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

In the first place the n1akai pavilion
| at the Alexander Young Hotel rooi
garden is not the most advantageous
place in which to listen TO music d
any kind. The acoustics are poor, the
odd shape of the ceiling sending bach
resonant chords with a disccncerting
echo. In the second place the small
Eaudience that greeted Scavenius, the
lDanist pianist, last night would have
discouraged any artist. Rows and
rows of chairs were marshalled land
stoodta 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 large and enthusiastic
body of auditors was, consequently
entirely missing.
Which predatory remarks are of,
tered merely to disarm possible hos.
tilecritieism of the critic, and to show
that every allowance is being made
In spirit of fairness An honest ,criti-
oism 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:
It's all very well to eritieise, but Il
Iiaresay you couldn't have done half
so well yourself ETC.
That is very true. Those who can
perform do not waste their time writ
ing criticisms. Men who can write
books rarely set up as book reviewers.
But the public is entitled to some ac-
count of the performance of any artist
who bids for patronage lis 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. IL en-
tirely unprecedented account of how
he was impressed by the efforts of a
given performer.
After these ci0aked apologies and
attempted softenings of a verdict.
which may seem harsh, it must be
chronicled as an honest and sincere
opinion that the small audience and
poor setting were not the sole reasons
for Seayenius falling to hold his audi
tors last evening.
OF his technique there can be no
criticism. His finscring
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 temperamentaIIy ScayeniHs 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 reIi-
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-z
sen at the hands Of producers and ac-
tors, for ''Grieg atmosphere. has be-
come as cheapa vogue as the -1bsen
gloom was a few years ago. Sea-
VENUS does not make the mistake OF
seeking to create a "Grieg atmos-
phere, but neither does he impart
the spirit of Gfieg's wonderful COM
positions and that criticism is Of
fefed with a due realization that nom
professional music lover cannot even
realize the amount of time, study and
labor that must precede a public re-
cital by any painstakiRg musician, !
who must have applied himself dill
gently to ascertaining what, In his
idea, is the underlying spirit Of each
number ~
4 Eugene bernstein, pianist of the ,
Russian symphony Orchestra in New
York, political exile from Odessa
who combines the Hebrew sensitive
ness with the Slavic melancholy,
makes of the Prelude" by Raehman
noff an unforgettable translation OF
The tragedy of the Russians exiled to
Siberia. Bernstein paints a spictnre-
brings up to the mental vision train
IF exiles Atoiling over the endless
steppes with ankle chains clanking
metallic protest against tyranny to an
lndertone of broken wailing sadness
md, at times, terrible menace. Sea-
VENUS played that same composition
asst evening. without achieving any.
hing save tonal effects. That is
ease in point.
Last evenings program was brief, !
and was over at 10 O'Clock, even |
though the .Tecital did not begin until |
ong after the scheduled hour of $3.50.
:. Alexander Lewis sang several songs |
which brought him the applause of |
he audience, and was ably accompans
ed by Miss Harrison, despite high |
wind which ruffied her score continu- |