The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-06
PIANIST ORNSTEIN IN
AFUTURIST RECITAL
Unique in EndcavOr to Set Be-
fore Workaday World In
prcssionistic Music.
VIZARDRY OF KEYBOARD

leo Ornstcin. pianist. gave IA recital
q, modern music at the Cort Theatre
Yesterday afternoon. This recital. unique
IN lps cudeavor TO set before hearers of
the workaday world the tonal fantasies
~, the new !mpressionistic dreamcrr, was
Accordingly Interesting to any one not
vet weary Of long tailed birds OF para
d,c that Loaf through heaven and an
mo-, lIrht and not hostile TO all un-
certain explorations in the mysterious
domain Of o~vcrtones.
The programme comprised two pieces
h. N,nnin-"The Night and 1.-The
wl'iltrs"-Cyril Scott's sonata, opus &C.
paycls "O.seaux Trls.es'' and sonatina,
Aincras "Almeria.' Ornstein's own
"Ipproyisata,' Impression OF the
Thamcs' and wild Mems Dance and
Young Erich korngold's suite in seven
paris. entitled Fairy Pictures" This
LIST was on tho whole fairly representa-
t.ye Of the modern" tendencies. sx-
cent perhaps I'm the case of the Albenix
number. which sounded too lucid and
well balanced in parts.
Nanuin Is "A new name here. He Is
a far darling futurist. and his music
Is filed with the rhapsodic emotion and
dshcvellcd expression of the most rabid
ratification party in music. His night
was q weird one. filed with chordal
mysteries and miseries md draping its
fcw mclodic stars In ncbulous mists OF
d,ssouauces seemingly fashioned from
random notes lost from ut least two
tonalit.cs. The walters a a pungent
rhythm with them and they were Span
iArds there was no doubt about that,
for they whirlcd for "a few instarts
through space 10 n Spanish dance fig
IRE. You have heard IL In Lalo's SYM
phouIe ~Esragnole."
Cyril Scotts sonata was worth q
hearing. 1t has certain values. though
perhaps not large ones. 1t has a
we'll defined scheme, and the fugue which
concludes IL Ia something original and
commanding attention. However, the
crux ~ the afternoon lay in the COM
positions of tho pianist himself. We
ara frank to confess that we do not
believe a note of them. Possibly Mr..
Ornste.H does. and at any rate we hope
- The Thames disturbed the young
man greatly. Whether 1t was the Lon
don county Council boats, the swear
ns of hargees. the tramp steamers
lying on their sides in the mud or merely
the smells. 1t matters not. Some bells
aug IN the Strand and their clear
tone dropped down into the indescrib-
able mess of Ornstein's Thames like
stars into u fog. And as for the wild
men. they we're mad men. and the
maddest Of them all was the composer.
il is u pity To speak about the skill of
ornstein as a pianist. for the eason that
lie is likely to be an agent for the spread
90 .tsI1 .1nTf 81 N.a In vNttzf.sD1 mt Ptr% thA
truth must bc told. The young man is
in his chosen held-or shall We call Il
rarsh.-an extraordinary yirtuoso. He
has q co'or sense which is amazingly
delicate and his mastery of tonal char
.'ier through touch II pedalling is not
surpassed by that Of any other pianist
known TO this public. That he enters
e's.atically into the performance of the
remarkable matters which he affects is
70. TO be denied. You may like the
sim or not. but the young mans play
.rs Of Il Is n prodigious piece of key
board wiZardry.
IS Cor this species OF music, it IL
much Ike other music only in that most
o. y Is COR and only some IL good. 1t
varies IN Importance. but ii never leaves
.. architectural image in the memory
. s as fluid, as evasive and as shifting
OIL, q fog out of the southeast on an
august morning off the Jersey coast.
seeks chiefly after tonal effects and
Hot tHr the fine pcrspcctives OF melodic
Ines. Is melodic IDEAS are fragmentary
and h~llmentous. They seldom clothe
themselves In sharply cut rhythms. for
rIs.,il .-ure, as II was cultivated by
'he classic fathers. is inimical to this
tyre of composition. Yet II has its
.hyih3n, and often they are captivating.
T. als' has It's melodies. and, elusive as
th,v 3r.. they are recoEnizable. In fact
.n' u"ioIlr. curves floating n waver-
~ like smoke rings and the Rhythmic
Patterns transparent as ripples or water.
arc uu'A more tangible than h word
nco0 as and rhy.hms OF the so-called
'F.rs HIRE
T.c COMPOSITIONS heard Yesterday ex-
hu.trI mos; especially one trait belong
iu- chiefly 8, this futurist school. They
ell showed "a remarkable insight int
tho Possibilities of utilizing the over
.o.'s OF the piano The astonishing
.'e7u rss Of toual.,ies. which in some
instances made IavishlnG effects, would
Rave been imnracticable ON any other
"ruw.ut. n nothing else comes Of
'hs 'auuous hind OF writing, the ex-
pr",sre means OF tho instrument may
perhnuS he enriched by these new
Ue,NuI- Of tone c1lOriug.