Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-11-16
SMALL AUDIENCE
HEARS PROGRAM
At ROOF GARDEN
Only Thirty People at First
Public Concert in Honolulu
of Danish Pianist

VI OdItiOIt tottiOt
In the first place the makai pavilion
at the Alexander Young Hotel roof
garden is not the most advantageous
place in which to listen to music OF
any kind. The acoustics are poor, the
odd shape Of the ceiling sending back
resonant chords with d disconcerting
echo. In the second place the small
audience that greeted Scavenius. the
Danist pianist, last night would have
discouraged any artist. Rows and
rows of chairs were marshalled- md
stood all evening expectantly awaiting
occupants who did not come; that is,
all save just 80 Of the chairs stood va
cant during the entire evening, and
the spur of a large apd enthusiastic
body OF auditors was, consequently
entirely missing.
Which PREDATORY remarks are Of
fered merely ito disarm possible hos.
tile criticism of the critic, and to show
that every allowance is being made
In a spirit of fairness. An honest critf-
cisIn is one of the hardest things in
the world to write. especially If the
matter under consideration be music,
and the critic no trained musician,
for he realizes that he Is always open
to the attacker who begins:
Its all very well to criticise, but
daresay you couldn't have done half
50 well yourselfet etc.
That is. very true. Those who can
perform do not waste their time writ
ing criticisms. Men who can write
books rarely set uD as book reviewers
But the public is entitled to some ac-
count OF the performance of any artist
who bids for patronage right in
expecting some estimate of the value
of what is or has been offered The
critic at concert, therefore, who Is
not himself trained musician, can
at best offer merely an honest. If en-
tirely impressionistic account of how
he was impressed by the efforts of a
given performer
After these cloaked apologies and
attempted softenings of a verdict
which may seem harsh, 1t must be
chronicled as an honest and sincere
opinion that the small audience and
poor setting were not the sole reasons
for Scavenius' failing to hold his audi
tors last evening.
] or his technique there can be no
adverse criticism. His finsering
proved delightfully."- firm and sure, with
no hint of stumbling or blurred notes,
even in the most complex passages.
But music is not technique alone,
and temperamentally Scayenius is
lacking. He has no emotional or in
tellectual grasp of his music at all
comparable to the sureness and agility
of his fingers. Tenderness seemed al
together lacking, and an undue reli-
ance was placed upon mere volume Of
sound.
Many of his numbers were by Grieg,
a composer who has suffered at the
hands of musicians as much as has Ib-
sen at the hands of producers and ac-
tors, for "Grieg atmosphere" has be-
come as cheap a vogue as the "Ibsen
gloom" was a few years ago. Sea-
VENUS does not make the mistake OF
seeking to create a 'Grieg atmos-
pierre" but neither does he impart
the spirit of Grieg's wonderful COM
poSitions-and that criticism is Of
fered with a due realization that non
professional music lover cannot even
realize the amount of time, study and
labor that must precede a public re-
eital by any painstaking musician,
who must have applied himself dill
gently to ascertaining what, in his
idea, is the underlying spirit OF each
number
Eugene Bernstein, pianist Of the
Russian Symphony Orchestra in New
York, a political exile from Odessa
who combines the Hebrew sensitive.
ness with the Slavic melancholy
makes Of the Prelude by Rachmari.
inoff an dnforgettable translation OF
the tragedy OF the Russians exiled to
Siberia Bernstein paints a picture
brings up to the mental vision train
of exiles toiling over the endless
steppes with ankle chains clanking
metallic protest against tyranny to an
undertone Of broken wailing sadness,
and, at times, terrible menace. Sea-
VENUS played that same composition
last evening, without achieving any,
thing save tonal effects. That is
case in point.
Last evenings program was brief,
and was over at 10 o'clock, even
though the recital did not begin until
long after the scheduled hour of $3.50.
c. Alexander Lewis sang several songs
which brought him the applause OF
the audience, and was ably accompan
led by Miss Harrison, despite high
wind which rIIffIed her score confirm.