on
the violin, and whoihas done much to
raise the musical taste of our people
to high standard. What is to be
said about his rendition of the great
concerto by Vieuxtemps which he
gave to perfection. Only the greatest
of violinists can play it and Reuter-
| played it in a manner that
Vieuxtemps himself could not
have improved upon. AS an en-
core he gave the "May Breezes"
a beautiful German song, and more
being demanded he gave his own
composition, "Slumber Song" which
was listened to with breathless at
tention. In his second number, "Hun-
garian Phantasie" also his own COM
position, he appeared even to greater
advantage. The rapid passage work
previous to beautiful and plaintive
little gypsy air, the change to the
wild and passionate czardas, the
finale which terminates with a grand
climax of all chords, with the harmon
les, delicate piccicatos and staccatos,
all interviewer in this exquisite piece
of music, and executed with mas
ter's skill, were simply electrifying.
As encores he gave his own beautiful
song ''Tyrolena Maiden's Dream"
and 1.-The Last Rose of Summer"
with variations of his own which
hardly satisfied the public demand
for more.
mentioning Messrs. Kickbusch and
Reuter- before speaking of the ladies
who took part in the concert, we lay
ourselves open to the charge of dis
courtesy, but may he excused on the
ground that the two gentlemen are
our old friends and acquaintances, old
citizens of Wausau in whom our
musical people have always shown
local pride. The soprano, Miss Lii
liam Ringsdorf, as well as the pianist,
Miss Anna Maude Hoose has
as much right to be classed
: Sith the best of artists as
these gentlemen have. Miss Rings
dorf has very pleasing and attrac-
tive appearance, has a voice OF re-
markable range and sweetness, and
excellent eHunciation. Her notes are
, clear and bell like in the highest as
, well as the middle register: her fine
, stage figure. her winning ways anc
| the charming willingness with which
She reSDonfled tn the rpneatf,d demand